'Fight Club' ending explained: Was Tyler Durden a mere fabric of imagination?

David Fincher's 1999 film Fight Club is by far the most discussed film made by the director. The director builds a premise which makes viewers think that the film is inching towards an expected ending but flip the switch upside down completely during the third act.

It has been over 20 years since the film initially released, however, it's ambiguous ending still leaves cinephiles around the world in a conversation that stems from the film and runs through the topics of mental health and consumerism. Read below to know the ending of Fight Club - 

Warning - Major Spoilers Ahead

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Fight Club Ending Explained

Image courtesy - Still from Fight Club (1999)

The film begins with the character of The Narrator played by Edward Norton, who regards himself as 'Jack' but the character is not given any official name in the film. Norton's character struggles to sleep at night and indulges in extensive buying of products from IKEA in expectation to find some relief in his life. He fakes several diseases in order to attend support groups to feel good about his existence and release the pain of others. 'A Faker' as he deems himself, runs into Marla played by Helena Bonham Carter, who is also a faker. 

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The Narrator eventually runs into Tyler Durden, a soap salesman who lives his life the way he wishes to and charms his way through his life, something with Jack himself desires. After Jack loses his house to a fire, he asks Tyler for refuge. Tyler agrees to take him in only if he hits him as hard as he can.

The Narrator jabs Tyler in the face and the two later form the Fight Club where people come to release their stress in life by beating others up. The Fight Club soon becomes a wave across cities as their operations grow from fighting under a basement to disrupting the ways of the society. 

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However, towards the end, The Narrator realizes that Tyler Durden was a mere fabric of his own imagination, an extreme personality built by himself in order to deal with his difficult existence. The Narrator shoots Tyler in the head and ends up injuring his own cheek. Towards the end, The Narrator finally accepts that he love Marla and the two watch the destruction of credit card companies together, which is a potential blow to the world economy

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