Nick v. Binx

Nick Adams and Binx Bollings are two young men that have very affluent backgrounds. Nick's Dad is a doctor and Binx is a stockbroker. Each man struggles with an idealistic view of how they should live their lives. Nick struggles with the woes of becoming a young man with boyish characteristics. At one point, Nick is living a wild life hopping from train to train thinking that he can take his life into his own hands and do as he pleases. Then on another note, he ends a relationship based on his friend's jealousy/advice as if his friend has all the answers to love and life. Letting a friend Binx has this view of life that is only seen in movies i.e. having the beautiful (almost perfect) women, taking long strolls on the beach, and having a happy ending everyday of his life. Both men have conflicted views on love and relationships. Nick's problem was listening to a so-called friend and ruining a good thing. After his break up, Nick really didn't know how to behave or feel real emotion towards the break-up. Binx on the other hand, is in search a good thing, the one woman that'll make him fill the empty void in his life. He goes out with a lot of different women thinking that they are potentially the one, and somehow down the road, the scene changes and he is with a new catch of the day. One symbol that Percy uses in his book that relates to Nick, is how Binx does not want to get caught up in "everydayness." My interpretation of everydayness is that same old routine/ song-and-dance of life. You go to school, get a job, find a mate, and settle down. Neither one of these characters want to settle for less or settle for the same expectations in their environments. I feel that Nick does not want to fall into his father's footsteps of being a cold doctor/Dad. At some point, I feel that Nick looked to his mother for some kind of guidance and affection, and he never received it. So now, he's on this journey searching for change, love, and direction with no where to really turn to. Binx does not want to fall into the trap of becoming a researcher. Everyone around him is saying that he is this hot shot stockbroker with a calling to be a researcher. I feel that Binx's choice in his occupation was to avoid being held up to what he was expected to do. But at the same time, his life is being pulled into everydayness. He always seemed to be with some beautiful woman (that just so happened to be with his secretary), he always wanted to take long strolls on the beach, and he always used some scene from a movie or some actor/actress to relate to events in his personal life.