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Chapter 9, Part 3
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
Ignatius sits in his room and ignores Irene, who bangs on the door outside. He works on the “Diary of a Working Boy” and describes Mr. Clyde’s request that Ignatius sell hot dogs in the French Quarter, which Ignatius views as an attempt to sabotage him. Most of the people he sees in the French Quarter are drug addicts, although, Ignatius writes, their suffering lends them a type of holiness which is rare in the modern world.
The French Quarter in New Orleans had a reputation as being a poor and disreputable area during this time, and Ignatius feels that being made to work here is a form of persecution. Ignatius rejects the modern world’s materialism since he views this mindset as shallow and unspiritual compared to the medieval period. During this time, suffering was considered holy because it was so pervasive and, therefore, was considered God’s will.
Themes
Ignatius continues to lament his situation. He feels that Fortuna’s wheel is in a very bad cycle and that, although he used to live a life of comfort and austerity, he is now forced out into the world and must struggle to make a living. What’s worse, Mr. Clyde now makes him dress up as a pirate to sell hot dogs because, he says, it will attract the tourists. Ignatius must wear an earring and carry a fake cutlass. When he first put it on, he jokingly brandished the cutlass at Mr. Clyde. The old man misunderstood the joke, however, and came at Ignatius with his fork. The pair dueled for quite some time until Ignatius surrendered.
Again, Ignatius does not feel that he is in control of his own life, believing instead that his fortune is dictated the medieval goddess Fortuna. Because of this, Ignatius does not feel that he can change his circumstances and that he must instead surrender to them. Ignatius’s pirate costume is one of many examples of disguise within the novel, and it seems to imbue him with a sense of bold confidence that he does not otherwise possess.
Themes
Dressed as a pirate, Ignatius sets out with the cart for the French Quarter. He has not been out long when his feet grow tired and he sits down on the curb for a nap. A policeman wakes him, and Ignatius contemplates the fact that he seems to attract law enforcement. He is sure that one day he will end up wrongfully imprisoned. He moves off and heads deeper into the French Quarter. Ignatius is deeply suspicious of this part of the city. There are vagrants on every corner, and he hears laughter and shrieks from inside the ramshackle houses.
Ignatius feels that he is persecuted by modern authorities but does not understand why. In some ways, Ignatius is oblivious to the fact that he stands out and does not think there is anything unusual about an educated man who chooses to become a hot dog vendor. Ignatius does not think he is strange because, in terms of his worldview, his job is not an active choice, but instead the result of random chance.
Themes
A group of tourists passes Ignatius and takes photographs of him. He poses as a pirate for them and overhears them discuss whether to give him money or not—they seem to think he is homeless. Ignatius would not object to taking their money but a conservative among them says that Ignatius will only spend it on drink. The others agree and the group shuffles off. Ignatius sells a hot dog to a tramp and bumps into Patrolman Mancuso, who is stalking around the French Quarter in his disguise for the day.
Ignatius shows his hypocrisy here, since earlier in the novel complained about his mother giving money to a homeless woman. Although Ignatius often complains about vagrants and claims that they only pretend to need money, he himself is happy to take money from these people even though he could easily find a more lucrative job if he tried.
Themes
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Patrolman Mancuso cheerfully greets Ignatius, but Ignatius demands to know where his book (The Consolation of Philosophy), which he lent to Mancuso, is. Mancuso nervously explains that he has not finished it yet and Ignatius cries that he wants it back as soon as possible. Ignatius moves off again and almost forgets his hot dog cart. That afternoon, he returns the cart to Mr. Clyde as usual.
The Consolation of Philosophy is an important book to Ignatius because he has based his whole worldview around it. Ignatius lent it to Mancuso to convince him that the medieval notions of destiny expressed in Consolation are far superior to modern ideas about the importance of work and productivity. Mancuso himself is more aligned with the modern world, as he feels that hard work helps one control one’s fate.
Themes
Ignatius writes in his 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 a new film out which stars an actress whom he loathes. His final observation is that Irene has turned against him.
Ignatius is simultaneously repulsed by Myrna (who provokes him and makes him angry with her progressive ideas about sex and culture) and obsessed with what she thinks of him. This suggests that he is secretly attracted to her, whether intellectually, sexually, or both. This also speaks to Ignatius’s relationship with cinema, which he both loathes and loves.
Themes
