Johan Huizinga’s Ideas of Ritual and War in the Rules of Fight Club

Every fight club begins with a recitation of its rules:

The first rule about fight club is you don’t talk about fight club. The second rule about fight club is you don’t talk about fight club. The third rule of fight club is two men per fight. The fourth rule of fight club is one fight at a time. The fifth rule of fight club is no shoes, no shirts in the fight. The sixth rule of fight club is the fights go on as long as they have to. […] And the seventh rule, […], is if this is your first night at fight club, you have to fight. (Palahniuk Cover, 50)

Each rule contributes to the identity of the club, and without one of the rules fight club would be completely transformed. Some of the rules highlight the secrecy of the club while others focus on the battle aspects. The rules of fight club work together to highlight elements of ritual and war that Johan Huizinga, in Homo Ludens, would consider “play”.

Fight Club’s rules fall into two distinct categories: those that promote its ritual and those that govern its warlike nature. The first two rules are always repeated in their entirety throughout the book and the movie. They use repetition to ensure that they are remembered correctly and taken more seriously. Before every fight club takes place, the recitation of the first two rules reminds the fighters that they are part of a tradition, or ritual. Fight club always starts with the same ritual: “from the darkness outside the crowd comes the anonymous voice of the chapter leader: ‘The first rule of fight club is you don’t talk about fight club’” (FC 179). Huizinga states that play “is transmitted, it becomes tradition. It can be repeated at any time” (Huizinga 10). Clearly, a tradition of fight club is that the rules are stated before every meeting. Fight club exists wherever the rules are stated. It does not need a specific location, but rather an adherence to its rules. This reciting of the rules turns fight club into a ritualistic event. “Just as there is no formal difference between play and ritual, so the ‘consecrated spot’ cannot be formally distinguished from the play-ground” (Huizinga 10). Ritual and play go hand in hand with each other, and it is through this relationship that fight club is “play”. The secrecy of the club and the repeated reciting of rules create a “play-ground” for the members. In this “play-ground,” fighters can be taken into the “now,” where the past and the future no longer matter. Not only do the rules hint at ritual, but they also provide order in a game of chaotic fighting. Huizinga points out that “inside the play-ground an absolute and peculiar order reigns. Here we come across another, very positive feature of play: it creates order, is order” (Huizinga 10). The “play-ground” of fight club is the basement of a bar, and because it is a form of play, there are rules attached to it. Fight club’s rules allow members the freedom to fight while still maintaining some sort of order. We can see that fight club has created order—that the fighters want order. In addition to providing a context for the fight, the rules also allow the participants to feel like they belong to something special. Fight club was founded in response to man’s often times mundane existence. At fight club, everyone is special because they are the only ones who know about the club. The first two rules make sure of this.

“The first rule about fight club is you don’t talk about fight club” (Palahniuk 48). As the hallmark rule for the club, the first rule serves to create a separation from the rest of society. Huizinga “found that one of the most important characteristics of play was its special separation from ordinary life” (Huizinga 19). Fight club is a place where men from all backgrounds can escape the monotony of their ordinary lives and take on a new identity. As the narrator puts it, “Who guys are in fight club is not who they are in the real world (Palahniuk 49). When Tyler announces the first rule of fight club, it reminds the fighters that they don’t have to worry about anyone mentioning the happenings of the club to outsiders who will judge them. The secrecy of the club creates a world that is separated from others in society. Ironically, the only way that fight club expands is when the first rule is broken.

In Fight Club the movie, Tyler (Brad Pitt) slightly changes the rules of fight club. In the movie “The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club” (Movie) There is a slight change from “about fight club” to “of Fight Club”, which changes the tone and severity of the rule. Making this small change gives Brad Pitt a more commanding tone, which is then reduced after the first two rules. “The second rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club” (Movie). Similarly, the second rule in the movie adds a more commanding tone than in the book. “Don’t” implies a more informal tone, while “do not” suggests harsher consequences for breaking the rules. Not only that, but this small change in diction helps characterize Tyler in different ways. The book version highlights Tyler’s nonchalant attitude while the movie version shows his powerful side. Then in the movie the rules start to get really jumbled around as “Third rule of Fight Club—Someone yells ‘Stop!’ goes limp, taps out, the fight is over” (Movie). This rule only appears in the book during its earliest explanation of fight club: “That’s the third rule in fight club, when someone says stop, or goes limp, even if he’s just faking it, the fight is over” (Palahniuk 49). However, each time the rules of fight club are repeated thereafter the third rule changes to “The third rule of fight club is two men per fight” (Palahniuk 97). Even the inside cover of the book prints this version of the third rule in big blue letters. The third through eighth rules all emphasize the warlike aspect of fight club, which is why they can, and are, altered throughout the book. Their function is not as reliant on the exact wording and order as the first two rules because their purpose is to regulate the warlike battles in fight club, while the first two rules are a ritual that must be repeated verbatim to correctly function. Changing the order of the first two rules would completely alter their purpose, yet varying the other rules does not change their intention. Palahniuk’s language throughout the entire book is straightforward and attention grabbing, which explains why only the first two rules are repeated verbatim throughout the novel. The first two rules provide the uniqueness in fight club because rarely are a set of rules listed for a game that has two of the exact same rule. Because of this uniqueness, it serves as the attention grabber not only for the readers/viewers but also for the fighters. Hearing the first rule repeated twice signals the rituality of the event. “Fourth rule—Only 2 guys to a fight. Fifth rule—One fight at a time, fellas. Sixth rule—No shirts, no shoes. Seventh rule—Fights will go on as long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule—If this is your first night at Fight Club you have to fight” (Movie). The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rules drop the prefix “The […] rule of fight club is...” The movie needs to define Tyler’s character more in his language than with descriptions about his thoughts, like in the book. So the movie includes Tyler talking in a very “cool” sort of manner, implying that he is likable and powerful. He says “fellas” to refer to the crowd of people around him to demonstrate his likeability that the narrator (Joe/Jack) wants to have. In the book, all the rules begin with the prefix “The […] rule [of/about] fight club is…” because Palahniuk wants to draw attention to the importance of the rules and their ritualistic nature. The movie has the advantage of controlling the amount of time it takes to say each rule and adding a dramatic tone to the rules. Palahniuk needs to draw attention to the rules other ways, specifically by repeating this prefix. However, later in the book the rules begin to change as different people recite them. Big Bob, for example, nails the first two rules verbatim but casually states the third rule as “Only two men per fight” (Palahniuk 100) and the fourth rule as “Only one fight at a time” (Palahniuk 101).

All the rules except the first two are included more to provide rules for battle, and their lack of ritual value is reflected in their wording. Many of them coincide with Huizinga’s explanation of war and play, such as “The private duel avenges outraged honour” (Huizinga 94). The third and fourth rules of fight club in the book call for only two men per fight and one fight at a time, which sets the stage for this classic duel that Huizinga talks about. Fight club’s “private duels” are not meant for fighters to avenge outraged honor, but rather encourage them to gain honor from knowing that they can beat someone in a fight. The third rule of fight club in the movie demands that the fights are over if someone goes limp, or says stop. Huizinga explains that “it is quite in accordance with the ritual character underlying the private duel that the fighting should not aim at killing but stop at the shedding of blood, when honour is satisfied” (Huizinga 95). In fight club, the members strive to win the duels that they engage in to gain this honor and demonstrate their worth. They in no way try to kill their opponents even though they brutally attack them. Fights in fight club are a form of battle and of “play”, and as Huizinga points out, the “play” is in the honor gained from the victory rather than the kill.

Later in the book, Tyler makes up new rules, such as “nobody should be the center of fight club […] Nobody’s the center of fight club except the two men fighting. […] another new fight club rule is that fight club will always be free” (Palahniuk 142-143). These rules show the evolving nature of the club and how its tradition is passed along. Many sports and games in society today have incredibly large sets of rules that have evolved over time, like fight club. Rules for games are always changing, like the clock stopping in college football in order to move the first down chains, which is a rule that was created merely to stop opposing teams from trying to cheat by wasting time moving the chains (usatoday.com). Originally, this rule was not needed because football players hadn’t thought of this method of cheating. When the game started to evolve, players started to use the clock stoppage cheat as if it were part of the game. All games with rules, fight club included, continually evolve as players find new ways to master the original rules. Rules will be made that no one can ever anticipate from the start, but are crucial in responding to the evolution of the game. Palahniuk uses these new rules to show that fight club has started to evolve, as people have obviously begun charging money to join the club before this rule was created. As the club becomes more popular it will continue to evolve, and studying the addition of rules gives insight into this evolution. Changes must be addressed with new rules to maintain the order within the game.

Fight club eventually branches off into Project Mayhem, which has its own set of rules that clearly resemble fight club’s. “You don’t ask questions is the first rule in Project Mayhem. […] the second rule of Project Mayhem is you don’t ask questions” (Palahniuk 122). The first two rules follow the exact form that fight club’s rules follow. They are the same rule repeated twice, which, like fight club, emphasize the ritual element of the project. Project Mayhem’s first two rules also serve to parallel fight club’s first two rules and expand from their ritual intent. As Tyler’s now established trademark, repeating the first two rules twice hints that his ideals will be similar to fight club’s, such as living in the “now.” Like fight club, Project Mayhem brings its members into the “now” when they perform thrilling tasks such as blowing up buildings. Even though the first two rules of fight club and Project Mayhem essentially have the same function, there is a clear distinction between the two. Project Mayhem demands that its members don’t ask questions, while fight club requires its members to not talk about it. Fight club’s first two rules serve more of a purpose to the members while Project Mayhem’s appeal more to Tyler. Not talking about fight club means that the members are part of a secret society, where they can separate themselves from the rest of society. Demanding that members of Project Mayhem don’t ask questions gives more power to Tyler, who wants more control over the actions of his members. “The third rule in Project Mayhem is no excuses. […] The fourth rule is no lies. […] The fifth rule about Project Mayhem is you have to trust Tyler” (Palahniuk 122,125). The rules of Project Mayhem clearly serve the purpose of giving control to Tyler, while the rules of fight club exist to facilitate the “play” aspect of the club.

Rules can behave in many different ways depending on the function that they are intended to have. In fight club, the rules emphasize the ritualistic nature of the club that lets members separate themselves from society, and bring order to the bloody duels that take place. In Project Mayhem the rules serve as a method of control in order to achieve Tyler’s goals. The ritual elements of each club work differently though, as fight club’s are more aimed at establishing secrecy while Project Mayhem’s, in addition to establishing a secret environment, announce that Tyler’s goals will be similar to fight club’s. Order makes a huge difference for rules that emphasize ritual, because ritualistic rules rely on their order and syntax to maintain their effects, such as repetition. Other rules are solely concerned with what they say, such as the battle rules and the new rules that mirror the game’s evolution. It does not matter what order they are written in or how they are worded as long as they state what the rule is. Repeating one of the warlike rules or new rules would change its meaning into a ritualistic role because repetition has little effect on what a battle element or evolution rule means. Repetition does, however, have inherent ritualistic effects. The movie and book versions of Fight Club use slightly different syntax and tone to create their desired effect of the rules. Ultimately, the collection of rules defines games and is a reflection of the goals of the person who created them.

Works Cited

Huizinga, Johan. Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture. Ed. and trans. Not fully attributed: “This edition is prepared from the German edition published in Switzerland, 1944, and also from the author’s own English translation of the text, which he mad shortly before his death…” London: Beacon Press, 1950: 1-27, 46-75, 89-104, 119-135, 195-213.

NCAA. “NCAA Football Rules Changes.” http://www1.ncaa.org/eprise/main/playingrules/football/2005/2007NCAAFootbalRulesChanges--Final.doc?ObjectID=46974&ViewMode=0&PreviewState=0. March 2007.

Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club. New York, 1996.