The theory of "otherness" or otherness states that people attempt to define themselves not by who or what 'they are, but by who and what they are. are not. Defining oneself through otherness can, however, be problematic because, by definition, it seems to limit organic individuality, finding meaning only through comparisons. In Fight Club and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, the main characters seek some sort of healing or catharsis, and both find such relief in exploring "the other" and how otherness plays a role in self-identification . However, the two texts treat the "other" in slightly different ways: in Fight Club, otherness as a coping mechanism is completely rejected and the "other" is adopted as the self, transforming the concept of " the other” into a necessary means to achieve an end. , whereas in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, “the other” is something to be avoided entirely because it prohibits individuality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Edward Norton's character in Fight Club, hereafter simply referred to as the narrator, is looking for relief from his life numbed and consumer-driven, finally finding such respite when he embraces the “other” he has created for himself. In Tyler Durden, the narrator personifies everything he is not. As the narrator begins to discover that Tyler is not a real person but rather a manifestation of his desires, Tyler informs the narrator of his makeup: "All the ways you wish you were, that's me." I look like you want to look at. I fuck the way you want to fuck. I'm smart, I'm capable. And, most importantly, I am free in all the ways you are not” (01:48:45-57). The pronouns of this passage make its otherness all the more apparent: Tyler and the narrator are always considered as distinct characters, as evidenced by the opposition of “you” and “me”. The structure of the sentence here also implies a kind of balance between the narrator and Tyler, situating them as complete opposites and privileged candidates for otherness. Tyler claims to surpass the narrator in the areas of appearance, love and even freedom; for everything Tyler does well, the narrator is tragically incompetent. While Tyler might originally function as the narrator's "other", embodying everything the narrator desires to be but is not, the film's final scenes show the narrator embracing the "other" as himself. In other words, the narrator commits the ultimate act of rebellion against “the other” by becoming “the other.” In the film's penultimate scene, the narrator sees Tyler holding a gun and says, "I can beat that." It's not even real. The gun isn't even in your hand. It’s in my hand” (02:04:46-56). The narrator looks down and the gun that was once in Tyler's hand appears in his. As the narrator discovers how to synthesize himself with Tyler's persona, he defies all conventions and, instead of opposing an "other," he takes on Tyler's persona. The scene continues as the narrator puts a gun in his mouth, to the protest of Tyler, who asks "Now why would you want to go blow your head off?" The narrator responds as someone who has rejected otherness as a method of self-identification and embraced the “other” as himself: “Not my face, Tyler. Our head” (02:07:12-19). By contrasting the pronouns "my" and "our", the narrator confirms that there is no longer a distinction between him and Tyler, but rather that heIt's definitely the same person. The narrator's decision to pull the trigger can be read not as an attempt to eradicate "the other," but as an attempt to synthesize himself with the character of Tyler Durden. After all, Tyler falls to the ground with a gunshot wound protruding from the back of his head, while the narrator ends the film with a definitive character change, responding to the name "Mr. Durden" and adopting Tyler's leadership role. – a position he had vehemently resisted for the majority of the film. By identifying himself and essentially becoming his self-made "other" by the film's close narrator, the narrator of Fight Club completely rejects conventional notions of otherness and, instead, becomes what he is not meant to be . In the context of Fight Club, “the other” then becomes something to overcome, an obstacle to true catharsis. While creating Tyler Durden as his "other" was a necessary action for the narrator, his goal at the end of the film is to combine his own character with Tyler's because each the narrator and Tyler represent in themselves only half of what the narrator. must be. By reconciling with his "other", the narrator becomes fully functioning and able to show his emotions, as evidenced by his reaching out to Marla as the credit card company buildings collapse in front of them. The narrator was unable to show true affection for Marla until he reconciled his character with that of his alter ego, suggesting that defeating "the other" creates one more whole. Otherness plays a slightly different role in Jonathan Safran Foer's novel, Extremely Strong and Incredibly Close. Oskar, the nine-year-old protagonist, constantly struggles with two "others" throughout the novel: his deceased father as well as his absent and mute grandfather. In an attempt to reclaim his own life and the possibility of a future after his father's untimely death, Oskar resists comparisons made to his father and grandfather because they are associated with abandonment and the past. However, on many occasions, Oskar's mother and his grandmother compare him to unavailable men: “Mom? "Yes?" “I don’t feel good when you say something I do reminds you of Dad.” "Oh. I'm sorry. Do I do that often? "You do it all the time." "I can see why it wouldn't feel good." "And Grandma always says that the things I remind him of grandfather. It makes me feel weird, because they're gone. And it also makes me feel insignificant (43) The comparison with his father is painful for Oskar, making him feel "weird" and ". "unspecial", although he does not actively seek to be different from his father or grandfather and, therefore, does not adhere to the idea of ​​"other." On the contrary, Oskar completely rejects otherness because he does not wish to define himself in relation to his father or his grandfather. Instead, Oskar attempts to find catharsis by developing his identity without being affected by the influence of external comparison. Oskar, who strives so fervently to move the past into the future, believes that reminding others of the past is not a source of comfort, but rather frustration and tension. Oskar might rebel against this comparison, insisting that he is not like his deceased father or absent grandfather and, in doing so, invokes the identity of the "other." However, he neither accepts nor rejects the comparison, but wants to define himself without the help of otherness, because with otherness expectations are born. Oskar's main goal in the text is to overcome the tragedy of his father's death, and any type of comparison, whether based on similarity or contrast, constitutes.