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 his office, Dr. Talc peruses the morning papers and thinks miserably about his situation. The notes he received from Ignatius, which accused him of “perverting” young minds, have been circulated around the college and taken before the administrative board. Although Dr. Talc is embarrassed, he knows that the board will remember Ignatius.
Dr. Talc assumes that the board will automatically take his side against Ignatius because Ignatius was a strange person and a disruptive student. This suggests that American society is intolerant of those who do not fit in. However, at the same time, Ignatius is prone to disruptive behavior and does not take responsibility for his actions. Instead, he feels that he is not in control of his fate, which he believes is controlled by the medieval goddess Fortuna, and this makes him a difficult person to compromise with.
Themes
Dr. Talc remembers Ignatius and Myrna with a shudder. They were his worst students, and always made rude comments and talked back in his class. As he looks through the paper, Dr. Talc is amazed to see a photo of Ignatius sprawled on his back outside a strip club, dressed as a hot dog vendor. Dr. Talc cannot understand this: Ignatius was annoying but was a brilliant student. Dr. Talc realizes that he cannot tell the board that the notes are from Ignatius because Ignatius will bring the hot dog cart onto campus and cause a scandal. Instead, Dr. Talc miserably resigns himself to his fate.
Ignatius was clearly an excellent student but could not fit in at the university because of his disruptive behavior and strange demeanor. This suggests that, although Ignatius would be suited to work in a university, he does not fit in with fellow academics because he is so unconventional and will not compromise or try to conform. Dr. Talc is worried that Ignatius, given his current station in life, has nothing to lose and will therefore not shy away from a scandal. Although Ignatius is considered strange because of his literal belief in the powers of fate, Dr. Talc also seems to believe in some form of inescapable destiny, and this suggests that Ignatius’s beliefs may not be so strange after all.
Themes
