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Darlene
Mr. Levy is the owner of a textile factory called Levy Pants, which was founded by his father and which he inherited. He is married to Mrs. Levy and has two daughters, Susan and Sandra. Mr. Levy hates Levy Pants, which he views as a terrible company, but feels pressure to keep it running because it was his father’s life’s work and because Mrs. Levy puts terrible pressure on his to do so. Mrs. Levy believes that Mr. Levy’s father was a saintly business genius and that Mr. Levy will ruin his father’s company if he has the chance. Mrs. Levy makes her disapproval known explicitly to Mr. Levy, and their marriage is one of strain and constant conflict. Mr. Levy is not motivated to run Levy Pants, however, and tries to avoid the place as much as possible. Every time he goes near the factory, he becomes so stressed that he gets indigestion. However, Mr. Levy feels that he is cursed because of his involvement with the business and finds that the more he tries to evade his responsibility there, the more catastrophes occur that he must then sort out. Mr. Levy is very materially comfortable because he has inherited the factory and has a nice house filled with modern conveniences. However, even in his luxurious home, Mr. Levy is stressed and unhappy because he lives with his wife. Mr. Levy generally means well towards people, and is often unfairly persecuted by his wife, who seems unnecessarily cruel to him. He is finally motivated to take the factory under control, and change some of its least successful properties, after Ignatius (who is briefly employed by Levy Pants) writes a rude letter to a client named Mr. Abelman, who nearly sues Mr. Levy in response.
Mr. Levy Quotes in A Confederacy of Dunces
The A Confederacy of Dunces quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Levy or refer to Mr. Levy. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 4, Part 1
Quotes
If Levy Pants was to succeed, the first step would be imposing a heavy hand upon its detractors. Levy Pants must become more militant and authoritarian in order to survive in the jungle of modem commercialism.
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Chapter 5, Part 4
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The original sweatshop has been preserved for posterity at Levy Pants. If only the Smithsonian Institution, that grab bag of our nation’s refuse, could somehow vacuum-seal the Levy Pants factory and transport it to the capital of the United States of America, each worker frozen in an attitude of labor, the visitors to that questionable museum would defecate into their garish tourist outfits. It is a scene which combines the worst of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis; it is mechanized Negro slavery; it represents the progress which the Negro has made from picking cotton to tailoring it.
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In a sense, I have always felt something of a kinship with the colored race because its position is the same as mine; we both exist outside the inner realm of American society. Of course, my exile is voluntary. However, it is apparent that many of the Negroes wish to become active members of the American middle class. I cannot imagine why. I must admit that this desire on their part leads me to question their value judgments.
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Mr. Levy Quotes in A Confederacy of Dunces
The A Confederacy of Dunces quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Levy or refer to Mr. Levy. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 4, Part 1
Quotes
If Levy Pants was to succeed, the first step would be imposing a heavy hand upon its detractors. Levy Pants must become more militant and authoritarian in order to survive in the jungle of modem commercialism.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5, Part 4
Quotes
The original sweatshop has been preserved for posterity at Levy Pants. If only the Smithsonian Institution, that grab bag of our nation’s refuse, could somehow vacuum-seal the Levy Pants factory and transport it to the capital of the United States of America, each worker frozen in an attitude of labor, the visitors to that questionable museum would defecate into their garish tourist outfits. It is a scene which combines the worst of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis; it is mechanized Negro slavery; it represents the progress which the Negro has made from picking cotton to tailoring it.
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Explanation and Analysis:
In a sense, I have always felt something of a kinship with the colored race because its position is the same as mine; we both exist outside the inner realm of American society. Of course, my exile is voluntary. However, it is apparent that many of the Negroes wish to become active members of the American middle class. I cannot imagine why. I must admit that this desire on their part leads me to question their value judgments.
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Page Number and Citation:
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