A Confederacy of Dunces

A Confederacy of Dunces

by

John Kennedy Toole

Themes and Colors
Medievalism, Modernity, and Fate Theme Icon
The Legacy of Slavery Theme Icon
Sexuality, Attraction, and Repulsion Theme Icon
Freedom Theme Icon
Appearance, Identity, and Disguise  Theme Icon
Hypocrisy and Self-Interest  Theme Icon
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

A Confederacy of Dunces draws largely upon medieval culture and philosophy. In particular, the novel focuses on Ignatius J. Reilly’s interest in the medieval philosopher Boethius, who wrote The Consolation of Philosophy. Ignatius feels deeply connected to Boethius: in his lifetime, Boethius was imprisoned by the Ostrogoths, who were widely believed to be a barbarous people compared to the civilized Romans, and Ignatius feels that he, too, is surrounded by barbarians. A scholar…

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The Legacy of Slavery

In A Confederacy of Dunces, Toole uses the experience of Burma Jones, a marginalized black man, to demonstrate the way in which the American South’s historical legacy of slavery and racial prejudice affected the lives of black people living in the South during the 1960s, when the novel is set. A Confederacy of Dunces takes place in New Orleans, which, like much of the American South, had segregation laws in place until the…

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Sexuality, Attraction, and Repulsion

Sex is portrayed as both attractive and repulsive throughout A Confederacy of Dunces. Ignatius, who seems to have unusual and repressed sexual urges, views sexual behavior as symbolic of corruption, which he takes as evidence of degeneracy in the modern world. However, although the modern world appears hypersexual to Ignatius, it becomes clear throughout the novel that disgust with sex is not something which is limited to Ignatius himself, and that although the…

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Freedom

There is a preoccupation with freedom in the novel and a sense that freedom, both personal and political, may be taken away at any moment. Although American society is outwardly protective of personal freedom, many aspects of American life, such as the necessity to work under capitalism or the need to conform to social convention, mean that life is restrictive, especially for people who deviate from social norms. For example, Ignatius Reilly is singled out…

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Appearance, Identity, and Disguise

Throughout A Confederacy of Dunces, characters don disguises to hide their true identities and to temporarily transform themselves. Patrolman Mancuso and Ignatius are both made to wear costumes or uniforms for their respective jobs, and these false personas enable them to behave in out of character ways. Disguises also allow characters like Jones and Lana Lee to protect themselves from undesired consequences, legal or otherwise. Disguises clearly have transformative power over individuals’ behavior and…

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