Philosophical Reflections on “Fight Club” and “Ghost”: A Conversation

Although reality and simplicity are certainly not synonyms, varying circumstances in the human experience of life can combine in significantly correlated ways. This conversation takes a critical look at correlated elements taken from a scene or dialog in each of the films. The connections from “Fight Club” starring Brad Pitt, and “Ghost” starring the late Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn, and Whoopi Goldberg may not – at first glance – be clear. Nevertheless, the human condition and experience consistently provide a vast frontier upon which make new discoveries. In one scene from Fight Club, the character played by Edward Norton queries, “Have I been Tyler longer, and longer? Deja vu all over again” (Fox Pictures, “Fight Club”). The purpose of this investigation of the entire 'Conversation,' takes a comparative look at both films. 

The common ground in human themes of finding one's place in life, feeling fulfilled or unfulfilled, feeling alienated or trapped, experiencing freedom, or having the sensation of being enslaved to society – are all larger generalizations. Self-identity, realism, idealism, facing the pain in one's life arises in the mind as the protagonist in each film's story faces the devastation of permanent personal loss. The significant element that binds together the commonalities of the films, will be supported by a presentation of the evidence.  The main goal is to extract, and identify, an understanding of the relational element from each work. Two things must be kept in mind. First, the ideas will be justified with evidence from elements in the films. Secondly, an examination of the relationship correlation will be discussed.  

Fight Club overall, is a film packed not only with violence and action but portrays deep disturbances in the psyche of a person. In this sense one begins to think or be reminded of the two extremes of angst and pleasure. Everyone appreciates the satisfaction of happiness and feeling stable. A sense of belonging is also important, from a psychological perspective. Fitting into the world at large is something most individuals struggle with. In Fight Club, Norton's character seems to have no real purpose in life. His dilemma at first was the inability to sleep or cry. After letting himself cry in group, in an effort to perhaps heals any wounds or flaws in perception he might be experiencing – he suddenly discovers he can sleep. Apparently, as long as he is able to cry and now sleep, life had meaning.

When Norton's character finds peace in sleeping at night, his life becomes jolted. Actually, there is a double whammy to this change. He meets a jaunty, devil-may-care personality called Tyler, played by Brad Pitt. After the intense crying sessions, he meets a callous pessimistic woman named Marla. Her philosophy of life is really centered upon death, so the morose or monotone shades of his life just become more depressed. She thinks, according to the Norton character that, “Marla's philosophy of life was that she might die at any moment; The tragedy she said, was that she didn't” (Fox Pictures, “Fight Club”). Having also recognized that she was a liar, makes the whole situation very confusing. 

The only consistency in Edward Norton's character is feeling like he has a purpose with participation in the fight club. Previous, to the creation of fight club however, Norton's character comes home to find his condo has been dynamited. Having lost all, total cognitive dissonance has set in. This is the point and conjecture wherein both films find common ground and a way to create a link in the 'Conversation'. Shifting to evidence support in dialog and scenes from “Ghost,” hopefully a meaningful correlation can be built. 

While Tyler and Norton's nameless character continue on their wild path, of living for violence and a ride the emotions of a downward mobility lifestyle, another story unfolds in Ghost. The opening scenes of the movie depict a handsome young couple, clearly in love. She, Molly Jensen played by Demi Moore is an upcoming ceramics artist; and the love of her life Sam Wheat, played by Patrick Swayze. They enjoy a typical life of loving and living together, relishing in idyllic nights out together though in the city – by attending the city's cultural events. Upon arriving home one night, after a fling on the town the lovers are interrupted. Sam is mugged and dies as a result. 

Demi Moore's character, Molly, is devastated beyond all hope it seems. Her life a sorted array of broken puzzles she cannot seem to fit back in place, nor come to terms with. Whoopi Goldberg's character, an eccentric but kind-hearted black woman foists her mediumship skills onto Molly's life. Sam's dead spirit haunts and goads her into going to Molly with messages of love and hope from Sam. Molly's frustration and shock easily have begun to linger in limbo, a dark place where there seems no purpose in living. Such intense strivings of pain and grief, are hard to deal with in the human mind. Reasoning becomes skewed. Cognitive dissonance kicks in at a high degree.

The connective point perhaps, linking these concepts and co-relationship of both movies comes at mutually chaotic crossroads in the main characters' lives. For Norton's character, the point eerily creeps into view wherein the possibility might exist that he has a broken-or-split personality problem. Flashbacks to his horror, as the film drives the unfolding drama with Norton's voice in the narrative in mulling over the situation. The equally poignant event for Molly's breakdown, and descent into a spiraling-out-of-control tunnel of despair is highlighted when Whoopi Goldberg's character arrives at her front door. There is a scene when Molly asks who it is, but does not open the door. With Sam now dead she has chosen to self-isolate, to a huge degree. In the scene, Sam or the ghost spirit of Sam is standing right beside her but Molly cannot see past the physical world – into the realm of the spiritual. The clairvoyant can.

Whoopi's character in the scene simple tells her Sam wanted her to come. Molly becomes angry and agitated pounding on the door and yelling why is this clairvoyant woman torturing her like this. Whoopi's character responds. “Molly, Sam says to tell you that you're wearing the shirt that he spilled the margarita on and the earrings he gave you for Christmas. Don't you see I'm not a fake, not about this!” (Paramount, “Ghost”). In perhaps one of the most famous scenes in film history, Sam tells Whoopi's character to push a penny under the door., and tell her it's for luck. The penny as a special touchstone between her and Sam and symbol of hope lifts Molly out of sobbing. An incredible expression on her face suggests she might begin to think about living again. Past the crazy thought of a pure idealist wishing for a different reality, she starts to believe. The shiny light glimmer of the copper penny slowly moves up the face of the door, while romantically triumphant music softly plays in the background. Molly looks up. Opens her hand, and into her palm the coin drops. The hope in seeing the actual physical penny temporarily re-focuses her attention away from her existential pain. 

At this point in both characters are in the throw of despair. Each in their own way tries to muddle through the sad situations in life, that they cannot begin to imagine how to change. The human commonalities at this point involve the agony of uncontrolled change, the shock and discomfort in dealing with the problem, suffering in confusion, and working through the cognitive dissonance to try and resolve the situations. 

The films' overlap in their shared correlated element of existential pain, and ambiguity in reaching – suddenly reaching – a crossroads. There are times when one reflects upon how to retain sanity, hold onto, or find their mind at all. The significant aspects seem to be that humans cannot survive, functionally, without meaningful or supportive relationships. At first, or at least towards the introductory half of the film Fight Club, Norton's character is somewhat disgusted with Marla and that she had sex with Tyler. He indicates that he does not even want her, especially after this episode of Marla getting intimate with Tyler. But towards the end of the film, it is Marla who appears by Norton's character's side as he grapples with coming to closure, and acceptance of the sanity (or insanity) of his mind. 

It is an often repeated cliché that misery loves company. In many ways this is true. Whenever you feel bad, or particularly low about yourself, it is somehow more satisfying to have a comrade in arms to share the hurt. Or at least commiserate. One wouldn't expect for a confused, grungy guy like Norton's character to have much in common with a girl like Molly, an upscale established, and clean-cut young lady. The fact that they do share philosophic boundaries helps to de-construct the lie that they don't. A continuous ebb-and-flow seems to best fit a description of human nature. 

In all its complexities one of the unseen wonders that connect all humans is their spirit, and sense of belonging at once to heaven and earth. Whoopi Goldberg's character Oda Mae Brown really wants nothing to do with the deceased person of Sam Wheat. In fact, a conflict of interest draws them together in a team effort to help stop Molly's pain. When relief settles in with the culmination of Molly finally witnessing Sam's spirit rising up to the light of Heaven, Oda Mae Brown admits that she too feels peace in her heart towards him.       

Another sub-topical element in the film serving as a correlation is when a person feels extremely conflicted over a situation. The most dramatic is when Norton's character begins to discover how close to death he is, if not existentially so all along. As he grapples with the split, then comes to perceive and conquer there is a duality of inner struggle. The Demi Moore character of Molly, in “Ghost,” also experiences hints of her soul being torn or split. In one scene her man's business partner, Carl Bruner, played by Tony Goldwyn, as he tries to flirt with her she suddenly backs away. Everyone has had these sorts of tidbits of dilemmas in their mind, soul, and emotions. 

The hunt for happiness is as old as the thoughts of ancient philosophers. It seems to allude the wisest of beings. When tragedy strikes conflict and anguish is unavoidable. Finding meaningfulness in the lives of individuals is something of shared concern. This shared concern for want of significance and finding one's place in the world, sometimes quietly haunts the consciousness, in unforeseen spaces. Maybe the important thing to remember through it all is that there is hope. Not only hope but in lieu of its elusiveness perhaps the best anyone can be grateful for is connection – the silver thread of humanity.

Works Cited

Fight Club. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. Fox 2000 Pictures, 1999. Film.

Ghost. Dir. Jerry Zucker. Perf. Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg. Paramount Pictures, 1990. Film.