Summer Reading Paper-of-Many-Parts: A Confederacy of Dunces
by Erin McMahon

Summary Paragraph
The book A Confederacy of Dunces is about the protagonist, Ignatius Reilly’s ongoing run-in with Fortuna, the goddess of luck and fortune, whether good or bad. Ignatius is too troublesome to most to keep a job, but it’s not his fault that they don’t see his brilliance. Rather than a democracy Ignatius wishes there to be a monarchy because the people around him are simply too stupid to choose anyone to be the head of their government. A Confederacy of Dunces forces one to think about whom the insane person really is; Ignatius, the unrealistic, horrid son that everyone makes him out to be, or the people around him that refuse to see the genius in his plans to dominate the world.

Character Descriptions
Ignatius Reilly: obnoxious, uncooperative, educated, demeaning, brilliant
Mrs. Reilly: nervous, cautious, flustered, desperate
Patrolman Mancuso: good-intending, courageous, determined, hard-working
Myrna Minkoff, "the minx": concerned, active, controlling, radical

Discussion/ Essay Questions

1. Ignatius is viewed by many as a nut job, though he only has the very best intentions. This can tie into the phrase "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Do you think that Ignatius is doing the right thing, or is he on "the road to hell"? Why?

2. At the end of the book, Myrna comes back for Ignatius despite their many fights and angry letters to each other throughout the book. Ignatius always seems to think about "the minx’s" demise, but showed affection for her by putting her hair to his mustache. Do you think that these two misfits will end up in a better relationship than before, or do you think that they will kill each other before that? Explain.

3. In A Confederacy of Dunces, the main characters are constantly running into each other but don’t realize it. In your opinion, could this be saying something about society today; that we are all part of each other’s big pictures? Or is it merely a coincident that reoccurs time and time again throughout the book.

Key Passage Explanation
Ignatius had been the most active ever in his life throughout the span of the book.  He spent countless hours trying to fix society by setting up an anti-sexual movement and encouraging the factory workers at the Levy plant to rise up against their boss.  I found it interesting how his actions revealed his love for taking care of the underdog; the minority.  Yet Myrna still thinks it’s necessary for Reilly to have “cleared away all the cobwebs and taboos” in good time.  Reilly knew exactly how he wanted things to be and set out to change the world for the better.  The passage shows that even his closest friend and rival refuses to believe all that Ignatius says he has been doing.  She says that his “inactivity is over” though it had been for quite some time.  The passage shows how even our most trusted peers can turn everything we’ve done on us, even though they think it’s for the best.

Recommendation
I recommend this book to anyone who thinks about what they have read long after the book is through.  I really hated Ignatius and for a week or so after I finished the book I tried to fathom how anyone could be so ignorant.  It finally came to my realization that if Ignatius knew me, he’d be saying the same thing.  Who’s to say anyone’s opinion is wrong or right?  Instead of black and white, this book covers the mushy gray areas that seem obviously good or bad at first.  After thinking about it for a while you lose your sense of what is right and what is wrong.  It really takes a while to figure out how you feel about A Confederacy of Dunces.  I think it would be enjoyed by anyone who knows how to eat sleep and breathe the logic of fictional characters.