Why Walker Percy's Literature Truly Matters

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Why Walker Percy's Literature Truly Matters

Did you ever have one of those days when you just weren't all there? when your body seemed to be doing your whole daily routine automatically? when nothing, not even the things you love most could engage you? I know I have.

Walker Percy refers to this disengaged state as "sunk in everydayness" and as dead in life (The Moviegoer 10). In his novels, Percy relates his fears that many of us are living in this automaton state perpetually without realizing it. He warns us that until we cure ourselves of this disease, our souls, our truest selves, will remain in bondage.

Walker Percy began his life growing up in the South, and after finishing med. school, he interned to become a psychiatrist. Then a bout with tuberculosis drove Percy to marry his wife, convert to Catholicism, and give up his practice in pursuit of writing. After a writing essays for a time, Percy published his first novel, The Moviegoer, in 1961.

Percy's heritage shaped his literature from the beginning. As a Southerner, Percy understands the South better than other geographies and sets most of his scenes there. As a psychiatrist, Percy knows intimately what goes on in the minds of others, extremely valuable knowledge in character development. As a scientist, Percy understands the physical world well and notices things in nature that other authors would miss. As a Catholic, Percy wants to spread his faith to others, to share the joy he gets from his religion. All these experiences go into the mix in Percy's writing and give his novels a unique, masterful style.

Percy's protagonists are all questing after an end to the everydayness of their old lives. They are leaving behind a life they see as a living death, and they all use different approaches to escaping it. In The Moviegoer, Binx Bolling goes on a search to find "himself," his place in society, and what he believes. Will Barrett goes on a similar search in The Last Gentleman, a search to find his place in the world. Binx and Will are both in their twenties and their searches are fitting for their ages. Percy's later books use older characters and their search differ from the others' accordingly. In The Second Coming, we meet Will Barrett again, but this time he is searching to find the truth about his past, prove the existence of God, and find a new occupation worthy of his time.

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