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
Jones sits on the bus beside an elderly white woman. She clearly dislikes being so close to him and tries to draw herself away. Jones thinks that she probably assumes he is going to rape her and bitterly considers his job at the Night of Joy. It pays very badly, but at least it will ensure he won’t get arrested. The old lady gets off the bus and Jones begins to read a copy of Life magazine which Darlene has given him to read for “self-improvement.” Jones looks at the pictures of people in nice houses, with expensive clothes, and thinks that he wants to be just like them.
As a black man in 1960s New Orleans, a Southern city with a history of slavery, segregation, and racism, Jones is painfully aware of the way he’s perceived by society. Jones knows that the woman likely believes in the racist stereotype that black men are specifically a sexual threat to white women. Beyond equal social treatment, Jones also wants to receive the same benefits from work that white people get when they are paid a reasonable wage, which he, as a black person, is not. Darlene believes Jones can change his own situation but, due to the systemic prejudice Jones faces, this is extremely difficult.
Themes
