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
Mr. Clyde opens the morning paper and sees the report on Ignatius. He immediately decides that Ignatius is fired because he has worn his uniform outside of work and disgraced himself in it. Mr. Clyde worries about his business’s reputation and wonders how he will get the uniform back from Ignatius. He tries to call Ignatius at home but there is no answer. Mr. Clyde wonders if Ignatius’s mother is too drunk to answer the phone.
Mr. Clyde worries that Ignatius will make his business look bad. Although American society considers itself to be free and liberal, it is highly concerned with conformity and appearance, and Ignatius struggles to fit in because he is unconventional. Although hot dog vendors are already considered disreputable in this narrative, Mr. Clyde feels that Ignatius is too strange even for this line of work.
Themes
