- Thanks to our discussion the other night at the book group meet I decided to find out what existentialism really meant. although I have read a raft of fiction with the subject, I have not studied philosophy in any way. My first step was to look up the word in the dictionary and ....viola! there was the explanation of how I lead my life.... I had never had a definition or an explanation before and I was so happy to finally have a way to define my modus operandi...
What the definition is according to my dictionary (and the way I understand it) is a philosophy that contends that each person is responsible for his/her own choices, feelings, reactions etc and for the meaning....or lack thereof is his/her life, in a world without purpose.
So ....some of the discussion was about whether Binx was an existialist hero. I feel that he was not because he did not take responsibility for anything (in my estimation) but just went through the motions of life. I felt that he eventually did take some responsibility when he married his cousin. I think that my views are not shared by most of the other book group however because several people felt that by marrying Kate he was simply following his Aunts requests and allowing himself to be controlled by her and the old order of the south, in which everyone has a certain role to play. I thought that the Aunt represented the South as it had been but was no longer....all granduer and emply gestures but with a strong hold on those who came into her/its sway.
