Multiple Personalities

So much history and culture is embedded in the foundation of New Orleans that there should be no surprise that the Crescent City serves as the setting for books and movies alike. In the few spare moments we have had on our long and enduring journey, our group has had the opportunity to explore the city with Ignatius Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces and John “Binx” Bolling from The Moviegoer. I firmly believe that there are modern-day Ignatius and Binx characters walking the streets of New Orleans as we speak.

 

Ignatius is a cynic. He doesn’t boast about being the center of the universe, but, through narration, explains why others’ actions are offensive against taste and decency while his choices are always theologically acceptable. Shuns from his mother for being lazy and unemployed certainly do not stop him from expecting her to be at his disposal. He would rather sit in his messy room, scribbling on a pad of paper, than in the work field, helping his mother sort through financial troubles.

 

Binx, like Ignatius, prefers to participate in enjoyable activities instead of working. However, he is a functioning member of society instead of a parasite. Rather than following the advice of his family to work as a lawyer or doctor, chose a boring profession, a broker, in order to have a social life with several of his secretaries.

 

Ignatius and Binx both live vicariously through film. Both characters enjoy going to movies multiple times per week and Ignatius even likes watching dance shows only to scream at the screen which shows “…an egregious insult to good taste.” As both characters are so dependent on others, their common thread is life’s lessons on the road to independence.

 

To define New Orleans as a single character would be demeaning. The city is so full of life from all different backgrounds, that for someone to posses the multitude of personalities in existence throughout the city would be impossible. The city itself, everything from the exquisite food, to the distinct music, to the intense night life, to the easy-going attitude of all who life here, shares qualities with both Ignatius and Binx. In Binx-like fashion, New Orleans is a city full of people who work hard to play harder. On the other hand, like Ignatius, New Orleanians are homebodies in love with the city who would never think twice about leaving.