What's the deal with the end?

[QUOTE=lochiebrad;919321]Hey, I recently saw Fight Club and it's my favorite film of all time now for reasons that I probably don't have to explain to you guys, but can someone please explain the end, how he solves all his problems just by shooting himself through the cheek? I thought that was kinda weak, but the cool outro music makes you forget how ridiculous it all is anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter much. Also, is there any message in why he gives off a terrible smell? ('Can you believe his stink!?' someone says during that scene).\

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

:wall:

I can't really answer all your questions, but heres a link that might help explain it.

[url]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393039765/officchuckpalaha/[/url]

i always saw it as not so much him shooting through his cheek but just the going through the motions of trying to kill himself, he killed tyler
the fact that he didn't succeed is just one of those little miracles
also, Tyler says "What's that smell?" as Fincher's little homage to the great 70's classic song by somebody or other that i don't really remember right now

I have been to many forums about this topic and there was this one post that explained it very well. It said...

"When he shot himself, it was his first action that he did by himself, for himself. Before this, everything he did was controlled by Tyler.

When he says "my eyes are open," he's referring to the chemical burn scene, where the narrator keeps trying to close his eyes. Tyler tells him to open his eyes, and in this final scene, he does, he takes control, shoots himself, and gets rid of Tyler."

I still dont understand what Tyler meant when he asked "Whats that smell" right befor he died.

[QUOTE=jaded jack;919635]
I still dont understand what Tyler meant when he asked "Whats that smell" right befor he died.[/QUOTE]

it's that line from that song i'm tellin ya
the "smell" being the gunpowder

I heard that it was a reference to something, I can't remember all that clearly, but I thought it was to an inside joke of some sort with another director about burned chicken. Seriously, I just can't remember any of the details, so basically I'm just being worthless and perhaps misleading.

i was under the impression that tyler was referring to the smell of either the gunpowder, or his burning flesh (the back of his head is smoking).

as for a reference to a song from the 70s...perhaps "that smell" by lynyrd skynyrd?

[QUOTE=nathaniel parker;919474]i always saw it as not so much him shooting through his cheek but just the going through the motions of trying to kill himself, he killed tyler
the fact that he didn't succeed is just one of those little miracles
also, Tyler says "What's that smell?" as Fincher's little homage to the great 70's classic song by somebody or other that i don't really remember right now[/QUOTE]

That was always the conclusion I came too.

There was some dude Fincher was a fan of... he died of a brain tumour but for days leading up to his death he claimed he could smell burnt chicken feathers. Fincher stuck that line in as a tribute. I don't remember who the dude was though.

[QUOTE=nathaniel parker;919676]it's that line from that song i'm tellin ya
the "smell" being the gunpowder[/QUOTE]
I'm with Mr. Parker regardless of wether it came from a song or not. It seems obvious, but I guess not.

I'm pretty sure Fincher mentions it specifically on the DVD commentary

"What's that smell?"
a lot of people say this when they are nearing death, the brains stops doing what it's sposed to do
"What's that smell?"
I think tyler was refering to the smell of flesh, he had shot guns before in the book at least, and would recognize the smell of gunpowder.
"What's that smell?"
I don't know what flesh that has been ripped through with a bullet smells like

it's a metaphorical suicide, he shoots himself in the mouth and he dies, but it's actually tyler who dies out of the two. The shooting was the needed shock to get Him out of the whole two-personality thing

I guess.... You better ask Chuck or Ohls

The Pixies song at the end is so perfect for the movie! I think that is my favorite part.