Disparity Between Dunce and Genius in Tooles A...

Disparity Between Dunce and Genius in Tooles A Confederacy of Dunces When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him. -Jonathan Swift In Swifts words, there is a potential for the existence of a genius, indicated by the group of dunces acting in opposition. In A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, Ignatius J. Reilly plays both parts of the genius and the dunce. As Ignatius plays both parts, the Wheel of Fortuna determines the path of events in his life; although he is not aware of it, Fortunas spin is also determined by his actions. Just as the wheel is circular, so are the events in his life. Ignatius moves through his own bildingsroman,†¦show more content†¦Ignatius proves that he is genius in the aspect of speech but, on the other hand, his physicalities show him to be a dunce. He speaks to his mother and , in the middle of a sentence, he often snorted loudly and cleared his throat(9). Also, Dorian Greene, the man in the bottle green velvet jacket, notic es Ignatius flannel shirt and.the hair curling down the back of his neck(17). In dealing with Darlene, Ignatius does not leave a positive impression when he consumes many macaroons and wine cakes, sending out his flabby pink tongue over his moustache to hunt for crumbs(18). The images of Ignatius hair, tongue, and moustache do not paint pretty pictures and he is seen as the big crazyman. Following their departure from the Night of Joy, Ignatius and his mother have difficulties getting to the car and reach their destination after exerting much effort. In the car accident that is caused by Ignatius relentless commentary, he fully shows his loss of physical control when he vomits down the side of the car. Tooles use of Grotesque realism places a decided emphasis on Ignatius body and its flaws. With the exaggerated physical view of Ignatius, the reader can more easily place him in the dunce category. The situation at the Night of Joy and the subsequent car accident lead Ignatius to beli eve that Fortuna is spinning him downward, but, he does not realize that he creates his own luck by his actions and words. He is the agent of his own undoing.Show MoreRelated The Modern Grotesque Hero in John Kennedy Tooles, A Confederacy of Dunces3939 Words   |  16 PagesThe Modern Grotesque Hero in John Kennedy Tooles, A Confederacy of Dunces John Kennedy Toole unleashes a compelling criticism of modern society in the principal work he produced in his short lifetime, A Confederacy of Dunces. Using masterfully crafted comedy, Toole actually strengthens his disparaging position on the modern world. Boisterously and unabashedly opinionated, Ignatius Reilly, the principal character of this novel, colors the narrative with a poignant humor that simultaneously evokes