Satire In John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy Of Dunces

As observers and active participants in society, authors experience and are subject to the follies, vices, and even the sins that are attributes of daily life. By using literary techniques, an author can address and possibly make fun of these uncomfortable and often serious situations with a casual demeanor: this is known as satire. Author John Kennedy Toole's partially autobiographical, Pulitzer prize winning novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, is a literary masterpiece that embodies an extreme satirical spirit and one that is fully committed to ridiculing the culture of the 1960s United States. The novel is truly remarkable in the sense that Toole created such a smooth and colloquial read that is enjoyable on a basic, comical level, yet one

that also contains deeply embedded satire that eventually comes full circle as the novel progresses. The well-known and culturally diverse locale of New Orleans acts as the backdrop for the novel's absurd storyline, essentially creating a microcosm of society as the book shuffles from scene to scene. The technique of utilizing a microcosm to develop interconnected stories and characters, paired with through and well-structured characterization developed through an omniscient narrator's perspective creates a genuinely unique, satirical experience for the reader. More specifically, the characters named Ignatius Reilly, Burma Jones, and Mr. Levy act as centerpieces for Toole's inner frustrations and discontent with society during his lifetime.
Ignatius J Reilly is a fully grown, morbidly obese, incompetent man who is unable to function properly in modern society; subsequently, he still lives with his mother, whom he is extraordinarily dependent on. He is crippled by the notion that he must attend to normal adulthood responsibilities and he would rather remain isolated in the comfort of his bedroom, where he can fulfill his purpose of writing about his tragic life, following in the footsteps of his idol Boethius. The acceptance and reasoning for his behavior can be attributed to Ignatius' sympathetic mother, who has catered to her "boy's" needs for far too long, creating a false reality for Ignatius to fester in. Ignatius' obtuse being is the physical and metaphorical center of attention within the novel and all the other characters are connected around him in some way. Toole satirizes three different follies within society, and he begins with Ignatius.
First, Toole uses Ignatius to satirize the world of academia and its purpose within society. Ignatius is an over-educated man-child with essentially no work ethic or sense of purpose in his life. He attended college, where he met another integral character named Myrna and he eventually developed a strange kind of "romance" with her. Ignatius and Myrna write to each other from across the country. Myrna attempts to "save" Ignatius from his destructive life and Ignatius becomes obsessed with trying to impress her; he even lead a worker's revolt in order to appear progressive. Toole portrays these two "lovers" in a light that's far from ideal and traditional as portrayed in other novels. In addition to this obscure romance, it took Ignatius approximately four years to obtain a Master's degree that is commonly earned within two years. According to Mrs. Riley, "Ignatius graduated smart" from college (33). He may be highly intelligent and capable of receiving academic praise, but Ignatius' educational success most certainly did not translate into post-graduate prosperity. His mother states, "I spent all his poor Grammaw Reilly's insurance money to keep him in college for eight years, and since then all he's done is lay around the house watching television"(34). Because of his mother's lenience and blind love, Ignatius was allowed to avoid all responsibility after graduation. A degree in society is rendered useless and in a sense, a waste, if the recipient is unwilling to apply the knowledge for their own advancement. Additionally, higher education is not synonymous with personal success or even a healthy emotional wellbeing. American society continues to lecture that furthering one's education is a guaranteed way to find lifelong success; this simply is not true. Toole satirizes the concept of the country's youth being carried through an educational program on their parents' money, only to amount to absolutely nothing substantial once faced with real world responsibilities.
Second, the character of Burma Jones is used to satirize and bring attention to the state of race relations and the suppression of black Americas during the 1960s.

Written during approximately the same time period as James Baldwin's, The Fire Next Time, this novel also exposes the harsh and discriminatory conditions that black Americans faced on a daily basis. Burma Jones is a black man living in New Orleans, which makes him a prime target for police harassment. In the second scene of the novel, Jones tells an innocent old man named Claude Robichaux, who has also been arrested for simply calling a police officer a "communiss," that "the nex thing, a flo'walk grabbin me, and then a po-lice mother draggin me off. A man ain got a chance"(26). Jones was mistakenly arrested under the suspicion that he stole nuts. Under strict pressure from their supervisors, overzealous police officers are tasked with arresting suspicious characters to meet a quota; this makes black citizens an easy target for vagrancy. Jones is subsequently forced to work for below-minimum wages at the Night of Joy in order to avoid arrest. The owner of the bar, Lana, takes advantage of his situation and makes him work as if he were bought off an auction block and forced into modern day slavery. There lies extreme irony behind this situation as Lana is actually a criminal for distributing pornographic images of herself to high school aged students, while Jones is only guilty of being black. Toole develops this satirical element as the novel progresses and Jones eventually exposes Lana's illegal side business. Jones' character serves to highlight the discriminatory nature of American society by flipping the stereotypical roles of black and white Americans in an ironic

way.
Finally, although Mr. Levy serves a minor role in the story line, his character speaks volumes in regard to the connection between wealth and power and overall life happiness as a whole. Mr. Levy serves to satirize the concept that being high up on the social ladder is a guarantee of life fulfillment and joy. Having received his father's company through inheritance, Mr. Levy was handed immediate executive power and the wealth associated with the business. While this may seem like the "American Dream," the novel portrays the company as an anxiety inducing burden that he cannot get rid of. The company gives him heartburn, "he associates it with his father" (158). Simply entering the building for even the shortest visit causes Mr. Levy's mood to change. Additionally, this unhappiness and discontent with life radiates into his personal relations at home, inciting conflict with his wife, Mrs. Levy. It appears that Mrs. Levy is more invested into Levy Pants than her husband; she tells him "You know how you've thrown your life away. A whole business down the drain. A chance to go nationwide. Your father's sweat and blood handed to you on a silver platter" (158). Mr. Levy has more wealth, power, and material possession than any of the other characters, yet he also appears to be one of the most discontented. Toole satirizes the cliché that, "money and power can buy happiness." Mr. Levy's situation proves this statement incorrect.
John Kennedy Toole does an amazing job of weaving satire into a hilarious storyline. He brings attention to topics and issues such as academia, race relations, and wealth and power within society, in a causal yet effective way. This is achieved through an immense amount of characterization and an omniscient point of view. Had Toole not devoted as much attention to the development of characters like Ignatius, the novel would certainly lack the unique connection that it makes with its reader. Overall, A Confederacy of Dunces is an enjoyable read with numerous deep meanings and a lot of satire embedded in the storyline, making it absolutely worthy of a Pulitzer Prize.