Burdens

The women in Brokeback Mountain and Fight Club are portrayed similarly in their insignificance. Granted, both books are based primarily on male characters and male interactions, but the women in both books are rather non-consequential outside of the bedroom. Essentially, the women in both books are exploited by the men for what they can get out of them, whether that be sex, financial stability, or social normalcy, none of the men are truly interested in the women for who they are or what they have to offer as people.

In Brokeback Mountain, neither Ennis nor Jack married for love, as they were far too in love with each other to have any real interest in their wives. Ennis married because that was what people did, simple as that. You get married, you have kids, what else was he supposed to do? Jack married because Jack was poor and his wife was rich. Both were then later portrayed as obstacles to Jack and Ennis's relationship. The women had become burdens to their husbands, and Ennis felt he could never break away from this life to pursue a relationship with Jack.

In Fight Club, Marla Singer is, for the greater first part of the book portrayed as a demon, a thorn in the narrator's side. Just when he thinks he is rid of her, she starts screwing with his best friend Tyler. The narrator is livid, as this woman has become an intruder on his relationship with Tyler. In both Brokeback Mountain and Fight Club, the women are seen only as sex symbols and burdens. The men both feel as though they need them, but in reality they hold them back from pursuing their true desires.