The Moviegoer

The protagonist of the novel, Binx Bolling is called “Binx” by his cousin Kate, “Jack” by his mother and his half-siblings, and “Rollo” by an old army buddy. The fact that a number of different names exist for the man is consistent with the split selves Binx reveals in his narration. Binx, a veteran of the Korean War, works for his uncle in New Orleans and lives alone in a rental in nearby Gentilly, but the apparent stability of his day-to-day existence masks an inner complexity, possibly inherited from his sensitive and eccentric father and exacerbated by the trauma he experienced in combat. Binx wrestles with existential quandaries in the night, when he is unable to sleep, and during daytime moments, when he is overwhelmed by something that induces a state of wonder in him. Women and going to the movies seem to be able to distract him from himself, and until he marries his cousin, Kate, Binx’s pattern of claiming to fall in love with his secretaries disappoints him time and time again. Binx also escapes into movies often in order to feel a connection to the world around him. He enjoys a pleasant but superficial relationship with his mother, who has remarried and had several children since his father’s death.