Through out this book Binx is of course on his constant search to find answers. Answers that will take him out of the dull everdayness; a cure for the malaise. In the end he marries Kate and seems to finally find answers, but not, I believe to questions he had originally been asking. His marriage to Kate, at first, seemed to me like he was simply settling. However, i believe now that by marrying Kate he has found a certain fulfillment. And also going ahead in life and going to medical school. He has probably superficially stopped the search and may not be completely satisfied but says that he really has nothing much to say on the subject. He has simply decided to go on with life "plant a foot in the right place as the opportunity presents itself". Also maybe his answers to the freedom of the Malaise was to embrace it. He does seem to have true happiness with Kate, even if it is not the conventional kind of happiness it works for them. And even the end of the book reminds me of the ends of all those movies that he disliked. The hero marries and goes about his life going back into the everydayness. But what else could really be expected of a moviegoer who looks at life the same way he sees movies. And he doesn't seem too distraught over that fact either.
Now, as for the relationship between Aunt Emily and himself. Aunt Emily has always been a kind of mentor for Binx. He did always lookto her as someone he would like to please and always listened intently to all she had to say about life, and what she hoped for his life. And Binx, though at times incapable to be what he though she wanted him to be, really wanted to be able to become the person she saw him as. Aunt Emily though was slightly blinded to who he actually was, for she was constantly seeing his father and her brothers when she saw him, and I believe wanted very much for him to be just like them.
In the end Aunt Emily finally realises that the man she thought Binx was is not him at all and her image of him crumbles slightly. She asks him what he truly does care for and I think these questions are what make him finally come out of his depressing fixation on the malaise.
Race is an underlying theme that is not quite the focal point of the story, however, it is something that is never ignored and brought up every now and then. Binx is a philosophy but in physical form, he is also an example of all beliefs at the time this book was written. Race was quite an issue in the 60's. With the beginning of integration people had to completely change the way they had been brought up to think. Especially Binx, with his strong connection to the old south through his Aunt Emily. I believe you see how he slowly starts changing how he thinks as the book progresses. In the beginning it is quite evident that he has mostly negative thoughts towards African Americans and the comments made are certainly not positive. But then as you go through the book you see how his attitude towards it all changes. Finally ending with his description of the man going in and the coming out of the church. He says he was "more respectable than respectable". I think that Binx was finally coming upon his own decision about the whole matter. And he was moving on away from the old southern view.
I really enjoyed your comments about Binx’s improvements on his outlook on other races. As Melba said in class, I cannot relate to the racism in the book either. However, I can see the old South ways in my grandfather, whose jokes sometimes could make me cringe. Binx is somewhere in the middle South – a transition to the new South, where we are today (and why it is quite difficult to relate to the racism, I think).
ReplyDeleteYour comments on Binx and Kate’s relationship ring true as well. Though it is an unconventional one, their marriage seems to be good for them both as a whole. Kate knew what she needed (essentially for Binx to tell her what to do and love her) and Binx is there to aid her in the ways she needs. Binx too is improving his situation with the help of Kate – going back to school and all.
It is also quite interesting what you said about how his life turned out like the end of a movie that he does not usually like – quite ironic. Do you think that this is really the end of his movie, so to speak, or do you think that he will simply treat school the way he did before, where he says he did not learn much of anything? At any rate, it was a very well thought out response.
I do agree that there is some sort of indication at the end that would suggest that Binx may begin to alter his mindset towards race. It is sad that the his tone denotes shock as he sees the man going into the church and notes that he looks respectable. This attests to just how blind the south really was and at times still is. Respectable people come in all shades. I feel that being able to truly see all the world and all people, in the truest sense, would aid him. I'll go back to Pope, when he diagnosed man's state in the Essay of Man and credited our fallacies to self-love and pride. He also elaborated on the fact that we must see ourselves as parts of a whole that is greater than ourselves (universe / society). Binx must shed the ignorance of time, and evaluate who he is in terms of his society and as an individual. Let's face it, not every man of the majority persuasion looked upon the races with such unwarranted hate.
ReplyDeleteSo, yes I agree. It's just a sad reminder.