Ignatius: The Hero

It's hard, at first glance, to identify A Confederacy of Dunces as an American classic and therefore it is difficult to find themes of classic American literature. But, as I began to think about it I realized that Ignatius, despite his vulgar behavior and narcissistic persona is a hero...of sorts. Not so much an American hero in the classic sense (for example George Washington) but more of a Millerian, tragic antihero. Ignatius' habits and tenancies are not understood by other people and his beliefs are old-fashioned and strange- this is his tragedy. His frustration with humanity is born from the ignorance, hypocrisy, and overall impracticality of the modern world and it's his cruel fate to be surrounded by people who are completely oblivious to his preaching. But in a world where everyone misunderstands his frustration as audacity, Ignatius fares on, insluting everyone who gets in his way.

Levy Pants

Ignatius and his mother reside in an impoverished part of the French Quarter in New Orleans. Their house on Constantinople Street is small and decrepit and "except for the Plymouth and the weathered cross and the mummified banana tree, the[ir] tiny yard was completely bare."


After he and his mother are in a car accident (as a result of Irene's drunken driving) Ignatius has no choice but to grudgingly go job-hunting in order to pay for the damages. In the past, because of his inability to interact socially (Ignatius is terribly outspoken- this trait more than often gets him in a great deal of trouble) Ignatius has had trouble finding work, despite his evident genius.

Ignatius' attempt at finding a job (post-car wreck) does not go well- he is declined by an insurance company after he attempted "to explain the inadequencies of the place to the personnel manager" which included "those flourescent tubes baking [peoples'] brains out and blinding them" and the improper heating of the office. It is not unusual for Ignatius to show this poor sense judgement. There are a countless number of words, ostenatious and simple, in Ignatius' massive lexicon, but "tact" is certainly not among them.

Just when it seems all hope is lost, Irene finds a want ad for a desk job at the Levy Pants factory. The second Ignatius arrives for the interview, he becomes infatuated with the office's "stained ceiling [that] cast a weak yellow light upon the warped floorboards...a desk painted with a peculiar orange varnish...[and the] grey view of the Poland Avenue wharf." Luckily for him the manager, Mr. Gonzalez is in desperate need of new employees seeing as most others typically quit within a few months (some don't even bother to make note of their resignation, but rather don't ever show up again.) When Ignatius is told by Mr. Gonzalez that Mr. Levy plans to soon sell the business, he takes it upon himself to change Mr. Levy's mind and completely rejuvenate Levy Pants.


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"Mongoloids!"

Ignatius J. Reilly: Pompous, loud, imaginative, obnoxious, outspoken, well-read, lazy, arrogant, obese, intelligent, spiteful- Ignatius J. Reilly is the perfect example of a complex character- he is easy to love and yet even easier to hate. His cause is noble but this is overshadowed by the fact that he is an insufferable ass. He recognizes the imperfections and flaws of the modern world but opts to change them only by obsessively criticizing everyone and everything that goes on around him. Ignatius is 30 years old and still lives his mother in a particularly destitute area of New Orleans' French Quarter. Ignatius is extremely lazy and rarely leaves his house (with the exclusion of his trips to the movies, during which he audibly and obnoxiously expresses his disdain for the film and it's detrimental effects on humanity.) In fact, after an unpleasant experience while traveling to Baton Rouge for a job interview he vows to never leave his hometown again. Ignatius dresses eccentrically (always wears the same green hunting cap, tweed pants, and a plaid flannel shirt.


"I am at this moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain begins to reel from my literary labors, I make an occasional cheese dip."


Irene Reilly: Irene is Ignatius' widowed mother. She is poor, uneducated and far too often the butt-end of Ignatius' harsh verbal treatment of people, most likely attributed to the fact that she is the one who spends the most time with him. Irene coddles Ignatius which may explain his inability to find initiative to do anything on his own.




Patrolman Mancuso: He becomes friends with Irene following an altercation that occurs at the mall in which Patrolman Mancuso mistakes Ignatius for a pedophile because of his bizarre clothes and overwhelming appearance.

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While this book has many characters, and continues to introduce more, there is only one main and constant character- Ignatius. In the entries that follow, I plan to tell more about other important characters that occur or are developed.

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A Confederacy of Dunces

This quirky, off-beat novel tells the misadventures of one Ignatius J. Reilly, a pompous, arrogant, narcissistic man who despises the modern world. The book gets its title from a quote by Irish writer Jonathon Swift- "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." (I've put key words from the quote in bold in an attempt to avoid confusion from those who are a bit slower on the uptake.)
The story opens with a lengthy description of Ignatius' peculiar manner of dressing. Just from the very first paragraph, it's easy to see that author John Kennedy Toole has a knack for vivid imagery and this trait remains constant throughout. A Confederacy of Dunces was published posthumously, 11 years after Toole's death by suicide. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981.

Oh, Fortuna

"As a medievalist Ignatius believed in the rota Fortunae, or wheel of fortune, a central concept in De Consolatione Philosophiae, the philosophical work which had laid foundation for medieval thought."

--A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole

Bib: Toole, John Kennedy. Confederacy of Dunces. London: Allen Lane, 1981.

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