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This book takes place in New Orleans, and Toole does a very good job throughout the book making that apparent. Besides Ignatius, every character in the book has a strong southern accent and is relatively uneducated. I think that the setting influences the way that the characters act. One example of this is when Ignatius wears a pirate costume for his job as a weenie vendor. He dresses as a pirate as an attempt to attract tourists in New Orleans, but his costume leads to a variety of events that would not have been possible in a place with a less rich culture and history. The uneducated characters that are stereotypical to the south are also a huge part of the story because they cause confusion. Well educated people, at least in my opinion, would be less inclined to form such strong biases against certain characters because they would try to investigate the situation further than just hearing one side of a story. The setting, however, makes an interesting backdrop for the story and poses lots of opportunity for conflict.
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Another important part of the story is Ignatius’ job as a weenie vendor. Despite having a Ph.D, Ignatius is unable to find a job. This is mostly due to the fact that his condescending personality and outrageous world view repel people, especially bosses, away from him. He is seen as a crazy, stubborn person by most, and that prohibits him from getting a proper job. Eventually Clyde, the desperate owner of a weenie vending company, hires Ignatius. Ignatius loves the job because of the lack of supervision, available weenies, and open air. His mother, however, absolutely hates the job because she argues that it is a job for a subclass of humans. After ranting to her “teammates,” Irene also convinces them that Ignatius is worthless. This creates conflict because Irene wants Ignatius to stop, but Ignatius is perfectly happy selling weenies. This job also lets Ignatius roam the streets, meeting some characters from the side stories in the process. His job as a weenie vendor helps tie all of the side stories together.
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The crashed Plymouth at the beginning of the book is important in many ways too. First of all, it is the root of all conflict in the book. When Irene crashes the Plymouth at the beginning of the book, she damages a building. The owner of the building then tells she must pay to have the damage fixed. Irene, who does not have any money, tells Ignatius to get a job so he can pay for it. This leads to him eventually getting hired at Levy Pants. Shenanigans ensue, and he is then fired. Next comes his job as a weenie vendor, which is the cause of many of his problems. In addition to providing the main conflict of the story, I think the wrecked Plymouth symbolizes the chaos that engulfs the Reilly family. Their lives are wrecks, and they are constantly struggling to pay bills. In the end, the Reilly family ends up a broken family, very much like the broken Plymouth.
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While almost every character in A Confederacy of Dunces strives to not be an outcast, Ignatius does just the opposite. He loves to be by himself, and other people often annoy and anger him. As I have said before, this is partly because he is so much smarter than everyone else around him and partly because of his personality. His hunger for confinement and individuality often creates conflict because his mother thinks he is weird and needs help. In this way, being an outcast from society plays a big role in the novel.
