good and true, but unsatisfying if you're chafing under an unjust system.

With any luck, the rest of us will see what's happening and choose to find a third option. Instead of reinforcing a social system by rebelling or conforming, we'll become the Big Chief, and escape into some beautiful vision. A future that's not a reaction to or an extension of any mental ward where we find ourselves trapped at the present moment.

Escape never fixes anything, and actually enables the rebels--on both sides--to do whatever they will. And letting people do whatever they will leads to greater tragedy and unjust conditions. I'd also say that escaping and opting out are a form a rebellion--just not an effective or useful one if you need rights or want things to get better.

Systems are responsive, even if you're powerless at the moment, and even if you fail or get smacked down. I find it odd that he has such reverence for the rebels (his language about Sally and Scarlett, etc), who absolutely did what they had to while opting to set his own lot as a witness--powerless and "outside".

Does he feel it absolves him of responsibility?

(I think he's conflating the personal, and the way a society is set up)

escaping opting out rebelling

This seems relevant - Merton's typology of deviance.

Very interesting. Nice link, matteo.

Here's a question I often wonder about:

Do many authors, as Palahniuk does here, just automatically seem to dissect books and movies down to their most basic, universal themes? Reverse-engineering of a sort?

Do many authors write the same way, starting with a basic theme, perhaps even one from someone else's work that inspires them, and then create the specific story around that theme?

I know SOME authors do this very consciously, but I don't know how prevalent it is.

So no matter what we choose, we destroy ourselves. Nice. Should I slit my wrists now?