Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Confederacy of Dunces, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Medievalism, Modernity, and Fate
The Legacy of Slavery
Sexuality, Attraction, and Repulsion
Freedom
Appearance, Identity, and Disguise
Hypocrisy and Self-Interest
Summary
Analysis
In Mr. Levy’s house, Mr. Levy flicks through the morning paper, while Mrs. Levy bounces on her exercise board, eats cookies, and draws up plans for her charitable foundation. They drove out to the mental institute, where Ignatius was meant to be imprisoned, but found that he was not checked in. Mr. Levy wonders why he should keep Levy Pants open and decides that he should keep the factory if only for the sake of Mr. Gonzalez, who is such a loyal employee. Mr. Levy worries that if the factory closes, Mr. Gonzalez might kill himself.
Mrs. Levy wants to start the charity so that she can make herself look good and make her husband look bad by comparison. However, she has not earned the money for the charity herself and, therefore, uses Mr. Levy’s father’s reputation to make herself appear philanthropic. On the other hand, Mr. Levy genuinely thinks of others before himself and considers his employees in his decision to keep Levy Pants.
Themes
Mr. Levy comes across the article about Ignatius and says that he has found the “young idealist.” Mrs. Levy looks at the picture of Ignatius in the gutter outside the strip bar and says that Mr. Levy has ruined Ignatius’s life. Mr. Levy scoffs and says that Mrs. Levy would like it if Mr. Abelman won his lawsuit and ruined them. Mrs. Levy replies that Mr. Levy has brought the lawsuit on himself and that something like this was always bound to happen. She just hopes it won’t affect their daughters too badly.
Mrs. Levy wants her husband to fail so that she will look merciful and like a patient martyr because she stays with him. This is not a very charitable impulse and, although Mrs. Levy says that Mr. Levy will ultimately get what he deserves, this prophecy might rebound more negatively on her than she thinks.
Themes
Mr. Levy realizes that Mrs. Levy wants him to fail so that she can be proven right. He announces that he will go to Ignatius’s house to track him down and Mrs. Levy announces irritably that she will come too. Mr. Levy says he will stop by Levy Pants and Mrs. Levy says that she is worried about Miss Trixie, as she heard that Miss Trixie bit Mr. Zalatimo. Mr. Levy thinks that Levy Pants is like a curse and that even staying away from it doesn’t help. In fact, the more he stays away from it, the more trouble it causes.
Mr. Levy is finally spurred into action because he realizes that he must try to take control of his destiny and that, if he lets Mrs. Levy have her way, he will give up and fail. The more Mr. Levy tries to avoid his responsibility at the factory, the more it seems to trap him, and this suggests that one cannot escape one’s fate.
Themes
Mrs. Levy jumps in the car with Mr. Levy and explains to him that she has diagnosed him with a “death wish” as they speed towards the factory. Mr. Levy drops Mrs. Levy off at Miss Trixie’s house and drives on alone to Ignatius’s. When he arrives, Annie shouts through the window that Ignatius and Irene are not home and are still at the hospital. Mr. Levy asks her if she knows Ignatius well, and Annie responds that she has lived next to them since Ignatius was a boy.
Mrs. Levy wishes to make Mr. Levy seem mad and herself seem sane. Although she claims that she wants her husband to seek psychological help for his own good, she really just wants to have control over him.
Themes
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Annie tells Mr. Levy that Ignatius was very proud of his job at Levy Pants, and Mr. Levy wonders if Ignatius is crazy. Annie tells him that Irene is a drunk and that Ignatius was a nice child until his dog died when he was in high school. After this, she says, things went bad and Ignatius spent all Irene’s money on his college education. Ignatius got a girlfriend at college, Annie says, but she was awful—Annie used to hear them having terrible rows. Mr. Levy feels sorry for Ignatius as he listens to this story.
Annie’s story supports Ignatius’s idea that his wheel of fortune has been in a bad cycle for many years. Ignatius’s belief that his life is out of control and that he cannot do anything about it because a medieval goddess, Fortuna, has absolute power over his fate, seems to have started young and persevered through his whole life. Although Annie does not realize it, part of Ignatius and Myrna’s attraction to each other was the fact that they had an argumentative nature in common.
Themes
Annie says that the newspaper report is the last straw and that she plans to drive Irene and Ignatius off the street. As she finishes her story, Irene and Ignatius pull up in their car and stumble out mid-argument. Ignatius accuses Irene of plotting against him with Claude and Patrolman Mancuso. He is furious that his mother has been having a relationship with Claude and shouts that he will not live “with a loose woman.”
Although America claims to be a free society in which people can do as they please so long as they do not hurt others, Annie’s behavior suggests that, really, people must conform to strict behavior standards or face social ostracization. Ignatius’s interpretation of Irene’s love life as gratuitously sexual is clearly ridiculous and overdramatic, showcasing Ignatius’s disgust when it comes to sexual relationships.
Themes
Irene and Ignatius stomp onto the lawn and continue to argue. Irene kneels on the ground to pray and lament her fate, and Ignatius shouts that she is on Rex’s grave. Irene shouts at Ignatius for keeping money from her and for treating her badly, and Ignatius yells back that Irene has forgotten his father and that she has disgraced herself by sneaking around with Claude, who he believes is a fascist. Irene says that Claude is only interested in politics because he is lonely, but that he is kind to her and that she deserves to be treated well.
Ignatius’s reaction to Irene and Claude’s relationship is immature and disproportionate. It demonstrates his desire to control his mother for his own selfish means and again highlights his disgust with sex, which may be based in the repression of his own urges. It is also ironic that Ignatius thinks Claude is a fascist, as Claude believes that Ignatius is a communist. Claude and Ignatius have highly divergent views on proper behavior, and both wish to impose their worldview on the other and to limit the other’s freedoms. This suggests that people of different beliefs must learn to co-exist and that attempts to stamp out behaviors that one doesn’t like often stem from an authoritarian impulse.
Themes
Mr. Levy cautiously approaches and interrupts Ignatius and Irene’s fight. Irene demands to know what Ignatius has done now, and Mr. Levy suggests they go inside. Once inside the house, Mr. Levy shows Irene the letter to Mr. Abelman and asks Ignatius if he wrote it. Irene says that of course Ignatius wrote it and begins to beat her son on the head. Mr. Levy feels sorry for Ignatius and begs Irene to stop. The phone rings and Irene answers. When she hangs up, she tells Ignatius that it was Mr. Clyde on the phone, and that Ignatius is fired.
The consequences of Ignatius’s behavior—his letter to Mr. Abelman—finally catch up with him because of a random twist of fate: his appearance in the newspaper after his accident at the Night of Joy, which was similarly brought about by a series of fateful events.
Themes
Ignatius begs Mr. Levy to listen to him; he is under attack, he says, by Irene and her friends. Ignatius suggests Mr. Levy asks Miss Trixie about the letter. Mr. Levy protests that Miss Trixie is too old, but Ignatius says that she knows more than she lets on. Mr. Levy is amazed (this is what Mrs. Levy has always said about Miss Trixie) and Irene starts to berate Ignatius again. Irene reminds Mr. Levy of his wife, and he tells her firmly to back off as he follows Ignatius to his room.
Although Ignatius story about his persecution sounds far-fetched, he is, in fact, quite right—Santa, Irene, and Claude have made a plot to incarcerate him so that he will not tarnish their reputations. Although Santa has convinced Irene that this plan is for her own good, really, Santa is annoyed by Ignatius because he will not conform and wants him out of the way.
Themes
Once inside his room, Ignatius shows Mr. Levy excerpts from his “Journal of a Working Boy,” which suggest that Ignatius loves Levy Pants and that Miss Trixie knows more than she lets on. Mr. Levy feels ill because of the smell in Ignatius’s room and tries to get out quickly, but Ignatius bars the door. He begs Mr. Levy to believe him and insists that Miss Trixie hates the company because they will not let her retire. Mr. Levy assures Ignatius that he believes him and stumbles back into the hall.
Ignatius’s journal account has been largely fabricated to make himself look better than he is (he wrote it with Myrna in mind and wanted to make himself look good to provoke her because of their love/hate relationship) but it works out in his favor now. This supports Ignatius’s belief that fate often work in mysterious ways.
Themes
Outside, Irene is desperate to know what Ignatius has done wrong. Mr. Levy hurries away, however, and speeds off in his car. Ignatius and Irene watch him go, and Irene asks Ignatius how they will pay off the fine if Mr. Abelman successfully sues Mr. Levy. Mr. Levy drives back to Miss Trixie’s apartment. Mrs. Levy is inside, and Miss Trixie munches her way through the cookies Mrs. Levy brought.
Irene has totally lost faith in Ignatius and no longer has any hopes for his future success, which was once a source of hope and pride that she clung to. Although Irene presumably wanted the best for Ignatius, she also hoped his success would make the neighbors envious.
Themes
Mr. Levy asks Miss Trixie if she wrote the letter to Mr. Abelman. Mrs. Levy scoffs that Mr. Levy is being ridiculous, but Mr. Levy insists that Ignatius said Miss Trixie wrote it. Miss Trixie thinks for a moment. Ignatius (whom she believes to be Gloria) was her friend and wouldn’t lie, so Miss Trixie thinks she must have written it. Miss Trixie tells Mr. Levy that she did write the letter, and Mrs. Levy tries to attack her. Mr. Levy holds Mrs. Levy back and asks Miss Trixie why. Miss Trixie says that she wants to retire, and Mr. Levy says that she can and that they will have a doctor write to Mr. Abelman and confirm that Miss Trixie wrote the letter because she is senile.
Mrs. Levy’s true intentions toward Miss Trixie (to use her to get back at her husband) come out here, when Mrs. Levy flies at Miss Trixie. She has never really cared what is best for Miss Trixie and only cares about herself and the power struggle within her marriage. Miss Trixie earns her freedom at last and can retire.
Themes
Mr. Levy triumphantly tells Mrs. Levy that the whole situation is her fault because she would not let Miss Trixie retire. Mrs. Levy grows upset, but Mr. Levy announces that he will rebrand Levy Pants as Levy Shorts and make the business profitable again. Mrs. Levy exclaims that Mr. Levy will destroy all his father’s hard work. But Mr. Levy says, with newfound confidence, that his father was a useless businessman and ruined the business himself.
The revelation of Mrs. Levy’s truly selfish motives, which she disguised behind a veneer of selflessness, finally frees Mr. Levy from his wife’s abuse. This shift in power also frees Mr. Levy from his father’s influence, which Mrs. Levy has also held over his head—Mr. Levy can finally call his father out for what he is, not what Mrs. Levy portrayed him to be. The change in Mr. Levy’s attitude supports the idea that people are more content and productive when they are free.
Themes
Mrs. Levy tearfully asks about the foundation she planned to set up. Mr. Levy says she can still do this and that the first award should go to Jones, whom Mr. Levy has seen in the paper and who helped stop a notorious pornography ring. Mrs. Levy is horrified and says that her awards are meant for nice people. Mr. Levy calls her a hypocrite and says that she must go to the nearby grocers and telephone Jones from there to tell him. Miss Trixie snaps that while Mrs. Levy is there, she can buy her a retirement ham, and Mr. Levy says this is an excellent idea.
Mrs. Levy is a hypocrite and, although she wanted to set up a charity, she only wanted to extend that charity to those she considered deserving of it and who conformed to her view of what constitutes respectable society. The history of racism in the South means that black people were often considered criminals purely because of their race. Mrs. Levy hypocritically reveals this uncharitable belief here, and Mr. Levy finally frees Miss Trixie.
Themes
Mrs. Levy leaves and Mr. Levy contemplates the day’s events. Miss Trixie falls asleep on the couch. Mr. Levy ponders over the letter and thinks that he has heard language like that before somewhere. He realizes that it is the way Ignatius talks and realizes that Miss Trixie has been framed. Mr. Levy thinks this is probably for the best and that he will offer Jones a job in the factory.
Ignatius’s actions have unexpectedly benefitted Jones and freed him from his servitude under Lana at the Night of Joy. Jones will receive a degree of freedom with a job at the factory because he will no longer have to work for slave wages and will not have to worry about the police. However, Jones’s freedom here is meant to be slightly ironic, as Jones will still likely be paid less than a white person and is still required by law to have a job, so it is not an entirely liberating outcome. The fateful conclusion to Ignatius’s letter suggests that fate does operate in mysterious ways as Ignatius believes, and that actions often produce unexpected results.
Themes
