Who Is Tyler Durden

This paper shall attempt to demonstrate the validity of the theory of body identity via the movie Fight Club. “The narrator”, Edward Norton, meets Brad Pitt who claims to be Tyler Durden. The narrator realizes at the end of the movie that his mind and Durden’s mind make up the same body. According to body identity this would mean that the narrator and Durden are the same person, collectively being named Tyler Durden.

When the narrator goes to the bar to visit one of the groups that he has subconsciously put together with Project Mayhem (in Brad Pitt’s mindset) he encounters a bartender who is a part of it. The narrator does not realize that he is Durden yet and is confused when the bartender says “Welcome back, Sir. No one's in here. It's always empty the day after fight club” (David Fincher, 1999). The narrator has no recollection of this man so he asks how he knows him and the bartender confirms that Norton and Pitt are collectively Durden by saying, “You're Tyler Durden, Sir.” (David Fincher, 1999). Until this moment, the narrator does not realize he is Tyler Durden. Durden’s first action is to call Marla and ask if they have ever had sex because he can remember Pitt having sex with Marla but not himself. Marla confirms their relations and keeps calling him (Norton’s mindset) Tyler. That’s when Durden appears in Pitt’s mind set and explains exactly how they are the same person via the same body, but with two different personalities.

When Pitt is telling Norton that they are the same person, Tyler Durden, he explains how they are the same person by saying, “Because we happen to share the same body…Sometimes “I” control it and you imagine watching me” (David Fincher, 1999). Norton can then envision his body having sex with Marla and his body reciting the rules to fight club to the new members. When Pitt’s mindset says that no one ever talks directly to Pitt’s “body” Norton’s mindset can then picture being alone, without Pitt’s “body” and no one...