Fight Club Compared To Siddhartha :: essays research papers

Since the beginning of time, man has been on a quest to find his inner self. This topic has been the theme of many books and researches. This is no exception, in the 1959 book, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. In this particular story the main character, Siddhartha, is trying to find his ‘inner self’. He tries to accomplish this in many ways, one being self denial or destruction. This is also the case in the 1996 book, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, in which the main theme promoted is that destruction leads to purity. These two works, written almost 40 years apart, which at first glance seem to be complete opposites, are actually spawns from the archetypal theme of man’s quest from self knowledge. Many issues in each of these stories give reason to believe that the authors had the same idea in mind. It could also be said that the author of Fight Club may have read Siddhartha. This is so because of the fact that many quotes in Fight Club relate to Hinduism, which is the religion of the heron in Siddhartha. For example, at a point in Fight Club, a character questions his safety. The reply from the character, Tyler Durden, is, â€Å"You’re as safe as a Hindu cow†, is a metaphor that since the cow is very respected in the Hindu religion and is not harmed. This may be mere coincidence, but other information gives reason to believe otherwise. Other than just saying that there is a connection with something that is said in the two books, there is also connections with the themes and styles of each book. In Siddhartha the charters often speak in ways the you may have to think about to understand the full meaning. This is also true in the case of Fight Club. At one point in Siddhartha, the character Govinda [Siddhartha’s friend] says, â€Å"He who in contemplation, with purified mind, immerses himself in Atman, Inexpressible in words is his heart’s bliss.† These quotes convey the idea of the actually enlightenment. In Fight Club, it is common to see quotes like, â€Å"You are not a beautiful and unique snow flake† which tells Tyler Durden’s followers that what they may think they are is completely false. This type of put down is a major ingredient in the stew of mayhem which leads to enlightenment. When you compare the actual meanings of Fight Club and Siddhartha, you will find that they are very much alike. Fight Club is a release for people. It helps you know yourself, know what you can do, and know your limits. In the book, it would often be used by people with