In this long blog I will be discussing what The Moviegoer teaches us about life. I believe the main themes which can be derived from the novel can teach us tons about our everyday life. These themes I will be discussing are existentialism, religion, and finding your path. For the main character Binx, these are all important issues and throughout the novel these are discussed. And with these themes they can all play a major part of your life.
The topic of existentialism is one that talks about your meaning and your free will on the earth. This culminates in a search that Binx has for what his path and why he was put onto the earth. This involves him thinking through his own life and trying to figure out how God and religion all plays a part. He is catholic, but he is still searching and not firm in his beliefs. This puts him in a situation where he doesnt have a strong framework to why hes on the earth and this he struggles with throughout. Binx also has a unique viewpoint on this search for his path because he is also a veteran of Vietnam. This was a point in a book that for many veterans they could relate to as coming back from war you are how put into a completely different world with new challenges and procedures. Following his return from war, Binx never really found his path and is constantly second guessing his choices, which doesn’t help with his family trying to change his career. In the end though he never really comes to a clear conclusion on nearly any of the issues of his path, religion or even his meaning. This allows readers to draw there own conclusions from the book, and this can be taken many ways. For example many catholics can takeaway the religious aspects of the book, while atheists can relate to the search for true meaning of religion. This is really where you can learn and what the book can teach us.
The book teaches us through his search for his path that its never a concrete way and there are always turns, steps backwards and adjustments needed on the way. It also teaches us that we shouldn’t just listen to others opinions and take there word as truth, we should develop our own opinions and look for our own truths. This is true for religion as-well as we should look to find our own place spiritually. You should constantly think twice and you should give your own opinion. There is also constant improvement that we can make personally. Binx even though he considered himself a boring person, he was constantly trying to better himself. And finally you need to make choices for yourself even in spite of what others think and will say. Constantly in the novel Binx doesn’t really stand up to his family and they really choose a majority of his life, but eventually Binx finds some happiness in forging his own path in a career and marriage.
Overall from the novel and from Binx what you can learn about and use for your own life is following your own path and coming to your own conclusions. As the book title says you shouldnt become a “moviegoer” in your own life, you should stand up to your choices and forge your own path even if there are setbacks along the way. You shouldnt just take everything as tehy come, instead you should try to find your own meaning and this can be in all aspects of life, in your job, dating, and even relationships with family and religion.
Great American Novels 