The Moviegoer

Binx finds his half-siblings eating crabs on the screened porch. The children call for their mother. Binx’s eldest brother, Lonnie, is overwhelmed with excitement. He is 14 but small for his age, the oldest since his brother Duval was drowned last summer. Lonnie is Binx’s favorite. He, too, is a moviegoer. Binx and Lonnie get along well because Lonnie knows that Binx will never feel sorry for him. Binx admires Lonnie’s devout acceptance of his sufferings (Lonnie believes that he can offer his pain as a sacrifice to Christ) and the overall serenity of his life.

Binx’s mother comes out and kisses him hello. Binx sometimes shows a special affection for his mother, but at such times she tends to look away and draw attention to one of Binx’s younger siblings instead. Even though Binx has not visited for six months, his mother acts as though his sudden appearance unremarkable. Binx finds that his mother avoids anything unusual or mentally stimulating; she always regarded Binx’s interests as an eccentricity. Binx introduces Sharon, who is good-humored and immediately comfortable around the children.

Binx enjoys visiting the Smiths at their fishing camp; their Biloxi house is too worn and dreary for him. After dinner, the children run around showing Binx their treasures and telling him about their adventures. Binx’s mother brings fresh crabs and beer for him and Sharon. Since Lonnie is disappointed about a trip to the movies that fell through, Binx offers to take him. Later, he asks his mother why Lonnie looks bad. She explains that Lonnie just recovered from a bad virus and even received the last rites; he wasn’t dying but believed it would strengthen him physically and spiritually. Sure enough, he got out of bed within half an hour.

When Binx’s mother talks about God, he thinks she speaks as if God is mainly a device for managing life’s shocks. He feels that her faith is more of a bargain she’s struck with life, blunting both the good and the bad as a result. Duval’s death only deepened this; she no longer aspires to anything, wanting life to be easy and ordinary. Darkly, Binx’s mother tells him that Lonnie, who’s already underweight, intends to fast during Lent.

Binx and Sharon take Lonnie and two other Smith siblings, Thèrése and Mathilde, to see Fort Dobbs at a drive-in theater, which is nearly empty. Lonnie is happy and gives Binx a knowing glance during scenes that he knows they both enjoy. Sharon is happy because she thinks Binx is unselfish for bringing Lonnie to the movies. For his part, Binx is enjoying the “rotation”: an experience of something new that surpasses one’s expectations. It’s the difference between visiting a new place, on one hand, and getting lost and discovering a hidden valley en route, on the other. This is one of the finest “rotations” Binx has ever experienced. He, Lonnie, and Sharon overflow with shared, unspoken happiness.