MHS AP LIT Cult Classics Book Group discussion

What do we think about him? What's his deal? Is he a hero?

I love Ignatius - what a genius idea to have a Peter Griffin-esque guy be the protagonist. A lot of the humor of the book lies in the comedic value of the lack of self-awareness he displays. This guy has a huge superiority complex -- and of course the irony is that he's the lamest, grossest guy ever. Ignatius would be voted most likely to shoot up the school in high school... But he's awesome! I definitely root for him!

Do we agree with the foreward's image of him:

"slob extraordinary, a mad Oliver Hardy, a fat Don Quixote, a perverse Thomas Aquinas rolled into one" ?


I love the whole idea of Ignatius being every bit as epic and important as Don Quixote and as philosophical as Thomas Aquinas -- just fat and gross. (Haha!)
He definitely thinks of himself as equal to the likes of these men, in his strange little view of reality he's a genius far ahead of his time..

I really honestly want to root for him, seeing as he is the maint focus of the novel, but I just can't. Every single thing he does is wrong and offensive in some way. He is rude, arrogant, selfish, and socially inept. He has zero redeeming qualities! How can we root for a character who does so much harm to the society around him (even though it is filled with crazies too)? And yes, he is funny, but that is certainly not his intent. Why is he the hero? I don't think he should be. This could just be an author exercising his right to do whatever he wants. Ignatius, though he isn't evil really, is the villain.