Fight Club

As the title of my blog alludes, I am a big Fight Club fan. In order to keep this post from being too long I'm just going to write about the symbolism of cigarettes in the film.

"I don't smoke" - The Narrator

Fight Club is ultimately about the feminization of the American male. Cigarettes serve as a phallic symbol; a symbol of masculinity. When the narrator first meets Marla she is smoking. 

Marla is more masculine than the narrator. She is more assertive, bold, and dominant. 
(This is one of my favorite screen caps)
During the scene where the narrator meets Tyler Durden in the bar, Tyler offers him a cigarette. The narrator declines saying, "I don't smoke." This is because the narrator is still in his feminine state (meaning he has not fully progressed into Tyler Durden yet). 

As the narrator grows into the Tyler Durden character he becomes more assertive, bold, and dominant, i.e. more masculine. Then we have the scene (pictured at the top) where he is smoking at work. This is telling the audience that the change over is complete. The narrator has now grown into his masculine role.