Aunt Emily declares "Checkmate!"
Search: To uncover, find, or come to know by inquiry or scrutiny: SEEK. Thus, Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines the term that Jack “Binx” Bolling uses in his own linguistic repertoire of words that hold special meaning to him in Walker Percy’s novel
The Moviegoer. Yes, Binx has a special vocabulary for certain aspects of his life, and his
Search: To uncover, find, or come to know by inquiry or scrutiny: SEEK. Thus, Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines the term that Jack “Binx” Bolling uses in his own linguistic repertoire of words that hold special meaning to him in Walker Percy’s novel
The Moviegoer. Yes, Binx has a special vocabulary for certain aspects of his life, and his
original conception of the search came to him while in the Orient. In a state of intense curiosity, his mental faculties became acutely aware that he “was onto something” (11) and the search was conceived in Mr. Bolling.
The opening chapter informs us that on this very day, as Binx dresses to go out for lunch, he sees his personal items on his dresser in a rather peculiar, impersonal way which causes his awareness of the ordinariness of his life to confront him. Immediately the search is invoked to rescue him. Binx explains about the search as follows: “To become aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair” (13). Throughout the novel he thinks about the search and he speaks of the search in his dialogues with Kate. The epilogue to The Moviegoer brings forth the matter of the search whereby Binx indicates he is not inclined to say much about it. However, he makes several remarks which indicate that, according to Kierkegaard, he doesn’t have the authority to speak of the search except to edify it; that since it is past Kierkegaard’s time he shouldn’t even be edifying the search; and as a member of his mother’s family, he needn’t even speak of religion. What does Binx mean by all this? I believe it is his eloquent discourse of a subject matter that is very important to him. He finally accepts that he is seeking a spiritual life that is alive in contrast to his physical life that is dead, just like everyone else’s life that he encounters is dead.
Binx undergoes a transformation when he returns home from Chicago. His meeting with Aunt Emily where she grills him about his sexual relations with Kate on the trip does not end well for him. In her lecture his aunt reveals that her assumptions about Binx have been incorrect in believing him to be of the same noble class as she. She allows that when someone faces adversity their reactions show their true character. She clearly indicates that Binx is not of a traditional type person, he is not of her class of people, and her objectivity and lack of former warmness towards him indicates he is no longer part of the inner ring of the family.
What is Binx’s response to his aunt’s treatment? He tells us, “My search has been abandoned; it is no match for my aunt, her rightness and her despair, her despairing of me and her despairing of herself” (228). Aunt Emily’s despair places Binx’s search in checkmate. Binx is no longer a knight in shining armor on Aunt Emily’s chess board. He is reduced to a pawn’s status, and is no longer expected to be the chivalrous warrior fighting for the cause of good and honor. With this change in status he has more freedom to be who he wants to be, and he no longer feels the despair of “the noble life” and all the expectations that come with it. Therefore, he has no more need of the search.
The opening chapter informs us that on this very day, as Binx dresses to go out for lunch, he sees his personal items on his dresser in a rather peculiar, impersonal way which causes his awareness of the ordinariness of his life to confront him. Immediately the search is invoked to rescue him. Binx explains about the search as follows: “To become aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair” (13). Throughout the novel he thinks about the search and he speaks of the search in his dialogues with Kate. The epilogue to The Moviegoer brings forth the matter of the search whereby Binx indicates he is not inclined to say much about it. However, he makes several remarks which indicate that, according to Kierkegaard, he doesn’t have the authority to speak of the search except to edify it; that since it is past Kierkegaard’s time he shouldn’t even be edifying the search; and as a member of his mother’s family, he needn’t even speak of religion. What does Binx mean by all this? I believe it is his eloquent discourse of a subject matter that is very important to him. He finally accepts that he is seeking a spiritual life that is alive in contrast to his physical life that is dead, just like everyone else’s life that he encounters is dead.
Binx undergoes a transformation when he returns home from Chicago. His meeting with Aunt Emily where she grills him about his sexual relations with Kate on the trip does not end well for him. In her lecture his aunt reveals that her assumptions about Binx have been incorrect in believing him to be of the same noble class as she. She allows that when someone faces adversity their reactions show their true character. She clearly indicates that Binx is not of a traditional type person, he is not of her class of people, and her objectivity and lack of former warmness towards him indicates he is no longer part of the inner ring of the family.
What is Binx’s response to his aunt’s treatment? He tells us, “My search has been abandoned; it is no match for my aunt, her rightness and her despair, her despairing of me and her despairing of herself” (228). Aunt Emily’s despair places Binx’s search in checkmate. Binx is no longer a knight in shining armor on Aunt Emily’s chess board. He is reduced to a pawn’s status, and is no longer expected to be the chivalrous warrior fighting for the cause of good and honor. With this change in status he has more freedom to be who he wants to be, and he no longer feels the despair of “the noble life” and all the expectations that come with it. Therefore, he has no more need of the search.
I really like the idea that Aunt Emily thinks of Binx like a piece in a chess game that she is playing. She does like to think of herself as being in charge since she is the appointed head of the family. She seems to be involved in everyone's business and she likes to think that everyone is following the path that she sees laid out for them. She seems to have high expectations for everyone in the family and she is realizing that her family members aren't living up to her expectations. Aunt Emily seems to realize at the end of the book that Binx is just a very ordinary fellow (237). Binx seems to be content with being married to Kate and living near Aunt Emily. He has never thought of himself as a hero but that is how Aunt Emily used to picture him. It seems that since Aunt Emily's perception of Binx has changed, Binx's perception of himself has changed also. He is not in need of a search any longer.
ReplyDeleteAlright, I was suppsoed to comment on someone elses but they haven't posted yet, so I am commenting on yours. First off you word everything so darn good! I really like how you explained the way Aunt Emily feels about Binx, after Chicago, by using the comparison of him being demoted from a knight to a pawn. That was very clever, and it actually helped me understand that portion of the book a little better. If only Percy wrote like you. I have a question+ question. So, since his change in status sparks freedom, do you feel that perhaps that can relate to a part of his search? Or do you feel that his search is soley spiritual? I do like your view on his search. I also like your view on how in a way he may be relieved of his status with Emily. I never looked that deeply into it. After reading what you had to say, it makes me think a little more. The next time I read this book, which I do plan to do, I plan on reading it with your view in mind. Maybe that will help me grasp the true meaning a little better. So with that, I really liked your blog.
ReplyDeleteReplying to Sbove's questions:
ReplyDeleteIt seems the search was an anecdote for ordinaryness. When Aunt Emily reamed him a new one, she conceeded that he was a very ordinary fellow. Binx, therefore, accepting that his Aunt Emily is right ("her rightness")about his ordinaryness, comes to a place of acceptance that he is like the rest of the "New South". He no longer needs the search, so yes, his freedom from the "Old South" (Aunt Emily) allows him to no longer need the search. I believe that his search was spiritual but it was also metaphysical. He wanted to live in another dimension that didn't exist because prior to his demotion he rejected the ordinaryness of life. Binx is quite neurotic as evident by his thought processes and internal dialogue. By the way, thanks for the compliments about my writing. I am glad it made the book easier to understand...............BrainSprain942