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Irene Reilly
Myrna Minkoff is a political activist from New York and Ignatius’s ex-girlfriend. Ignatius met Myrna at university, and although the pair immediately clashed and disliked each other, they formed “an affair (platonic) of sorts” because of their argumentative and unlikable personalities. Myrna is the opposite of Ignatius and, therefore, ironically ends up being quite like him. Myrna is militantly progressive and constantly throws herself into social causes. Ignatius, by contrast, is staunchly conservative and is, in fact, hundreds of years out of date in terms of his worldview, which is rooted in medieval philosophy. However, although Myrna claims that she constantly acts for the greater good and for the benefit of others, the tone of her frequent letters to Ignatius suggests that Myrna’s activism is often motivated by a desire for self-aggrandizement and a feeling of superiority (similar to Ignatius). Furthermore, Myrna is a hypocrite: she is obsessed by the idea that people must be “authentic” but she, herself, is something of a fraud. Although Myrna is extremely left-wing and feels that people should dedicate themselves to progressive causes without pay, she is from a wealthy background and routinely scrounges money from her father, just as Ignatius financially relies on his mother, Irene. Myrna is obsessed with sexual politics and believes that the root of all Ignatius’s mental problems are the result of his virginity and his rejection of sex. The reader learns from Ignatius’s neighbor, Annie, that Myrna tried unsuccessfully to seduce Ignatius several times throughout their relationship. Although Myrna’s relationship with Ignatius is based on mutual antagonism, Myrna does seem to care for Ignatius in her own way and rescues him from incarceration when she arrives unexpectedly to take him to New York at the novel’s end.
Myrna Minkoff Quotes in A Confederacy of Dunces
The A Confederacy of Dunces quotes below are all either spoken by Myrna Minkoff or refer to Myrna Minkoff. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 4, Part 4 Quotes
At last he closed the looseleaf folder and contemplated a reply to Myrna, a slashing, vicious attack upon her being and worldview. It would be better to wait until he had visited the factory and seen what possibilities for social action there were there. Such boldness had to be handled properly; he might be able to do something with the factory workers which would make Myrna look like a reactionary in the field of social action. He had to prove his superiority to the offensive minx.
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Chapter 5, Part 4 Quotes
The original sweatshop has been preserved for posterity at Levy Pants. If only the Smithsonian Institution, that grab bag of our nation’s refuse, could somehow vacuum-seal the Levy Pants factory and transport it to the capital of the United States of America, each worker frozen in an attitude of labor, the visitors to that questionable museum would defecate into their garish tourist outfits. It is a scene which combines the worst of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis; it is mechanized Negro slavery; it represents the progress which the Negro has made from picking cotton to tailoring it.
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In a sense, I have always felt something of a kinship with the colored race because its position is the same as mine; we both exist outside the inner realm of American society. Of course, my exile is voluntary. However, it is apparent that many of the Negroes wish to become active members of the American middle class. I cannot imagine why. I must admit that this desire on their part leads me to question their value judgments.
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I must admit that I always suspected Myrna of being interested in me sensually; my stringent attitude toward sex intrigued her; in a sense, I became another project of sorts, I did, however, succeed in thwarting her every attempt to assail the castle of my body and mind.
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The subsidiary theme in the correspondence is one urging me to come to Manhattan so that she and I may raise our banner of twin confusion in that center of mechanized horrors […] Someday the authorities of our society will no doubt apprehend her for simply being herself. Incarceration will finally make her life meaningful and end her frustration.
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Myrna Minkoff Character Timeline in A Confederacy of Dunces
The timeline below shows where the character Myrna Minkoff appears in A Confederacy of Dunces. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2, Part 3
...work and should go to her priest to receive penance. Ignatius laments that his ex-girlfriend, Myrna Minkoff, would be disappointed that it has come to this, and Irene suggests that she...
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Chapter 3, Part 5
...Battaglia. Ignatius is extremely annoyed by this. Irene tells him he has a letter from Myrna Minkoff and hurries out.
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Left alone, Ignatius rips open the letter from Myrna. She writes that she does not believe that Patrolman Mancuso tried to arrest Ignatius. Instead,...
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Myrna’s letter continues that Ignatius must participate in society and that he must align himself with...
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Chapter 4, Part 4
...something for the workers is especially satisfying to him because he thinks it will show Myrna Minkoff that he is progressive and revolutionary. He believes the piece could be published somewhere...
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Chapter 5, Part 4
...office by now. Ignatius then goes on to describe his first meeting with his ex-girlfriend, Myrna Minkoff, while at university. They met in a coffee shop and had a long argument...
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Ignatius notes that Myrna is from a wealthy New York family and had come to a Southern university to...
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Myrna believed that the answer to all social and personal problems was sex and constantly tried...
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Myrna did not finish college and thought she could learn more out in the world than...
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Ignatius and Myrna write to each other quite often and Myrna always tries to persuade Ignatius to come...
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Chapter 6, Part 2
...on. Ignatius films the group as they begin to get riled up, and gleefully imagines Myrna’s annoyance when she sees the footage. Ignatius commands the group to sing as they enter...
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Chapter 6, Part 4
At home, Irene berates Ignatius because he has been fired. Ignatius complains that it was Myrna Minkoff’s fault, but Irene dismisses this and tells him he must find a new job....
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Chapter 7, Part 3
...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...
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Myrna writes that she hopes Ignatius was not too offended by her last letter; she only...
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...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...
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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...
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Myrna asks if Ignatius has made any progress with his “personal problems.” She wishes he would...
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Myrna begs Ignatius to write to her. He is one of her “most important projects.” Ignatius...
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Ignatius starts his letter to Myrna. He tells her that he is not interested in her “sordid” exploits and that he...
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Chapter 9, Part 1
...he ate most of the hot dogs himself and spent the afternoon plotting to destroy Myrna Minkoff and playing with the cat. Mr. Clyde grows angry at this and threatens Ignatius...
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...him and sadly watches him open it. As Ignatius suspects, it is a reply from Myrna.
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Myrna writes that she was deeply offended by Ignatius’s last letter, but that she will not...
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...be so harsh and Ignatius storms off to his room to plan a rebuttal for Myrna. He knows he must plan something political to really annoy her.
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Chapter 9, Part 4
...journal that he has still not come up with a way to get revenge on Myrna for her disrespectful letters. He concludes that he must go to the cinema soon—there is...
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Chapter 9, Part 5
...drink. He thinks she is much nicer than most of his female students and remembers Myrna Minkoff with a shudder. Dr. Talc wonders whether she married Ignatius Reilly, who used to...
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Chapter 10, Part 3
...political beliefs recently. On top of this, he has had a series of nightmares about Myrna Minkoff. In one, Myrna pushed him in front of a train.
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Ignatius is suddenly struck by an idea for how to get back at Myrna. If homosexuals infiltrated politics and the armed forces, he thinks, world peace could be achieved....
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...must be desperate to associate with Dorian Greene. Still, the thought of getting revenge on Myrna cheers him up and he sets off again in search of some customers.
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Chapter 11, Part 2
...of darkness and toward civility. He feels that this is a real opportunity to annoy Myrna, who will wish she had thought of the idea. Ignatius feels Myrna could never come...
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Chapter 11, Part 4
...He heads for the address on the packet and, while on his way, daydreams about Myrna’s fury when he writes to tell her of his tryst with a fellow medievalist.
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Chapter 12, Part 1
The next day, an urgent letter arrives from Myrna. She is amazed that Ignatius plans to bring homosexuality into politics and thinks this is...
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...the sidewalk. Furious, Ignatius shouts that their political movement is doomed. Another attempt to foil Myrna has failed.
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...and watch Harlett O’Hara’s opening night. He hopes that news of this will sufficiently upset Myrna and sets off towards the club. Ignatius does not notice that he is being followed...
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Chapter 13, Part 3
Dr. Talc remembers Ignatius and Myrna with a shudder. They were his worst students, and always made rude comments and talked...
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Chapter 14, Part 1
...on the front door. He peers out through the glass and is amazed to see Myrna on the doorstep. At first, the sight of her fills him with rage, but then...
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Ignatius rushes to the door and acts as though he is overjoyed to see Myrna. Ignatius tells her that they must leave immediately for New York. Myrna is confused and...
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Myrna agrees to take Ignatius with her, and Ignatius tries to rush out the door. Myrna...
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Myrna says that her therapy group will be delighted to hear about Ignatius. She says that...
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Ignatius hurries Myrna out to her car and clambers into the back seat. Myrna says he can sit...
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Myrna’s car pulls out just as an ambulance drives past and parks nearby. Ignatius ducks down...
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