The Moviegoer

Mardi Gras is an opportunity for the city of New Orleans to celebrate and engage in self-indulgent gluttony, and the parades in celebration of Carnival are external expressions of the city’s appetites. Binx’s own self-indulgent behaviors are set against this backdrop, where the excesses of the Carnival-goers normalize his emotional and intellectual excesses.

The religious implications of Mardi Gras, which takes place before Ash Wednesday and the start of forty days of Lenten self-restraint, impact the reader’s understanding of Lonnie’s decision to fast. Lonnie’s decision is not an abstract one, meant to take place at some point in the future; he means to begin fasting immediately, despite the fact that his health is still fragile after a difficult winter. Lonnie’s bold choice to live by the law of the Catholic Church emphasizes the spiritual lawlessness of Carnival and Mardi Gras.

Binx’s sporty red convertible is a symbol of freedom from the melancholia that sneaks up on Binx when the ordinary world overwhelms him. The MG literally and figuratively transports Binx, allowing him a sense of lightness that contrasts with the existential angst that appears to burden Binx on a regular basis. Historically, the MG takes Binx on car rides with his secretaries who are full of romantic promise, but the most recent drive with Sharon ends in traffic and a serious case of the “malaise.