Marla Singer

Marla Singer is introduce early on in the story. Marla meets the narrator in a support group.  Just like the narrator, she finds joy and comfort in the suffering of others. They begin going to the same support groups and begin to invade each other's space, so they decide to split up the different groups between the two of them. In the film there is a scene where Marla and the narrator exchange numbers. Even though that scene is not described in the novel, readers are aware that they exchanged numbers.  Marla and Tyler begin to form a relationship.  The narrator is attracted to Marla because she has reached rock bottom.  She has been disconnected with society for so long she doesn't care about anything, even her own life. Her character in the novel plays a much bigger role than in the film.  Marla is in a love triangle war between the narrator and Tyler.  The narrator is attached to Marla because she represents destruction and desire.  In the novel Marla is more self-destructive and in the film she is less self-destructive and is shown more of a romantic desire to the narrator.  In the novel, the connection and desire the narrator has for Marla is developed more slowly and in the film their relationship develops a lot quicker.