What I Already Knew
To be honest, I knew barely anything about this book. I'd seen the cover several times, but had no idea what to make of this fat, green-hatted, character with his...parrot? However, I figured it had to be on the Classics shelf for a reason, and the reviews on the back were glowing. Maybe this would be good after all.
Main Characters
Plot Recap (By Character)
Foreword
The foreword is from Mr. Walker Percy of Grove Press. He describes how in 1976, a Ms. Thelma Toole contacted him stating she needed someone to read over her son's novel, which he had completed before his death. At the time, the last thing Mr. Percy cared to do was "...to deal with the mother of a dead novelist and, worst of all, to have to read a manuscript that she said was great, and that, as it turned out,was a badly smeared, scarcely readable carbon" (pg.vii) .
However, Mr. Percy goes on to explain that to his shock and eventual delight, the manuscript was a masterpiece. Mr. Percy especially adores the main character, Mr. Reilly himself, calling him "...Toole's greatest achievement..." (pg. viii). He finally expresses his deep regret that Mr. John Kennedy Toole, who had in fact killed himself after finishing the novel, "...is not alive and well and writing..."(pg. ix).
Ignatius Reilly
Ignatius Reilly, a great lump of a man with severe contempt for everyone around him, is his mother's only son, living quite comfortably at her house in New Orleans in the early 1960's, while he works on his eventual masterwork of philosophy. He doesn't get on with many people, and in fact tussles with a policeman while waiting for his mother. However, Ignatius finds, to his disgust, that he will have to start working to help his mother repay the thousand dollars she owes in relation to a bad car accident. Despite his revulsion at the idea, he sets out in the job market, with his mother's encouragement. After all, Ignatius does have his Master's degree.
Ignatius' first effort brings him to Levy Pants, a run-down clothing factory. Mr. Gonzales, the office supervisor, brings Ignatius on as filer, and our working boy makes short work of the paper back-up. That is to say, he tosses all the files into the garbage, but doesn't announce this system to Mr. Gonzales, who believes that Ignatius is a gift to the company. However, in an effort to make something really big happen that will make his ex, Myrna, croak with envy, Ignatius tries to ignite a protest among the black workers at Levy's. The protest is an utter failure, and Ignatius is fired.
His next job is a definite downgrade, as he becomes a hot dog vendor with Paradise Vendors. As at Levy's, Ignatius initially makes a good impression, but soon his natural annoyance with the prospect of work gets the better of him. He pays off a local kid to run around the cart for him, and in the meantime, he tries to start another movement, this time among the young gay men of the city.
Once again, the protest fails in spectacular fashion. Later that same night, Ignatius gets caught in a fight outside a nasty bar, the Night of Joy. The ensuing mess is in the paper, and no longer able to bear the shame, Ignatius' mother arranges for Ignatius to be committed to a local institution. However, Ignatius makes his escape, running off into the sunset with Myrna, who has come down from New York to check on him.
Irene Reilly
Irene Reilly is not an unattractive woman, but has thrown herself into caring for Ignatius since the death of her husband some twenty years earlier. Part of her devotion to her son included paying for his eight years of schooling.
After the car crash, she strongly encourages Ignatius to find work, and in the meantime, Irene tries to develop herself as well. This isn't to say that she goes to school herself, but she does befriend Ms. Santa Battaglia, who happens to be the aunt of the policeman who tangled with Ignatius earlier. Santa and Irene become close, and Santa encourages Irene to go out bowling, and even to begin dating again.
After the Night of Joy incident, Irene finally agrees with Santa that Ignatius is in need of stronger care than she can provide. Her last action of the novel is to kiss Ignatius goodbye, expecting that when she comes home, the orderlies from the mental hospital will have picked him up.
Main Characters
- Ignatius Reilly - a self-styled intellectual, 30 years old, still living with his mother. Loathes the 20th century.
- Irene Reilly - Ignatius' widowed mother. Devoted to Ignatius, but growing frustrated.
- Angelo Mancuso - a city policeman with perhaps the worst luck of anyone on the New Orleans force.
- Myrna Minkoff - Ignatius' former girlfriend,who has hang-ups of her own.
Plot Recap (By Character)
Foreword
The foreword is from Mr. Walker Percy of Grove Press. He describes how in 1976, a Ms. Thelma Toole contacted him stating she needed someone to read over her son's novel, which he had completed before his death. At the time, the last thing Mr. Percy cared to do was "...to deal with the mother of a dead novelist and, worst of all, to have to read a manuscript that she said was great, and that, as it turned out,was a badly smeared, scarcely readable carbon" (pg.vii) .
However, Mr. Percy goes on to explain that to his shock and eventual delight, the manuscript was a masterpiece. Mr. Percy especially adores the main character, Mr. Reilly himself, calling him "...Toole's greatest achievement..." (pg. viii). He finally expresses his deep regret that Mr. John Kennedy Toole, who had in fact killed himself after finishing the novel, "...is not alive and well and writing..."(pg. ix).
Ignatius Reilly
Ignatius Reilly, a great lump of a man with severe contempt for everyone around him, is his mother's only son, living quite comfortably at her house in New Orleans in the early 1960's, while he works on his eventual masterwork of philosophy. He doesn't get on with many people, and in fact tussles with a policeman while waiting for his mother. However, Ignatius finds, to his disgust, that he will have to start working to help his mother repay the thousand dollars she owes in relation to a bad car accident. Despite his revulsion at the idea, he sets out in the job market, with his mother's encouragement. After all, Ignatius does have his Master's degree.
Ignatius' first effort brings him to Levy Pants, a run-down clothing factory. Mr. Gonzales, the office supervisor, brings Ignatius on as filer, and our working boy makes short work of the paper back-up. That is to say, he tosses all the files into the garbage, but doesn't announce this system to Mr. Gonzales, who believes that Ignatius is a gift to the company. However, in an effort to make something really big happen that will make his ex, Myrna, croak with envy, Ignatius tries to ignite a protest among the black workers at Levy's. The protest is an utter failure, and Ignatius is fired.
His next job is a definite downgrade, as he becomes a hot dog vendor with Paradise Vendors. As at Levy's, Ignatius initially makes a good impression, but soon his natural annoyance with the prospect of work gets the better of him. He pays off a local kid to run around the cart for him, and in the meantime, he tries to start another movement, this time among the young gay men of the city.
Once again, the protest fails in spectacular fashion. Later that same night, Ignatius gets caught in a fight outside a nasty bar, the Night of Joy. The ensuing mess is in the paper, and no longer able to bear the shame, Ignatius' mother arranges for Ignatius to be committed to a local institution. However, Ignatius makes his escape, running off into the sunset with Myrna, who has come down from New York to check on him.
Irene Reilly
Irene Reilly is not an unattractive woman, but has thrown herself into caring for Ignatius since the death of her husband some twenty years earlier. Part of her devotion to her son included paying for his eight years of schooling.
After the car crash, she strongly encourages Ignatius to find work, and in the meantime, Irene tries to develop herself as well. This isn't to say that she goes to school herself, but she does befriend Ms. Santa Battaglia, who happens to be the aunt of the policeman who tangled with Ignatius earlier. Santa and Irene become close, and Santa encourages Irene to go out bowling, and even to begin dating again.
After the Night of Joy incident, Irene finally agrees with Santa that Ignatius is in need of stronger care than she can provide. Her last action of the novel is to kiss Ignatius goodbye, expecting that when she comes home, the orderlies from the mental hospital will have picked him up.
Angelo Mancuso
To say that Patrolman Mancuso cannot catch a break is perhaps the understatement of the century. After his unsuccessful attempt to arrest Ignatius, Angelo is forced onto semi-permanent undercover duty by his sergeant. Sarge's view is that Angelo shouldn't come back to desk duty until he can actually produce a suspicious character, and no, Ignatius Reilly does not count.
Angelo is a dutiful officer, and makes an honest attempt to find suspicious activity, but is thwarted at every turn. He even catches a virus while having to spend his shift in a cold bathroom. His one solace is joining his aunt Santa and her friend Irene for bowling when he can have some free time.
However, it is in fact Ignatius who brings about Angelo's redemption. Amidst the scuffle that Ignatius instigates at Night of Joy, Angelo, with the assistance of Jones, one of the Night of Joy workers, is able to catch the bar owner, Lana Lee, on a pornography charge. He returns to the department as a celebrated member of the force.
Myrna Minkoff
For most of the book, Myrna only appears as words in a letter. Though they are no longer together, she and Ignatius keep in touch through the post. Myrna is civilly minded, believing herself an activist for the common good. She and Ignatius attended school together, and raised plenty of hell in their college days.
However, she also has unusual ideas about what actually makes up "the common good". For instance, though she is a professed anti-racist, she speaks of not paying a young black woman who appears in a film of hers, thinking that the joy of being in the movie should be enough for the girl.
Additionally, on a personal level, Myrna does not believe a word that Ignatius tells her about his troubles. She thinks that every incident he describes to her is a fabrication, and on top of this, Myrna has convinced herself that Ignatius' problems all stem from a lack of physical intimacy.
That said, she does care deeply for Ignatius, and after a sufficient stretch of time, appears in the flesh. When coming to check on him, she finds him about to be shipped off to the asylum. When Ignatius throws himself on her mercy , Myrna does her best avenging angel impression and helps him make his great escape.
Recommendation
I would absolutely recommend this book for those that have the time to read it. Though the plot summary above may seem a bit random, this whole story is woven together brilliantly, and the situations of the book are absolutely hysterical. There are so many perfect little moments and delightful side characters that I couldn't cover in this post, but no person or event in this book was without its use.
In fact, the characters were the aspect that really carried the book for me. As ludicrous as some of the situations were, I genuinely found myself caring for these people - even Ignatius, who has to be one of the most aggravating characters I've ever encountered. As more and more characters got their happy endings, I couldn't help but smile, and when Ignatius and Myrna ran off together, I wanted to cheer.
I agree with Mr. Percy that it's a shame that John Kennedy Toole is no longer with us. I can't help but think he'd have had a lot to say about the intervening decades - and who knows, we might have learned what happened to Ignatius and Myrna in the long run. However, the loss of the author does not cut the quality of the book in any way. I found this novel delightful.
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