In his novel A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole places Burma Jones in a stereotypical role in society. By hiding Jones' face behind space-age sunglasses and a cloud of smoke, Toole maintains Jones' ambiguity while gradually diverging from his stereotype. During his employment at the Night of Joy bar, he knows his limits regarding Lana Lee and his duties. Jones becomes familiar with his surroundings to the point of recognizing not only his own exploitation, but also the many other atrocities committed by Lana Lee. When Jones unmasks Lana Lee at the end of the novel, he breaks her stereotype entirely. In A Confederacy of Dunces, Jones remains fully aware of his circumstances and uses his stereotype to effectively manipulate his situation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay From the moment Toole introduces Jones to the police station, he makes routine references to Jones' glasses and the cloud of smoke that appears to surround him to subtly diminish Jones' identity. In addition to keeping Jones relatively anonymous, Toole uses smoking and sunglasses as metaphors to symbolize the stereotype that society projects Jones into. When Lana Lee physically attempts to see Jones through his dark glasses, she also attempts to see Jones beyond his stereotype. Her failure to do so often makes her feel uncomfortable. "I told you to take off your glasses, Jones." "The glasses stay." Jones slammed the broom into a bar stool. “For twenty dollars a week, you run a plantation here.” “Stop banging that broom against the counter,” he yelled. "Damn, you're making me nervous." Then the cloud of smoke and the broom moved across the floor (Toole 70). Toole uses the word "nervous" to reveal Lana Lee's feeling of unease. Lana becomes nervous not only because of Jones' seemingly reckless schemes, but because of the anonymity she manages to maintain during her employment. Toole reveals that Lana Lee senses something out of the ordinary about Jones, and can't make sense of his sarcastic comments and cutting observations. Physically hidden behind glasses and metaphorically hidden behind his stereotype, Jones cleverly escapes any interpretation of Lana Lee. Lana only sees Jones as “the cloud of smoke and the broom.” Toole uses this metonymy to emphasize Jones' lack of identity in the eyes of Lana Lee and the rest of society. Toole refers to Jones as “the cloud of smoke and the broom” to present society's nescent view of Jones. Although hidden behind his stereotype, Jones also recognizes his job security thanks to his codependent relationship with Lana Lee. He understands Lana Lee's financial dependence on him and regularly tests her limits while working. Jones knows he can't resign for fear of wandering, but he regularly states his opinions. When asked to run an errand for Lana, Jones flatly refuses. You can't scare black people anymore. I had some people form a human chain at your door, take away your business, get you on the news. Black people have already taken enough bullshit, and for twenty bucks a week you can't pile on more. I'm getting tired of being a vagrant or working below minimum wage. Have someone else do your mistake (Toole 71). Toole uses the verb "scare" to emphasize Jones' sense of confidence as he responds to Lana Lee. Along with this confidence, Jones applies his understanding of circumstances to ascertain his own limits.