As I was reading the book, I discovered one reason why I enjoy yet despise this book so much. Every character in the book has their own perception of the events that are occurring based on whose stories they have heard. Any given character in the book has one of two opinions about the Reilly family; they either think that a) Ignatius is the one causing all of the problems in the family or b) Irene is the source of the issues that exist in the Reilly family. The characters in the book are essentially split into two “teams.” One team supports Ignatius, and the other supports Irene. There is also a team consisting of characters that are mostly neutral, but that is only because the characters on this team do not know Irene and Ignatius well enough to form an opinion about which is the root of all the problems.
All of the characters who do not know the Reilly family well enough to choose a side are Jones, Lana Lee, Darlene, all of the homosexuals that are friends with Dorian Greene, Miss Trixie, and everyone else who either did not know both Ignatius and Irene or who only met one but did not hear about the other.
The first team that starts to develop, Team Irene, consists mainly of Irene, Santa, and Claude, but Mancuso is also a minor member of this team. One might be able to argue that Darlene is also on this team because she feels sympathetic towards Irene after hearing about how awful Ignatius treats her, but I believe that Darlene does not know enough to be on this team. Anyways, this team is able to develop because all Irene does is complain about Ignatius to all of her friends. Although she exaggerates everything she says, most of it has at least some truth in it. This forces all of her friends, Santa, Claude, and Mancuso, to end up hating Ignatius with a burning passion. At one point in the book, Santa says that Irene should send Ignatius to a mental hospital. At first Irene is reluctant because she does not want to send her son away, but as the story continues her opinion begins to change. She and Ignatius get in more fights and she eventually decides that sending Ignatius away will not only help herself, but also help Ignatius. Combine that with the fact that Claude tries to convince Irene that Ignatius is a “comuniss,” and you get a recipe for an exciting conflict. Throughout the novel, this team has its own side story that runs parallel to the main story. Like the side story of the Night of Joy, it provides a nice break from the main story.
Team Ignatius is the second team that develops throughout the story, and it includes Ignatius, Mr. Levy, Clyde, Miss Trixie, and Myrna Minkoff. Miss Trixie is only partly on the team because she is crazy, but she supports Ignatius in everything he does. Mr. Levy is on the team because the Reilly’s neighbor, Miss Annie, ranted about how loud and troublesome the Reilly family is. Based on her story, and talking to Ignatius and reading his notes, he decided that Irene is the real problem in the family. Though he “joins the team” late in the book, he is still important because he eventually helps Ignatius get out of a lot of trouble. Clyde, Ignatius’ boss, is also on this team because of all the things that Ignatius has told him about Irene. He does not play a significant part throughout most of the story, but he does challenge Irene over the phone at one point. In my opinion, this makes her realize how it feels to be talked about badly behind her back, but it does not stop her from doing it to Ignatius. At the point that it happens she is so fed up with Ignatius that her mind is already made about sending him away. Myrna, Ignatius’ quasi girlfriend and pen pal throughout the novel, also thinks that Irene is a crazy woman. She does not do much about it until the end of the book when she comes to visit Ignatius in New Orleans. This is perhaps the most important action for Ignatius in the entire book because her arrival saves him from going to the mental hospital.
In my opinion, Toole created these teams in order to let the reader pick a side and get more engaged in the book. I support Ignatius’ team because I feel that Irene’s team is crazy, but I could easily see how someone would choose the other side. I found myself happier when people sided against Irene throughout the book, and it made me enjoy the book more than I would have had these “teams” not been included.
