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
Irene sits in her kitchen and sips wine. The house is quiet and peaceful because Ignatius is at work. Irene observes happily that it no longer smells like him. A baby cockroach walks across the table and she blows it to the floor. The phone rings and Irene answers. It is Santa Battaglia. The two women reminisce about how poor they were growing up, and then Santa remembers why she called.
Irene feels that she is free from Ignatius for the first time in years. Although he is an adult, Ignatius is extremely dependent on her and this stops Irene from living her life. Her casual disposal of the baby cockroach symbolizes Ignatius and the idea that Irene has unceremoniously rejected his influence over her and sent him out to work.
Themes
Santa asks if Irene remembers the night they went bowling, when Patrolman Mancuso got arrested. Irene says yes, and Santa says that a man asked about her when she was at the bowling alley—a nice-looking old man who said he has grandchildren. Irene says she is too old for that sort of thing, but Santa brushes this off and says that she and Mancuso will pick Irene up for bowling that evening. Irene says that Ignatius does not like her going out, but Santa insists Ignatius is big enough to take care of himself.
Santa takes Irene under her wing and tries to reinvigorate Irene’s life. Santa is pushy, however—although she seems to want to help Irene and free her from Ignatius’s influence, really, Ignatius’s overbearing behavior is simply replaced by Santa’s overbearing behavior, and Irene is still bossed around.
Themes
