Why does the first group join Fight Club?

[Eric]

Both in the book and in the movie I am either OK with the explanations of what's going on or suspend my disbelief long enough to enjoy the narrative. In both versions of the story, it's said that the first group of men join fight club because of the fight that Tyler and Narrator have in the parking lot. It's later revealed that, since Tyler doesn't exist as an independent person, the narrator was beating himself up. The fact that he beat himself up doesn't bother me, I can suspend my disbelief, but why would a bunch of people join a club to fight each other because they saw a dude beat himself up? Or is Narrator such an unreliable narrator that we can't trust his description of what is happening at Fight Club? Is it a bunch of men beating themselves up?

[Adam]

Eric wrote: "why would a bunch of people join a club to fight each other because they saw a dude beat himself up?..."

They're so numb and desperate for any meaning in their lives that they will follow anyone who claims to have The Answer. These men are profoundly damaged. They're not happy people.

Eric wrote: "Is it a bunch of men beating themselves up?..."

Metaphorically, yes that's exactly what Fight Club is.

"Self improvement isn't the answer.
Tyler never knew his father.
Maybe self destruction is the answer."

Well, self destruction is an answer anyway.

[Eric]

Esther wrote: "Eric wrote: "Is it a bunch of men beating themselves up? "
Nice idea. Makes one look at the whole thing differently."

These are the thoughts that come to mind when you start picking apart literature. heh.

thecryptile wrote: "Eric wrote: "why would a bunch of people join a club to fight each other because they saw a dude beat himself up?..."

They're so numb and desperate for any meaning in their lives that they will fo..."

I guess it makes sense as you point out - it's within the thesis of the book. Still....

[Toni]

Something I didn't understand... Why were the support groups helping him cope better with life and cure insomnia (at least partially)? And why is Marla presented as the trigger for his transformation, for the moment when the 'Tyler' alter ego was first born?

[Annemarie]

Anto wrote: "Something I didn't understand... Why were the support groups helping him cope better with life and cure insomnia (at least partially)? And why is Marla presented as the trigger for his transformati..."

I think Palahnuik used Marla as a trigger for Joe/Jack to become Tyler because she is the image of "outsider" which is what Tyler represents and what Joe/Jack wants. (Joe from movie, Jack from book). She skirts society and lives on the fringe by her own anarchist rules, which Joe/Jack idealizes (or at least desires) and since he lacks the initiative to do it for himself he invents an imaginary friend to do it for him.
That's my interpretation at any rate, but I admit it ain't perfect.

[Eric]

Annemarie wrote: "Anto wrote: "Something I didn't understand... Why were the support groups helping him cope better with life and cure insomnia (at least partially)? And why is Marla presented as the trigger for his..."

Perhaps my timeline's a bit off, but hadn't he already created Tyler? Did he see him at the beach AFTER Marla? Also, I'm not sure Marla is the catalyst because of anything about her. I think she's the catalyst because her presence makes him think about his lie (I love the movie line, "I don't have balls, I deserve to be here more than you") and that makes him have insomnia again. And when he has insomnia, that's when Tyler's active. So she increases the Tyler activity. At least that's the way I read it.

[Annemarie]

Eric wrote: "Annemarie wrote: "Anto wrote: "Something I didn't understand... Why were the support groups helping him cope better with life and cure insomnia (at least partially)? And why is Marla presented as t..."

He sees Tyler first, they meet first and then he meets Marla, who ruins his support group experience later. It's like he had the imaginary friend in place but Marla is the trigger.

[Isaac]

I think that perhaps there is some overthinking going on in the thread.

Fighting is (well, can be) exhilarating. It can get your blood racing and make you feel alive. It can help you get out pent up aggression or disappointment or anger. I haven't been in a fight in a long time, but in my teens and early twenties, my friends and roommates weren't above a friendly boxing match.

It wasn't hard for me to imagine a group of guys in a parking lot wanting to take a shot at a guy who clearly wanted to get beat up.

[Toni]

Isaac wrote: "I think that perhaps there is some overthinking going on in the thread.

Fighting is (well, can be) exhilarating. It can get your blood racing and make you feel alive. It can help you get out pen..."

Yeah, that is undoubtedly true, but I think this isn't the only thing in the book. There's so much more, like the split personality and the cult following. By the way, how many of you thought of a cult when Fight Club spread in more and more cities? The way they took for the one and only truth what Tyler said, quoting him, reminded me of the Manson Family.
As I said, this wasn't only about a friendly boxing match. It became a way to oppose society and its rules. It only started as a friendly boxing match but it became so much more.