Adam Silbert                                                                                                   English

Who would I be essay                                                                                     Ms. Gokturk

Who is Tyler Durden?

"It's only after you've lost everything, that you're free to do anything."  So says the enigmatic Tyler Durden, the mysterious lead character in Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club. 

During the course of the novel, Tyler Durden manages to achieve incredible power and a sense of inner peace that is extremely desirable and as we discover in the novel available to all of us even if it comes at a high price.  I know I would like to experience what it would be like to be Tyler for a day and enjoy first hand his seductive personality.  After all, he is strong and good looking, he is extremely intelligent with a good sense of humor and perhaps most importantly, he is completely free of worry and the burden of accepting the consequences for his actions.  Although these traits ultimately make a lethal cocktail, there are few of us, if any, who would not like to taste the brew. 

            Durden’s physical presence immediately commands attention and quickly establishes himself as a leader.  Knowing full well that first impressions are extremely important, I know I would enjoy impacting people in this way without saying a word.  Making Tyler all the more appealing is the fact that he does nothing to maintain either his physical prowess or his lean good looks.  These are just naturally occurring components of his very being.  He is strong and handsome as if it is his unalienable right to be so. The fictional nature of Tyler Durden’s presence makes him all the more seductive.  We would all love to exude the sense of confidence that seems to be inextricably connected to an attractive countenance and Tyler achieves this with no effort on his part at all.  I doubt there are any of us who would not like to be so apparently blessed . . . at least for one day.

            But Tyler Durden is not just an attractive package, lacking substance. Quite the contrary, in fact.  Tyler Durden is eerily intelligent.  He has an uncanny ability to quickly assess any person he meets.  In just a few moments, he knows what it takes to make a friend out of a stranger.  He flatters and cajoles.  Within minutes, you feel a sense of comfort that emanates from his being.  You feel at ease because you know that he is in command of his surroundings at all times.  Tyler is able to make everything from beauty soap to high explosives from everyday objects.  His intelligence is the kind that is not found in books.  It is from life experiences that we know nothing about, yet we immediately know that we are in the presence of a commanding individual who can handle anything that life throws at him.  The combination of brains and good looks is irresistible.

            The Tyler Durden “package” becomes even more desirable because it is unencumbered by any sense of guilt or fear of repercussion.  Tyler speaks freely about achieving a sense of freedom by letting go of the restraints that society places on us.  He seduces us with the promise of complete abandon.  We can do anything because we have nothing to lose.  This sounds patently absurd but when preached by a force like Tyler Durden, it sounds all too possible.  His mantra of “release” becomes part of Tyler’s living philosophy that we are all capable of personal greatness if we are willing to disregard such trivial social conventions as personal responsibility.  Is there anyone among us who has not at least thought of leaving the burdens of civilized life behind for a chance to experience unbridled existence? 

            In many ways, the appeal of being Tyler Durden for a day is much like driving an exotic sports car.  We are immediately taken in by its racy good looks and powerful engine.  We are impressed with its outstanding handling and its ability to almost sense our driving input.  A quick turn on the racetrack and we quickly lose our sense of speed as the scenery blurs past us.  But much like it would be as Tyler Durden, the car will surely kill us if we let it take control for even a split second.  But we cannot deny our desire to drive such a car at least once.