Rhetoric Study

Rhetoric Study in the evolution of Ignatius, excerpt from page 103.

This is Ignatius' second journal entry about his new "career" and his life as a self-proclaimed martyr for the factory workers of the Levy Pants plant. Toole uses the journal as a tool (no pun intended) that allows the reader to be in Ignatius' head and speak through Ignatius in first person. But the thing about the journals is that Ignatius is still trying to 'impress' the world, for he believes that these journals may be published one day. By making Ignatius portray himself as some sort of 9 to 5 hero, Toole creates an ironic contrast between reality and Ignatius' world view. Throughout the passage I will be commenting on what Toole is doing, and why he is doing it.

*my comments are in bold

"Another working day is ended, gentle reader. *Although he's an unpublished author with unfinished editorials and manuscripts strewn all about his messy bedroom floor, Ignatius talks to his imaginary readers in a superior way. This is Toole showing Ignatius' inflated ego* As I told you before, I have succeeded in laying a patina, as it were, over the turbulence and mania of our office. *"Turbulence and mania are literally the last to words anyone would use to describe the Levy Pants office. There are 3 workers in a silent room, one worker being Ignatius, one is a woman on the brink of death and she's usually asleep, and then there is Mr. Gonzales who actually does all his work and never speaks unless spoken to. It is the calmest, least active "office" in existence; Toole shows the reader how skewed Ignatius' views are when Ignatius sees the polar opposite of what the reader sees*All non-essential activities*technically everything they do is unessential according to their boss Mr. Levy, ironic*in the office are slowly being curtailed. At the moment I am busily decorating our throbbing *again with a ridiculous view of reality considering the office is anything BUT 'throbbing'* hive of white-collared bees (three). The analogy of the three bees brings to mind the three b’s which describe most aptly my actions as an office worker: banish, benefit, beautify. There are also three b’s which most aptly describe the actions of our buffoon of an office manager: bait, beg, blight, blunder, bore, boss, bother, bungle, burden, buzz. (In this case, I am afraid that the list gets somewhat out of hand.) I have come to the conclusion that our office manager serves no purpose other than one of obfuscations and hindrance *HA! Toole shows how Ignatius sees everyone as a problem to society, even though Ignatius himself is extremely inefficient and a huge hindrance (literally and figuratively)*. Were it not for him, the other clerical worker (La Dama del Comercio) *the queen of eating* and I would be quite peaceful and content, attending to our duties in an atmosphere of mutual consideration. I am certain that his dictatorial methods are, in part, responsible for Miss T.’s desire to retire… *Miss. T is so old, Mr. Gonzales "dictorial methods" are the LAST thing that would be effecting Mrs. Trixie, especially since Mr.Gonzales is the most soft spoken man and never forces her to do anything*”

Toole uses rhetoric to create a disconnect between Ignatius and reality, he does so using irony and humor. The impact of the section leaves the reader thinking, or more so knowing, that Ignatius is indeed as outlandish and egotistical as previously assumed.