Previous
Anna Castagne Bolling Smith (Binx’s mother)
Lonnie is Binx’s 14-year-old brother, the eldest of his younger half-siblings and Binx’s favorite. Lonnie is disabled and uses a wheelchair; he and Binx get along well because Binx doesn’t pity Lonnie. A devout Catholic, Lonnie believes that his sufferings can be offered to God in reparation for other sinners. He is strict in his religious observances and tends to fast excessively despite his already poor health. Lonnie enjoys going to the movies and overall leads a peaceful, contented life, though he envies his older brother, Duval, who died last year and is therefore with God. While suffering from a viral infection at the end of the book, Lonnie tells Binx that he has conquered his envy, and he’s at peace with his approaching death.
Lonnie Smith Quotes in The Moviegoer
The The Moviegoer quotes below are all either spoken by Lonnie Smith or refer to Lonnie Smith. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 3, Section 2 Quotes
A good night: Lonnie happy (he looks around at me with the liveliest sense of the secret between us; the secret is that Sharon is not and never will be onto the little touches we see in the movie and, in the seeing, know that the other sees […]), this ghost of a theater, a warm Southern night, the Western Desert and this fine big sweet piece Sharon.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
When he goes to visit his mother and half-siblings, Binx has a memorable experience that exemplifies the role that moviegoing plays in his life. He takes his younger half-brother, Lonnie, and his current girlfriend, Sharon, to a drive-in theater, where the combination of the environment, the company, and the film itself bring him deep delight. It’s noteworthy that the movie itself (a Western) plays a relatively small role in the experience. Instead, Lonnie’s happiness, the secret connection between Lonnie and Binx in their common enjoyment of the movie, the particular Southern setting, and Binx’s desire for Sharon create a memorable Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiore
Chapter 3, Section 6 Quotes
"Moreover, I do not think you should fast," I tell him.
"Why not?"
"You've had pneumonia twice in the past year. It would not be good for you. I doubt if your confessor would allow it. Ask him."
"He is allowing it."
"On what grounds?"
"To conquer an habitual disposition […] to envy."
[…]
“Duval is dead."
"Yes. But envy is not merely sorrow at another's good fortune: it is also joy at another's misfortune."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This conversation between Binx and his teenage half-brother, Lonnie, is significant in a few ways. First, it is an interesting aspect of Binx’s search in that, even though Binx does not pretend to hold Catholic beliefs himself, he is willing to entertain religious ideas for the sake of argument, even as a hypothetical possibility in his search (i.e., Binx respects Lonnie’s religious aspirations enough to encourage him to try a different method that wouldn’t endanger his health, like fasting might). Second, Lonnie’s “envy” of his dead brother, Duval, shows how his attitude about suffering and death differs from Binx’s. More Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus pos
Get the entire The Moviegoer LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Lonnie Smith Character Timeline in The Moviegoer
The timeline below shows where the character Lonnie Smith appears in The Moviegoer. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3, Section 2
...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...
(full context)
...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.
(full context)
Binx and Sharon take Lonnie and two other Smith siblings, Thèrése and Mathilde, to see Fort Dobbs at a drive-in...
(full context)
Chapter 3, Section 5
The Smiths never speak about religion directly (except for Lonnie); it seems to embarrass them. Yet the practicalities of attending Mass spark a heated debate...
(full context)
Chapter 3, Section 6
...the women talk in the kitchen while Roy and the children waterski on the bayou. Lonnie, still dressed in his Sunday suit, chats with Binx on the porch. Binx enjoys Lonnie’s...
(full context)
When Binx visits on Sundays, he and Lonnie always have a religious talk, then take a ride together, and then Binx playfully boxes...
(full context)
Epilogue
...Mardi Gras, Uncle Jules died of a heart attack. That May, just after turning 15, Lonnie Smith died of a viral infection. As for Binx’s search, he has little to say...
(full context)
The day before Lonnie died, Kate went to visit him in the hospital. Binx had his doubts about this...
(full context)
Binx looks for Lonnie’s siblings, who are sitting in the family car. Thérèse asks if her brother is going...
(full context)
...asks her if she will do him a favor. Since he has to stay with Lonnie and the children, will Kate take care of some business for him? Some of Aunt...
(full context)
