A woman whom the Narrator meets during a support group. The Narrator no longer receives the same relief from the groups when he realizes Marla is faking her problems just as he is. After he leaves the groups, he meets her again when she becomes Tyler's lover.
Story[]
Marla Singer is the only major female character in Fight Club, and a vague “love interest” for both Tyler and the Narrator. Like the Narrator at the beginning of the book, Marla is fascinated with death and the “real.” First she seeks out death-like experiences by attending cancer support groups, and later by attempting to overdose on Xanax. While Marla shares with the Narrator/Tyler a desire for danger, she objects to many of the ways that Tyler and the Narrator pursue danger; she’s furious when she learns that the Narrator/Tyler has been converting her mother’s fat into soap, and she calls the police when she finds out that the Narrator/Tyler has been planning murders. Marla, in short, is obsessed with death, but also seems to believe in right and wrong—in the end, she and the Narrator share a similar worldview, and finally admit that they “like” each other.
Personality[]
Marla is shown to be extremely unkempt, uncaring, and sometimes even suicidal. At times, she shows a softer, more caring side. Coinciding with the novel's neo-noir themes, Marla plays the role of the femme fatale, not only in her appearance but also in her role, serving firstly as a source of problems for the Narrator.