Zombies Ruin Everything

While Fight Club is definitely one for the guys, a story for males can only be complete with the better sex. I mean, what are men if not women with hair in different places and different reproductive organs? Think about it.

And nobody could be with someone as screwed up as the Narrator if they weren’t as screwed up as Marla. The woman with…wait for it…testicular cancer. Or at least, she goes to the support groups.

“…Hi, Thomas.”

Marla’s place in the story is much like the INFP’s in real life- an enjoyable wrench in the machine. While much of the Narrator/Tyler’s plans could’ve gone on without out a hitch so to speak, Marla’s presence really screws things up for Tyler. If not for her, the Narrator may never have known that there was no difference between him and his best buddy and that they’re the same person.

The INFP plays a much more stretched out, albeit similar role. While much of society is fine playing out their parts in their play of life, unaware of what part they’re actually portraying, it’s the INFP that takes a step back to ask “What are we doing??” The feeling cousin to the INTP, what the Engineer does for concepts and theory, the INFP does for people.

If you’ve ever known one, you may have noticed that their outlook on life is intense, no matter what the tone is. They may be extremely depressed or they may be extremely pleasant, the point is that they’re taking life seriously.

If you look at the list of supposed famous INFPs, you’ll find artists, musicians, actors, writers, and others that refuse to be just another sheep in the herd. Tim Burton and Kurt Cobain to name a couple. While one is more financially successful due to his more odd aesthetic taste in film, the other took his own life from fear of being just another mainstream sellout. You can’t say they’re not committed.

How does Marla fit into this, you ask? There’s a reason Marla is found at the same support groups, lying through her teeth about what disorder she has or what her illness is; like Jack, she’s trying hard to feel something. Life is pretty much a shallow creek to drown in and she’s looking for a way to rescue herself. Luckily and unluckily for her, she meets the Jack “at a very strange time in [his] life.”

“I got this dress at a thrift store for one dollar. It’s a bridesmaid’s dress. Someone loved it intensely for one day, and then tossed it. Like a Christmas tree. So special. Then, bam, it’s on the side of the road. Tinsel still clinging to it. Like a sex crime victim. Underwear inside out. Bound with electrical tape.” -Marla

It’s only the INFP that could be so poetic and depressing at the same time. It’s not that they’re all mopey writers- often times they’re the exact opposite; excitable, engaging and . But their love of people and the world at large is also juxtaposed with how cruel and draining it can be. The INFP’s leading function of Fi is what lets them sort through their own feelings and focus on what’s important.

But this doesn’t mean it’s not a constant uphill battle with the rest of the world on what matters. The biggest difference between the INFP and ENFP would be that both are nearly split down the middle between their inner values and people. But while ENFPs slightly side with a large crowd and good conversation, the INFP goes with their values and focuses inward.

Marla’s way of dealing with things happens to involve people at her support groups but it’s not the interaction she’s enjoys, it’s that if she wants to speak, she will be heard. People think she’s dying, they care.

“No, Marla, I can’t look what direction you even go…even though you HAVE to keep going down this street.”

But just because Marla’s a dominant feeler doesn’t mean that her or real-life INFPs will just let somebody control them or make them feel belittled. In fact, it’s the INFP’s mission in life to feel valued and while Marla puts up with a lot from the mentally deteriorating Narrator, she’s also not keen to hear much of his crap after the fact. INFPs aren’t ones to mess around with in relationships as their auxiliary Ne has them seeing the opposite side of things and dealing with many “what if” scenarios in their mind.

This could range from the smaller thoughts- “Is this how a relationship is supposed to be?” to the make or break ones- “Is there someone else I should be with?”

Remember that Fi and Ne can be a dangerous combination, as Tyler was eventually to find out and have his plan nearly backfire on him. Such is the way of the INFP. Only trying to help, but so often to end in everything collapsing around them from the effort.

Other Fight Club Articles-

The Narrator- ISFJ

Tyler Durden- ESTP or ENTP?

This entry was posted on 11/26/2013 at 2:07 am and is filed under MBTI Idealists, MBTI Stuff with tags fight club, infp, marla singer, mbti in fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.