The Burden of Masculinity: Analyzing Male Exploitation in "Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk through the Lens of Toxic Masculinity

Abstract

Chuck Palahniuk's "Fight Club" (1996) presents a visceral exploration of contemporary masculinity and its discontents, revealing how traditional masculine ideologies both exploit and oppress men within modern capitalist society. This paper examines the novel through the theoretical framework of toxic masculinity, analyzing how Palahniuk's unnamed narrator and Tyler Durden embody the destructive consequences of rigid gender expectations. Through close textual analysis, this study demonstrates that "Fight Club" serves as both a critique of emasculating consumer culture and a warning against the violent extremes of masculine overcompensation. The novel reveals how toxic masculinity creates a cycle of exploitation where men become both perpetrators and victims of a system that demands emotional suppression, physical dominance, and material success while denying authentic human connection. By examining specific passages and character interactions, this paper argues that Palahniuk's work illuminates the psychological and social costs of masculine performance, ultimately suggesting that traditional notions of manhood are not only harmful to women and marginalized groups but deeply destructive to men themselves.