Mercer is Aunt Emily’s Black butler. He has worked for the family since Binx’s grandfather’s days in Feliciana Parish. Since moving to New Orleans with Aunt Emily, Mercer has changed his speech to suit his higher position. Binx finds Mercer puzzling and isn’t sure how to feel around him. At times he seems like a faithful old family servant, and at other times he seems knowing and ambitious (Binx knows that Mercer gets kickbacks from other employees).
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Mercer Character Timeline in The Moviegoer
The timeline below shows where the character Mercer appears in The Moviegoer. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1, Section 2
At Aunt Emily’s house, Binx is greeted by a Black servant, Mercer. Mercer originally worked for Binx’s grandfather. Binx always feels a little uneasy around Mercer and...
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...Episcopalian by emotion, a Greek by nature, and a Buddhist by choice.”) Binx half-listens to Mercer’s chatting about current events while reflecting that, in recent years, Mercer has become blurry in...
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While Mercer talks, Binx studies a photo on the mantel. It’s a picture of two elder Bolling...
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