wouldnt wanna leave poor jack to be the non smoking one
That's the whole point!
This guy is a non smoker. He's ordinary and boring. He plays by the rules and does not do things that are "bad" like smoking. Pitt does everything Norton wants to do but does not including smoking. The few seconds in the 2 short shots when we do see Norton with a cigarette are meant as a visual cue of Pitt's growing influence but it's a trait that never becomes part of his character. Smoking is when the Narrator is at his weakest, insecurely aping his new "cool" friend/alternate personality, just as he previously aped the "Ikea nesting instinct", thinking he is somehow expressing freedom or independence through conformity, this time being a space monkey Durden acolyte. But that's just the thing, he never succumbs to the "dark side" of shaving his head, Project Mayhem, or becoming a smoker. He fights his fantasy dream self and though bloodied, beaten up and shot, he proves himself stronger and better than Tyler. He's moved beyond Tyler's control and influence. That's the Narrator at his strongest both visually, scruffier & battle damaged, and as the non-smoking 'hero protagonist' and it's the version Rainman should make.
Pitt's Tyler looks cool, stylish, handsome and is a smoker. Norton's is dorky, wears boring clothes, his face is either plain or ugly and he's a non-smoker.
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