Critically analyse how 'Fight Club' might be considered postmodern Essay

Critically analyse how 'Fight Club' might be considered postmodern - Essay Example One of the pieces of the mosaic is consumerism and anti-cultural attitude promulgated in the film. At this point, it is necessary to stress that fragmentation of the issues brings them to the fore and the technique of â€Å"rapid cutting to reinforce the sometimes extreme action† exploited by filmmakers makes the viewer pay close attention to these fragments (Booker 2007: 37). People are eager to find the connection between the pieces of the mosaic and focus on the major topics discussed. Thus, consumerism is â€Å"criticised primarily as an ideological force . . . that weakens and domesticates men† (Giroux & Szeman 2001: 101). Importantly, the trend spreading globally is not regarded as a peculiarity of the society but is presented as a political paradigm lobbied by the rich. According to the narrator and his alter ego, this ideological force is aimed at enslaving people. Tyler draws a line between capitalism and consumerism (which is a result of the former) as both id eologies oppress people and turn them into slaves. Thus, people are enslaved by things and they are forced to have â€Å"everything from IKEA† they â€Å"could possibly want† (Gibson 2004: 183). However, the world of things is opposed to the real world as it is seen by the protagonists. This is a characteristic feature of postmodernism as it is based on opposition to what has been accepted. Tyler emphasises that the world of things is fake and even unreal and this is a postmodern view on reality. Likewise, Featherstone (2007: 6) notes that â€Å"through consumerism† people are creating â€Å"a destabilized, aestheticized hallucination of reality†. People are taught to fit into the world of IKEA and strive for more things and this makes them feel uneasy as a human cannot and should not become a part of such an unreal reality. The very concept of free will ceases to exist in such a world. Apart from that, the world of consumers