Applying Levi-strauss' Binary opposites to "Fight Club" (SPOILER WARNING)

Fight Club is a typical Action-Thriller hybrid, containing both the shocking elements and deep plot of a thriller with the high budget action scenes of an action film.

In the film, Levi-Strauss' theory of binary opposites is very noticeable, especially in the portrayal of the two main characters, Tyler Durden, and The Narrator, who's name we never really find out.

Just looking at an image of these two characters shows obvious binary opposites.

Although they are both wearing jackets with shirts, the character on the left is wearing a bright red leather jacket with a garish shirt as opposed to a dull grey suit jacket with a plain white shirt. This shows the opposite of sloppy vs smart dress.

The way they address each other is

another opposite, as Tyler Durden is standing more upright with his shoulders back and his head held high, addressing the other character with a confident expression on his face, making direct eye contact. The narrator character however is standing more defensively, with shouched shoulders, looking as if he is expecting something to happen, not looking Tyler in the face, but still at him.

These are obvious physical juxtapositions, but there are also pairs in their characterisation. The Tyler Durden character is a strong character, an obvious leader, who always pushes the boundaries of social norms. The narrator character, however, is more of a follower, who idolises Tyler and plays along with Tyler's schemes.

What is interesting about the film, is that in the end it is revealed that Tyler is just a projection of the narrator's imagination. Tyler is who he wants to be, and is himself a binary opposite of the narrator character, and it is therefore the binary opposites that drive the film.