The City as a Character

As I progress in my investigation of new Orleans, I find that this city has many layers and even many personalities. As we heard from many sources, and more specifically from the Playwrite during the talk back, everything in New Orleans has two sides. While Ignatius is a very lively character and often, to me, expresses many of the eccentricities of New Orleans, he does not represent the flexibility of identity that the city possesses. Binx on the other hand, tends to be portrayed in many different lights and capacities as is reflected in the constant changing of his name to fit the appropriateness of the situation, as is often common with nicknames. Whether he is Jack or Binx, it seems that he is struggling to find where he fits best. New Orleans is also seeking to re-define itself while maintaining the transparent definitions it once had. However, while Binx does display a sometimes shifting exterior and is searching for solidarity within his personal identification; his person is too mild to convey to rich culture of new Orleans. His decision to move out of the French quarter due to the "businessmen smirking on Bourbon Street,the homosexuals and patio connoisseurs on Royal Street" for more peaceful life in Gentilly where he is a "model tenant and a model citizen" and "takes pleasure in doing all that is expected" of him (p. 6). The practicality of his life both in it's application and analysis seems to me to be slightly contradictory to the fly by the seat of your pants style of life the new Orleans has demonstrated to me. Ignatius on the other hand, demonstrates some of these characteristics. It is interesting for me to talk to people of New Orleans about the night life and risqué behavior of Bourbon Street. As I sit here and think about this and Ignatius, I immediately think of Miss Dorothy, the vivacious and fiesty woman who I was able to meet at St. Margarets. With every activity presented to her, Miss Dorothy would immediately exclaim "I don't want it!" and would make her disdain for all things known. However, while she was complaining and saying "I don't want it!" she would slowly but surely begin to do that very activity. Miss Dorothy was present at every meal, every exercise session, and every bingo. This reminded me of Ignatius and then in turn reminded me of New Orleans. While Ignatius has greatly limited himself due to his gregorious attitude, his experiences and stories, especially the one about the trip to Baton Rouge, all revolve around his constant complaints and philosophical rants on the problems of human nature. People in New Orleans seem to do the same;though not in a negative or limiting way as Ignatius does. They often ignore the nightlife or the dark parts of the city and yet as I walk through the streets at night I see people of all different backgrounds mingling together in the shadows of Bourbon Street. When it comes down to it, it seems that everyone is giving in to their vices at night and condeming the same vices in the morning. I love this celebration of life and the ability to act on every whim. However, I am not quite sure how I fit in to the picture. I am a stranger in a strange world.



Lorna L. Fink
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