Ignatius Reilly, in his mid 30’s having spent 10 years in the university lives with his mother in a very small house in one of the lower wards in New Orleans. He has never been able to find employment that was worthy of his endeavors so he stays in his room most of the time writing notes on Big Chief writing paper to record his “interesting” adventures. But now his mom is facing eviction if she can’t come with some money for the rent and has no money for food, especially the jelly filled doughnuts, sweet Dr. Nut drinks and other junk that Ignatius is partial to.
Early in the book you get the picture. Ignatius is a fat slob with a very high opinion of his self-worth. He’s too good for most any job and feels he has the right to be waited on hand and foot by his mother. As we follow the story of Ignatius around New Orleans he eventually does get a couple of jobs. The first is as a file clerk in a clothing factory. He lasts a month or so until he insults the owner and tries to get the factory workers to rise up and riot encouraging them to attack the manager with bricks.
Having lost that one he is forced out of the house by his mother with orders to find a job “or else”. Sort of by accident he gets a job as a hot dog vendor pushing a cart of dogs around the French Quarter peddling dogs. He usually eats more of his inventory than he sells though.
By accident Ignatius is instrumental in getting a crooked bar owner who is peddling pornographic postcards to local school children arrested. Injured in the process Ignatius ends up in the hospital. They won’t discharge him until he pays his $20 bill but mother gets her boyfriend to fork over the money – much to Ignatius chagrin.
“A Confederacy of Dunces” is filled with memorable characters. In addition to Ignatius and his quirky mother there is Miss Trixie who works in the office of Levy Pants doing nothing but sleeping and going to the bathroom. The owner’s wife, Mrs. Levy, won’t let Gus Levy retire Miss Trixie because she “needs to work and feel needed.” Gus and Mrs. Levy are at each other’s throats constantly over the mis-management of the factory and the silly saving of Miss Trixie. Then there is Jones, the jive vagrant forced to work in the bar sweeping floors for $20 a week to keep from becoming a guest of the city in jail. The inept police officer, Mr. Macuso is under threat of firing if he does not bring in at least one “suspicious character” soon. He can’t seem to find one even though he is surrounded by them. And, last there is Darlene the Bourbon Street stripper who wants to make her pet cockatoo part of her act. The bird will pull at brass rings in Darlene’s costume which will then drop a part of her costume to the stage eventually leaving her completely nude to dance around the pole with her bird.
Toole brings us characters we won’t soon forget. This really is a group (Confederacy) of inept and confused people. Sadly they remind me of people I work with and people I know. Even more sadly they sometimes remind me of myself. There is a bit of truth amidst the laughter in Toole’s tale. I think this one rates an 8 of 10 on the Weaver meter.
