"His name is Robert Paulson"

Tyler Durden's Project Mayhem serves as a manifestation of society's anxiety toward its own increasing "feminization" via consumerism and self-obsession. Tyler Durden's seeks to restore masculinity to society with his army of identity-less, destructive male fighters. The only man who is given a name by Tyler's army at the end of the movie is Robert Paulson, undoubtably the most effeminate man of the group. A survivor of testicular cancer, Paulson lost his testicles and grew what the narrator refers to as "bitch tits" resulting from elevated levels of estrogen. It is also revealed that Paulson lost his wife and his family. He serves as the ultimate representation in fight club of what Durden's force fears most: dehumanization and the loss of masculinity resulting from the failures of postmodern developments. When Paulson dies tragically in a Project Mayhem venture, he is transformed into an iconic symbol of the movement. The men begin chanting "his name is Robert Paulson," and Paulson's name is carried across the country to the farthest ends of the Mayhem force. Paulson’s presence in the film is essential to the portrayal of male-based panic of fleeting masculinity. He also serves to illuminate an essential aspect of project mayhem: anonymity. In life, the individual members of the force are dehumanized; they are meant only to serve and strive toward a common goal against the ultimate enemy. 

Bob also serves as a key point of disagreement between the narrator and Tyler. Whereas Tyler would have taken Paulson's death as an anonymous sacrifice toward the greater good, the narrator insists that Robert Paulson be recognized in death. At this point, the narrator's inevitable internal/external conflict with Tyler becomes apparent.

-Kayla