45 pages • 1 hour read
Walker PercyThe Moviegoer
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1961A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
In Walker Percy’s debut novel, The Moviegoer, published in 1961, the protagonist Binx Bolling, a young stockbroker from a New Orleans suburb, embarks on a quest for meaning and authenticity amidst the chaos of Carnival and Mardi Gras. Struggling with life's ordinariness and influenced by his past war trauma, he grapples with his family's dynamics, particularly his cousin Kate's deteriorating mental health, while seeking connection through movies and television. The book includes discussions of thoughts of suicide and despair.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Walker Percy's The Moviegoer is lauded for its introspective depth and philosophical undertones, capturing the existential malaise of the 1960s. Critics praise its poetic prose and compelling character study. However, some readers find its pacing slow and the plot meandering. Overall, it remains a thought-provoking exploration of modern disconnection.
Who Should Read The Moviegoer?
A reader who enjoys philosophical introspection and a poignant exploration of existentialism would appreciate Walker Percy's The Moviegoer. Fans of Albert Camus' The Stranger and J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye will find similar themes of searching for meaning and identity.