Fight club American Beauty ISU Essay Example

also explore the idea of using illusions to escape reality, exemplified by Lester's obsession with his daughter's friend Angela. In the end, he realizes that his infatuation was just a cover for the emptiness in his life and a motivator for change.The narrator in Fight Club is consumed by many illusions, including his ultimate illusion of Tyler - an alter ego that he created for himself because he was lost and searching for guidance. Tyler represented everything that the narrator was not: smarter, better looking, free-spirited, and funny. The narrator hoped to be rescued from the problems in his life by creating Tyler. One of Tyler's ideas was that individuals are not important, and that everyone is part of the same compost pile. This led the narrator to forget about materialistic things and find his core being. Lester also valued personal freedom, which is exemplified by his relationship with Risky. Lester was influenced by Risky, which was evident in a scene where Lester smoked marijuana with him behind a catering restaurant. Risky's boss confronted them and Risky responded by telling him to leave him alone if he did not want to pay him.Lester decides to live life according to his own rules, which includes quitting his job, smoking marijuana, buying a Pontiac Fired, and working at a fast food joint. This idea is prevalent in Fight Club, where Tyler believes that hitting rock bottom is necessary for personal freedom. The narrator learns this concept through a painful chemical burn on his hand and embraces the idea that losing everything is the key to being truly free. Similarly, in Palanquin and Mended, Tyler and Risky assist

the narrator and Lester in finding meaning in their lives. The awareness of death is essential for the narrator to find purpose in life, as Tyler believes that knowledge of mortality is necessary for living a fulfilling life. Together, the narrator and Tyler encounter death face-to-face, allowing them to discover true meaning in their lives.

The character Risky in American Beauty greatly influences Lester's discovery of beauty and meaning in life. Through watching all of Risky's videos showcasing everyday life, Lester starts to understand the significance that he had previously overlooked. With this newfound understanding, Lester finds a deeper and more beautiful meaning to his life, expressing that it's hard to stay angry when there is so much beauty in the world. He perceives all the beauty at once, sometimes overwhelming him, yet he eventually learns to let go and flow with it. Having discovered true values, such as gratitude for every moment, Lester achieves fulfillment and appreciation for life's subtle beauty. In Fight Club and American Beauty, Palanquin and Mended craft two characters who embark on a journey of self-discovery and personal values; despite finding similar values along the way, they both reach different conclusions.