When I first read “Going to the Movies Alone” by Ansel Elkins, I had not paid much attention to the title. In doing so, the first few lines seemed extremely disturbing and like something one of the darker versions of The Joker would write.
Tonight, I want to see something explode.
I want to see a dirty blonde
in a ripped white tank
pointing a gun at a bald man
who looks like me.
I want to see a lot less talk and a lot more action.
I want to watch a powerful man be seduced
by the wrong woman.
This, if taken completely out of the context that the speaker wants to see an action movie, sounds disturbing and like the slow ramblings of an unstable person.
The speaker describes a movie in which lots of people die; the main protagonist is someone somewhat normal, like him; and even though a lot of bad things happened, they still consider it a victory. This feels like that’s what the narrator is feeling in his life, and he is looking for a similar resolution to his movie, to his own life. The title “Going to the Movies Alone” says exactly that about the narrator and that he’s looking for a short escape from reality and that he probably wouldn’t be going alone if that wasn’t his only option.