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Post by mjunious on Jun 29, 2024 16:26:21 GMT
As I think of Bolling's life, he seems to go about his way with little resistance and hardly any real conflict. I do not think that this is new for him, but rather just what he knows of life. He did not seem to have to struggle to get where he is: other than joining a fraternity, he did not do anything notable in his college years, and his job is a family business (his uncle's brokerage firm). There does not seem to be any effort to make meaningful relationships, as his relationships are determined by who his secretary is at the time. I wonder if he would feel a greater sense of purpose if he had to work a little harder earlier in life, or was he always destined for some kind of never ending search. Do you all have any thoughts on this?
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Post by Dr. Nemmers on Jun 29, 2024 18:47:21 GMT
This is a great question, Mitchell, and one that I wonder myself from time to time. Binx seems to have it so easy that he's never really had to make a decision for his entire life-- he went to college because he could, got into the fraternity because he knew someone, and returned home because it was natural, and as you mention took up a job that was provided to him. I don't every want to say someone's life is "easy," since from the outside we don't know what people are struggling with. But I do think it's fair to characterize his life as straightforward, and to say that he really hasn't had to deviate from the path set before him for the entirety of his life up to this point.
We can perhaps contrast him with another of our characters, like Fred Daniels, who was just going about his merry way on payday, returning to his wife and to-be child, before he was waylaid by the police and forced to take up an entirely different course of his life. As a result he has a epiphany and became a very different person, though he wound up dying for the cause he adopted as well.
It does seem like he's going to have to make a decision regarding whom he marries... is that enough for him to feel like he's taken control of his life?
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Post by dianarmartinez on Jul 2, 2024 19:36:21 GMT
As I think of Bolling's life, he seems to go about his way with little resistance and hardly any real conflict. I do not think that this is new for him, but rather just what he knows of life. He did not seem to have to struggle to get where he is: other than joining a fraternity, he did not do anything notable in his college years, and his job is a family business (his uncle's brokerage firm). There does not seem to be any effort to make meaningful relationships, as his relationships are determined by who his secretary is at the time. I wonder if he would feel a greater sense of purpose if he had to work a little harder earlier in life, or was he always destined for some kind of never ending search. Do you all have any thoughts on this? I think that it can be hard for an individual to work harder in life if there is no purpose. This is visible with college students, if one has not struggled in life or does not have a goal in professional or personal life. Then most likely, they fall into this sense of complaisant because all of their basic needs or wants are satisfied. College students often have this pressure to figure out what they want in their life. Same thing with Blinx. He did not have to struggle because most of the things in his life were already figured out. He did not need to worry whether or not her was going to have a good job because he works with his uncle. He did not need exert extra effort because he knew he would make good money. I feel like he avoided decisions because he never really had to make a decision. |
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Post by gnicholson3 on Jul 3, 2024 2:06:17 GMT
Your description of Binx reminds me a lot of Mike Lovett from our previous Novel, Barbary Shore. Mike is a drifter similar to Binx. They experience human interaction on a convenient basis and think . . . a lot. In a way, the world happens around them and to them, but they never really happen to the world. I think this aimless existence is a plot device that allows us to enter the mind more. It reminds me of Ivan Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons. Two boys are home from university and are doing odd research that we never see and what we do get to see them do is talk. We know that they're doing research, being involved on the farm, etc., but we never see it in the text.
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Post by garrison on Jul 3, 2024 16:15:36 GMT
This thread starter hit me on somewhat of a personal note. I have been incredibly blessed in life. Growing up, my family never struggled for much. I never had to worry about if I'd have dinner or where I'd go to sleep. In school, I never struggled much. Most of the work came very easily to me with next to no effort put in outside of school hours. It seems a little dumb now, but I thought that would just continue through life for me. My first year of college hit me hard. I blew through my monthly money and massively struggled in my classes. It took until just recently for me to learn a strong work ethic and basic responsibilities. While I am incredibly grateful for the early life I had, I sometimes wonder if more struggles would have set me up better for later life.
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