Question: What is the significance of the penguin as Ed Norton's "power animal"?
TedStixon
19th Apr 2004
Fight Club (1999)
Answer: Author Chuck Palanuik (who wrote the book) stated that he did a similar meditation practice where he was supposed to picture a "power animal," and a penguin popped into his head and told him to "slide." People have theorized that a cute, innocent animal telling him to "slide" in a childlike voice was meant to symbolize the narrator's (and presumably Palanuik's if his story is true) need to let go and relax and not let things get him down so much. (Represented by the penguin gleefully sliding away giggling like a child with not a care in the world).
Answer: Very good question. I was wondering that myself. Here is how I see it, and maybe I am not really right. But the one word used by his power animal was 'Slide'. It was repeated again when Marla Singer 'invaded' his conscious and unconscious manifestations as we find her in the cave. The movie is all about ripping him from ideological assumptions of the things Tyler wants his to see doesn't really matter in life. So here is the line of the movie: The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide."Here the word slide again.
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Answer: If you listen to the commentary the producer explains that the whole ice cave scene is himself reminiscing about some childrens' book series.
This is simply wrong. What the answer may be referring to is the director's instructions to make the penguin move like the ones in Mary Poppins.