A Confederacy Of Dunces Is Much More Than A Comedy Beneath

A Confederacy of dunces is much more than a comedy beneath the hilarious and unlikable characters lies a much more subtle message.Walker Percy writes, in the introduction of the novel â€Å"I hesitate to use the word comedy - though comedy it is - because that implies simply a funny book, and this novel is a great deal more than that †¦It is also sad. One never quite knows where the sadness comes from.†(Percy, Walker â€Å"foreword†, A Confederacy of Dunces, p ix). Truly this book aside from being a brilliant comedy offers a view and psychoanalysis to the world of our main character Ignatius J. Reilly. From the beginning lines of the novel John Kennedy Toole does not try to impress us with the main character. Ignatius is far from the stereotypical†¦show more content†¦The postmodern style of writing John Kennedy Toole, makes so that the various cast of the characters in the story are much closer to people in real life making this book a perfect case to stu dy and relate to characters of people across the world . Ignatius is introduced to us as a obnoxious and gruesome character â€Å"A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once†(Toole, John Kennedy, 1). John Kennedy is not trying to impress us with Ignatius. He is giving us a fantastic, complex character with radical ideas. Every sense of his character is an attempt to show us what not to do. He is unlikable and disgusting yet he judges other people, Ignatius s appearance is a symbol for what lies beneath,his taste in clothing hints at his care for his own comfort which he seems to care about more than anything else except for his ego. Ignatius does not change throughout the story. This however, is not due to his incapability to change, he is simply not willing to change and he blames â€Å"Fortuna!† on every turn. Hi s unwillingness to change is best said by himself when heâ€Å"The book teaches us to accept that which we cannot change. It describes the plight of a just man in an unjust society. It is the very basis for medieval thought.†(Toole, JohnShow MoreRelatedHello2980 Words   |  12 PagesQuick List of Common Literary Terms Abstract Language—Language describing ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places. The observable or physical is usually described in concrete language. Allegory—A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story, fictional or nonfictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, events is meant to reveal an