Characters

The novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk is tightly focused on three characters: The unnamed narrator, his friend Tyler Durden, and Marla Singer, a woman whom both the narrator and Tyler are fascinated with.

Other characters in the novel play only minor roles, although the members of Project Mayhem almost function as a kind of collective character who is blindly loyal to Tyler and his ideals. 

The narrator

The unnamed narrator is the main character of Chuck Palahniuk's novel Fight Club. 

At the beginning of the novel, the narrator is a product recall specialist for a major car manufacturer. The narrator is disillusioned with his job, and he often talks about the cynicism and cruelty of his company and its policies. For example, they only recall products if it makes economic sense to do so (Chapter 3, 63%), which means that many severe safety issues are ignored. 

The narrator’s personal life does not seem satisfying either. He does not have a partner or children, and before he meets Tyler it also seems he has no close friends (except for the ‘single-serving’ friends he meets on his constant business travels). He has filled his apartment with various consumer products (Chapter 5), but seems to struggle to actually build an identity for himself. 

The narrator suffers from severe insomnia and generally seems out of touch with his emotions. However, he has discovered that going to support groups for various diseases can help him cry, and crying can help him sleep (Chapter 2, 75%). This practice is interrupted when Marla Singer shows up, and while the narrator claims that her presence is ruining everything for him, his obsession with her may also be viewed as a sign that he is already starting to develop feelings for her. 

The narrator begins to change after his meeting with Tyler Durden. Tyler’s influence pushes the narrator towards a new kind of lifestyle, especially once they move in together and start up the first fight club. The narrator quickly discovers that evenings at the fight club help him feel alive and self-confident, and his life at first seems to take a turn for the better. An example of this newfound self-confidence can be seen when the narrator is confronted and scolded by his boss, but manages to turn the situation around and make his boss feel powerless instead:

“No, I say, the paper’s not mine. I take the paper between two fingers and jerk it out of his hand. The edge must slice his thumb because his hand flies to his mouth, and he’s sucking hard, eyes wide open.[...] Maybe, I say, you shouldn’t be bringing me every little piece of trash you pick up...