A review of A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Grove Press, 1994.

I was first introduced to A Confederacy of Dunces in a mixed humanities class I took during my undergrad. I read the first chapter of the book before I gently closed it, put it to the side, and opened my laptop to search SparkNotes or anything that would summarize what I was reading. This is not something I’m proud of, but it is what I did. Afterward, class discussion opened my mind to the book in a way that cheap summary never could have. I wanted to read the book and understand why the main character, Ignatius J. Reilly, was wearing piss-covered sheets. And over the course of four months, I finally did; it was only a year-and-a-half after I was originally supposed to.

The novel takes place in 1960s New Orleans and covers the lives of many characters who all cross paths with Ignatius at some unfortunate point. The first character we see cross paths with Ignatius is Policeman Mancuso, when he profiles Ignatius. Ignatius, being a man of privilege, stands up for himself:

This city is famous for its gamblers, prostitutes, exhibitionists, Antichrists, alcoholics, sodomites, drug addicts, fetishists, onanists, pornographers, frauds, jades, litterbugs, and lesbians, all of whom are only too well protected by graft. If you have a moment, I shall endeavor to discuss the crime problem with you, but don’t make the mistake of bothering me. (Toole 3)

Clearly, readers are introduced to Ignatius’ disposition as a character early in the novel.

The following are brief summaries of other prominent characters and their interactions with Ignatius:

• Ignatius Reilly – A 30-year-old man with a master’s degree who lives with his mother. He has only ever held a job for two weeks since graduating. His mother finally tells him he must get a job to pay for the damages accrued in a car accident he and his mother were involved in. He gets a job at Levy Pants factory, then a pirate gig at a hot dog cart.
• Irene Reilly – Ignatius’s mother, who ends up dating the old man who got arrested in place of Ignatius at the beginning of the story. She goes bowling with Policeman Mancuso’s Aunt Santa, an occurrence Ignatius is less than pleased with. She is also an alcoholic.
• Policeman Mancuso – The policeman who tries to arrest Ignatius. After arresting a man on no charges, he is sentenced to “undercover” humiliation rituals by his sergeant. His big break happens towards the end of the novel, with the Night of Joy bar.
• Burma Jones – A black man released from jail who must find employment or get arrested again on vagrancy. He works at the Night of Joy bar as a janitor and is underpaid because he is a “criminal black man.” Jones (rightfully) ruins Night of Joy’s business by lightly manipulating Ignatius (who is banned) into returning to the bar during a burlesque show.
• Lana Lee – Owner of Night of Joy, who kicks Ignatius and his mother out of her bar at the beginning of the novel. She sells pornographic material of herself to minors as a side hustle.
• Myrna Minkoff – Ignatius’ situationship, for lack of a better term. They meet in college and are both equally disgusted and intrigued by each other, always putting on a show through their letter correspondence.

As mentioned above, Policeman Mancuso tries to arrest Ignatius at the beginning of the novel. This occurs because Ignatius is standing outside a store waiting for his mother; Ignatius lives with her, and she is his main mode of transportation, since he does not drive. His mother, Irene, comes out of the store and talks Mancuso out of arresting Ignatius. However, Policeman Mancuso needs the arrest, so, instead, he arrests an older gentleman after he calls Mancuso a Communist. While this is happening, Ignatius and Irene take refuge in The Night of Joy bar, which is owned by Lana Lee. Lana is disturbed by the pair’s presence and kicks them out, letting them know they are not welcome back. By this time, Irene is considerably intoxicated, so when she gets into the driver’s seat, she crashes her car.

Simultaneously, Policeman Mancuso is getting reprimanded for bringing an arrestee in on no charges, and he gets sentenced to ridiculous undercover work. This is where Bruma Jones is introduced; he is being released from prison and must find work in order to avoid getting arrested for vagrancy. He eventually finds work at The Night of Joy Bar, where Lana Lee pays him an insufficient wage and uses his need for a job to her advantage.

Irene eventually tells Ignatius he must find work to help pay for the damage that occurred in the car accident. After much protestation, Ignatius finally lands an office job at the Levy Pants factory. Here, he fills his time with idle work, organizes an unsuccessful uprising against the factory, and writes a foul letter to a customer on behalf of the unknowing owner, Gus Levy. Once Ignatius is fired from this job, he finds sanctuary as a hot dog cart worker, where he is the number one (non-paying) customer.

After a run-in with Ignatius, Jones orchestrates a way to bring the bar down by inviting Ignatius to a burlesque show being performed there. A mishap occurs with a cockatoo that attacks Ignatius, and chaos ensues. Policeman Mancuso, who was undercover at the bar and tailing Ignatius on behalf of Irene, is approached by Lana Lee. She tries to sell him pornographic material, and he arrests her, resulting in his big break. Ignatius wakes up after passing out and finds out that his mother wants to admit him to an insane asylum. Of course, he knows he must flee in order to escape the insane clutches of his mother, and by divine intervention, Myrna Minkoff (who has been having letter correspondence with Ignatius throughout the novel) is at his door. Ignatius leaves with her and finally gets out of New Orleans.

To be frank, I could not stand Ignatius’s character. I found him to be a terribly bigoted slob who caused havoc and destruction everywhere he went. However, he remains true to himself till the very end, much to my dismay and slight appreciation. Ignatius is one of those people who gets everything they want out of life while doing their very best to avoid putting anything useful into it. It sucks, and it is very telling of human nature. I also see Ignatius’s character as a masterpiece that addresses the paradox of higher education. The following is a thought that George (contraband runner for Lana Lee) has about Ignatius: “You could tell by the way he talked, though, that he had gone to school a long time. That was probably what was wrong with him” (283-284).

All said, A Confederacy of Dunces is greater than my dislike for Ignatius. It is a novel powered by the social climate of 1960s New Orleans through themes of the clash of cultures, racism, sexuality, and the hypocrisy of self-interest. It’s a retelling of everything we have come to know in the world, and it shows just how absurd it is to limit belief and nuances to a perfect box.

Ignatius says, “In addition, I am at the moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain begins to reel from my literary labors, I make an occasional cheese dip” (Toole 6). I believe this is something most people can relate to; it is impossible to ignore everything that occurs in the world without feeling the weight of it crushing your shoulders. Although I strongly advise against acting exactly in the way of Ignatius—he is insufferable in his attempts to be authentic to himself—you have to make room for yourself, too.

Edited by Karissa L Geisinger