When Chuck Palahniuk wrote "The Fight Club", he probably didn't realize he was creating a work of fiction that somehow transcended the idea of existentialism and punched a hole into the universe of magical-realism.
But, he did.
This story is about a man caught in a more modern labyrinth of self. He is consumed by his desire to find meaning. His job and everything around him represent his inability to know his true self. His desire to consume has shifted the emphasis away from real self-discovery and shifted his focus to finding dishware that defines him as a person.
Consequently, he cannot sleep.
He is beginning to have a psychic break - and this is when you catch glimpses of his true nature.
Literally.
It is also around the time that he starts shifting his own need for self-discovery into his desire to be a support-group junkie.
Suddenly, his pain disappears into the pain of others.
You can see some eerie similarities between this and "The Metamorphosis".
Specifically, the way the character suddenly feels that he is losing his humanity.
