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 phones Santa and tells her that Ignatius has become a hot dog vendor. Irene is distraught and Santa agrees with her that hot dog vendors are a “bunch of vagrants.” Irene is mortified that her son is selling hot dogs despite all his education. She asks Santa how Patrolman Mancuso is, and Santa explains that he has gotten a terrible cold from sitting in the bus station bathroom all day. Apparently, Ignatius lent him a book which he called “inspirational literature.” Irene sympathizes, and Santa complains that it is unfair because Patrolman Mancuso “loves the force.”
Irene and Santa are deeply concerned with conforming to the standards of respectable American society and their own status in the community. Irene is embarrassed by Ignatius’s job as a hot dog vendor because she knows that this looks bad and that her neighbors will judge her. Patrolman Mancuso has been imprisoned in a cell-like stall in the bus station as punishment for his failure, an incarceration which parodies that of Boethius, the medieval philosopher who wrote the book that Ignatius lent Mancuso.
Themes
Irene complains about Ignatius again and Santa tries to cheer her up. Santa says it is not Irene’s fault that Ignatius is an ungrateful “brat,” and that what Irene needs is a boyfriend. Santa has seen Claude Robichaux around and remembers that the old man once inquired after Irene. Irene asks if he has asked for her again and Santa says no. Irene says that he doesn’t care about her, but Santa brushes this off and says that she will throw a party and invite Irene and Claude.
Santa is keen to interfere in Irene’s life and break the hold that Ignatius has over her. However, although Santa believes she is doing this for Irene’s own good, Irene is not enthusiastic about Claude and does not seem to want a boyfriend. Santa overrules Irene, however, and this suggests that Santa wants to set Irene and Claude up not because she genuinely wants to help them but because she likes the sense of control that matchmaking gives her.
Themes
Ignatius is in the bath, having a relaxing soak after his first day as a hot dog vendor. On the side of the tub is a letter, which he eventually feels calm enough to open. It is a poster for a lecture given by Myrna Minkoff titled “Sex in Politics: Erotic Liberty as a Weapon Against Reactionaries.” Ignatius scoffs at this and thinks it is ridiculous that Myrna has been allowed to speak in public. On the other side of the poster is a letter from Myrna to him.
Myrna’s obsession with sex infuriates Ignatius because he believes that sex is sinful, and that modernity is corrupt because it is liberal about sex. Ignatius bases his notions about sex on his belief in the supremacy of medieval over modern culture.
Themes
Myrna writes that she hopes Ignatius was not too offended by her last letter; she only talks about his sexuality because he will not address it himself. She thinks a sexual experience would be good for him and would help him emotionally. She is no longer making a film about race. The young black actress objected to the lack of pay and, therefore, Myrna dismisses her as not really dedicated to the cause. She has been persuaded to give public lectures by a Jewish friend of hers who uses folk music as a weapon of protest.
Myrna wants to help Ignatius and convince him to get in touch with his own sexuality. However, Myrna has no evidence that this really would help Ignatius and, instead of respecting his beliefs, she constantly tries to impose her own worldview onto him. This same trait comes out in Myrna’s political activism. While Myrna claims that she wants to fight for black people’s rights, such as their lack of fair pay, she does not want to pay her own black employee. Instead of taking responsibility for her own hypocrisy in this case, Myrna instead blames the actress for merely wanting to be paid.
Themes
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Irene bangs on the bathroom door, interrupting Ignatius. She asks what he does in there that takes so long and he tells her that he has a letter from Myrna. Irene protests that Myrna got him fired from his last job, but Ignatius says that this was a blessing in disguise since he prefers his job as a hot dog vendor. Irene shrieks that he had better not get fired from this one, and Ignatius tells his mother to go away and drink her wine.
Rather than take responsibility for his own actions (his decision to start a riot at work) and admit that this is what got him fired, Ignatius clearly blames Myrna for his own mistakes. This again demonstrates Ignatius’s complete unwillingness to take responsibility for his own actions and emotions.
Themes
Once Irene has gone, Ignatius continues to read Myrna’s letter. She goes on to say that, although the folk singer helped her get a lecture, he wanted sex in exchange for helping her out. She then discovered that he was not really a Jewish folk singer at all, but an undercover agent for the Baptist Church and the Ku Klux Klan. However, she hopes the lecture will help further her career.
Myrna clearly feels persecuted because of her progressive views, which do not fit in with the more conservative mainstream American society of the 1960s. She feels that she is a target for extremists because she is so progressive. Ignatius, however, feels Myrna is a target because she constantly agitates and challenges people with her beliefs.
Themes
Myrna asks if Ignatius has made any progress with his “personal problems.” She wishes he would move to New York; she knows he is intelligent and thinks he could develop in the city. She also thinks he needs to get away from his mother’s influence and that he must build a political consciousness. Last time they discussed politics Myrna recalls that Ignatius suggested the President should be selected by “Divine Right.” She does not write this idea off completely, and instead thinks it may be a useful tool for mopping up “fascist support.”
Myrna views herself as progressive and modern and Ignatius as conservative and backward. Ignatius believes that the medieval period was superior to modernity and believes in the archaic Divine Right of Kings, which states that political rulers are selected by God rather than through democratic election. Myrna views this position as fascist because it does not allow people a vote but, instead, imposes a ruler upon them. However, she is not fundamentally against fascism, which suggests that Myrna, like Ignatius, is not opposed to an oppressive society so long as it works to her own advantage.
Themes
Myrna begs Ignatius to write to her. He is one of her “most important projects.” Ignatius finishes the letter and gets out of the bath. He goes to his desk to begin a reply to Myrna and finds an old yo-yo in his drawer. He tries to play with it, but the string breaks when he spins it. He can hear Irene on the phone to Santa, complaining about all the money she spent on her parents.
Although Myrna claims that she wants to help Ignatius, it’s clear that she views him as a project and is only invested in him as a measure of her own success. The yo-yo represents Ignatius’s belief in the medieval wheel of fortune, which he believes controls his destiny. The fact that the string snaps suggests that he is not entirely mistaken in this belief—sometimes events really are outside of one’s own control.
Themes
Ignatius starts his letter to Myrna. He tells her that he is not interested in her “sordid” exploits and that he knows her lecture will be a failure. She will probably only attract homeless old men who will be excited by the sexual content of her talks and will expose themselves to her. He says that he will no longer have much time to write to her as he is now an important figure in the “food service” sector. With that, he signs off.
Myrna believes in sexual liberation, but Ignatius views it as impure and deserving of punishment since he subscribes to a medieval worldview in which sexuality is sinful. Therefore, Ignatius feels that Myrna will bring about her own punishment—the excites old men—if she openly discusses sex.
Themes
