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Tyler Durden had instructed his followers to cut his balls if he tries to tell the police about their plan. He knew that his other self will try to inform the police. This means that he didn't mind dying.

On the other hand, he got scared when the narrator tried to shoot himself and thereby kill Tyler. Why this contradiction?

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    "..cut his balls ... This means that he didn't mind dying. .." How do you come to that conclusion? A castrated man might feel 'dead inside' but he typically survives the procedure!
    – Andrew Thompson
    Aug 29, 2015 at 9:46
  • The guys were not medical professionals. He would have bled to death most probably in the police station.
    – user2808118
    Aug 31, 2015 at 4:46
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    "The guys were not medical professionals." It hardly takes a medical professional to perform a safe castration. Any person who grew up on a farm with animals that were bred should be able to do it. And it's not like it's heart surgery, we are talking about cutting off an organ that is already external to the body cavity.. Cutting off the flow of blood is as simple as putting a rubber band around the top of the testicular sac.
    – Andrew Thompson
    Aug 31, 2015 at 4:52
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    @user2808118 they use a rubber band (not just a regular rubber band though, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banding_(medical) ) to reduce any blood loss, in the movie.
    – cde
    Aug 31, 2015 at 4:54

1 Answer 1

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Two points. The first is that "cutting off your balls" is a standing order, for any threat, not just Tyler/Jack.

You know the drill. You said if anyone ever tries to interfere with Project Mayhem, even you, we got to get his balls.

They do this to a police commissioner earlier in the movie as well.

The second is that Tyler is an expert at reading people. He knows how people will react, what their limit is. He manipulates, breaks down and brainwashes/indoctrinates people the entire movie, Jack included. That coupled with him BEING Jack and KNOWNING that He and Jack are the same person, he (thinks) he knows exactly how far Jack is willing to go and what will stop him. He knows that Jack will not go that far, or that he can escape it and will back down. He's obviously wrong at the end, but his argument with Jack in the skyscraper near the end shows this is what he believes. That Jack's a coward.

Hey, you created me! I didn't create some loser alter-ego to make myself feel better. Take some responsibility!

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    I know that's a stupid reason, but I can't upvote this with all those "Jack"s in there, that's absolutely not the name of this guy. ;-)
    – Napoleon Wilson ♦
    Aug 29, 2015 at 22:42
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    @TomCody the script calls him Jack. thescriptsource.net/Scripts/FightClub.pdf And he refers to himself as Jack in the third person "I am Jack's arbitrary internal organ"
    – cde
    Aug 29, 2015 at 23:10
  • youtube.com/watch?v=6pJC0FLA3Sk I am Jack's Smirking Revenge.
    – cde
    Aug 29, 2015 at 23:21
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    @TomCody the prop auction following the movie shows a paycheck made out to Jack Moore from the company he was fired/blackmailed. icollector.com/Fight-Club_i18288080 With certificate of Authenticity.
    – cde
    Aug 29, 2015 at 23:33
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    @TomCody asked, and answered :D
    – cde
    Aug 30, 2015 at 0:31

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