While comparing the novel and movie adaptations of Fight Club, I found a lot of similarities but picked up a lot of differences as well. The obvious similarity in both adaptations was the dialogue in the movie mostly stayed true to the dialogue within the novel. Often times, I could predict the next few lines or what was occurring next in the story. I liked noticing for once a movie that stays true to its origins. That is, until the ending.
The endings of both adaptations vary extremely differently. In the book, the narrator shoots himself but wakes up in what he describes as an afterlife-like state. However, it is assumed that the narrator is actually in a mental institution where he views his psychiatrist as God. All around, he sees people with cuts and bruises eagerly awaiting his return.
In the movie, the narrator also shoots himself to rid of Tyler but survives only with a hole through his mouth. In the end, he is seen with Marla in the building simply looking out the building watching Project Mayhem commence and watching the world burn. In both stories, the viewer understands that the narrator is truly insane but the outcomes for them are very different. In the book, we are not really sure what ever happened or what was just the narrator’s insanity. Whereas in the movie, the narrator understands himself and gains a grasp on his life and what is important, ridding of Tyler completely.
molnarja 