ENGA MOD A - James Joyce Dubliners PDF

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Summary

Analytical Study of "Dubliners" short stories by James Joyce: The Sisters, An Encounter, Araby, Eveline, After the Race, Two Gallants, The Boarding House, A Little Cloud, Counterparts, Clay, A Painful Case, A Mother, Grace, The Dead, Ivy Day in the Committee Room...

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English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes

CONTEXT James Joyce – Dubliners (1914) - Setting for all the stories is Dublin, a city in Ireland - Declining middle class, role of Catholicism in his life - Critiques several aspects of Dublin such as religion and society - All stories are connected through the central theme of paralysis - 1800s Ireland: British colonial rule, rise of Irish nationalism

Short Story: The Sisters Summary ▪ Priest Father Flynn dies → forces the young boy to examine their relationship and causes him to see himself as an individual for the first time ▪ The death of a priest → metaphor for the death of religion as a guiding and redemptive force for Ireland in challenging times ▪ Criticises the paralysing impositions of the Catholic Church on society Quotes ▪ The use of light in “slowly along the sunny side of the street” suggests the sense of freedom as the narrator is walking away from Father Flynn’s home → people’s lives would improve when separated from the Church ▪ The imagery of the priest when alive, “big discoloured teeth”, suggests that the discoloured teeth (yellow and brown) mirrors the decay of the Catholic Church ▪ The ellipses in the conversation between Old Cotter and the narrator’s uncle, “But it’s hard to say…” denotes the inability to state concerns with the priest and the Church. Characters ▪ Narrator – Young unnamed boy who deals with the death of Father Flynn. Others in the story see the narrator’s relationship with the priest as inappropriate and exploitative. ▪ Father Flynn – priest who dies ▪ Old Cotter – voices concern about the priest’s intentions with the narrator but avoids making any direct statements Themes ▪ Paralysis ▪ Freedom

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: An Encounter Summary ▪ Paralysing influence of the church and its imposition on youth and the community ▪ Two school boys truant from school → embark on an adventure → encounter a strange man Quotes ▪ The allusion to the American literature, “Wild West” highlights the ideal freedom and adventure → utilising literature as a form of escapism to the young schoolboys → reflects Joyce’s criticism of the Church’s conformative nature that restricted their lives ▪ The characterisation of the strange man, “great gaps in his mouth between his yellow teeth” shows their disappointment on the incapacitation of Dublin → reflects the decay and paralysis that Joyce perceives of Dublin ▪ The description of street children in Dublin, “a crowd of ragged girls” suggests the evident class exploitation in the twentieth century and its vast divisions between the rich and poor → loss of innocence as the boys are exposed to discrimination of people through social status Characters ▪ Narrator – young boy who dreams of escape and embarks on an adventure with his friend, Mahony, by truanting school and spending the day in Dublin → only to encounter fear ▪ Mahony – The narrator’s companion ▪ Strange old man Themes ▪ Escape ▪ Failure ▪ Disaffection ▪ Disappointment

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: Araby Summary ▪ Boy falls in love with his friend’s sister but fails to buy her a worthy gift from the Araby bazaar → becomes aware of the pain and unfulfilled dreams of the adult world ▪ Sensory and spiritual sensitivities experienced within childhood that are hindered by the bleakness of Dublin → social and political distress by the oppressive nature of Catholic influence Quotes ▪ The motif in the opening “NORTH RICHMOND STREET being blind” depicts ‘Christian Brothers School’ as a place that is ‘blind’ to secular, colour and life → continuing Joyce’s anti-Catholic perception → alludes to those entrapped within religion by the need to ‘set the boys free’ ▪ The self-reflexive tone, “I wished to annihilate the tedious intervening days” emphasises the narrator’s desire to escape from his mundane life, drawing upon a metaphoric ‘annihilation’ to reinforce the notion of an inescapable paralysis ▪ The reality of the bazaar overturns this sense of excitement as he realises that he is “a creature driven and derided by vanity” → boy’s sense of disillusionment due to images of emptiness and hollowness such as the “stalls [that] were closed” Characters ▪ Narrator – boy who devotes himself to his neighbour Mangan’s sister and he illustrates the joys and frustrations of young love ▪ Mangan’s sister – mentions the Araby bazaar to the narrator → suggests the hope of love and the exotic appeal of new places Themes ▪ Boy makes transition from his childish ideals to the realities of adult life Loss of innocence and frustration of first love

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: Eveline Summary ▪ Young woman abandons her plans to leave Ireland with a sailor and faces the prospect of remaining with her abusive father in order to help raise her younger siblings ▪ Continuance of Joyce’s portrayal of the people of Dublin, exposing their flaws and vulnerabilities ▪ Desires of women in early twentieth century to escape from their roles and house works which they had social rights and independence under the control of men Quotes ▪ The negative connotations and use of colour in the ever-present ‘yellowing photograph’ of the priest ‘she had never found out the name of’ to present Catholicism ▪ The protagonist’s exclamation in, “Escape! She must escape!” contextually represents Ireland’s inability to break away from the sovereign power of British imperialism ▪ The facial description “no sign of love or farewell or recognition” epitomises her paralysis, her inability to know or share love and take the risk that is offered → Eveline is trapped by her social and political position in society Characters ▪ Eveline: has no power, no economic freedom and is trapped in domestic and familiar duties and afraid to embrace the unpredictable Themes ▪ Loss of freedom

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: After the Race Summary ▪ Jimmy Doyle tries to fit in with his wealthy friends ▪ Highlights the social and political angst underpinning life in Dublin at the turn of century ▪ Explores the desire for money and status Quotes ▪ The symbolism of Routh (an Englishman) winning the card game at the end of the story suggests or mirrors Britain’s beating of, control over Ireland at the time ▪ The imagery of ‘line of white shining teeth’ used to describe French competitors – freshness and cleanliness symbolises vibrancy that does not exist for the Irish ▪ The description of Inchicore (suburb in Dublin) as ‘channel of poverty and inaction’ – suggests unlike Europe (developing at a fast pace), Ireland remained paralysed ▪ The ellipsis in ‘money…wealth…capital’ reinforces the poverty that Doyle have escaped and in doing so, reminds readers of the poverty that pervades Joyce’s perception of Dublin’s financial situation Characters ▪ Jimmy Doyle – infatuated with the prestige of his friends Themes ▪ Money ▪ Status ▪ Class ▪ Politics

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: Two Gallants Summary ▪ Lenehan and Corley find a maid who is willing to steal from her employer ▪ Characters symbolise those who undermine truth and integrity after Parnell’s downfall → cynicism towards the daunting truth about Dublin Quotes ▪ The symbolism of the maid who Carley meets dressed in blue and white which is associated with the Virgin Mary → links to Church and Joyce suggests that the Irish Church is responsible for the paralysis which was affecting Ireland in the 20 th century ▪ The portrayal of Lenehan – his life had been ‘hard and ugly’ → alludes to a large class of less fortunate people in Dublin during Joyce’s context ▪ Circular structure: Lenehan ends up on the same streets he has previously been on with Corley → suggests Lenehan is going around in circles remaining paralysed. Both Corley and Lenehan end up at Ely Place, the street is a dead end → suggests Ireland and the Irish people are going nowhere and are in a state of paralysis Characters ▪ Lenehan: excitedly partakes in the exploits of his friend Corley but also laments the aimlessness of his hard living and lack of stability ▪ Corley: A police informant and skilled in taking advantage of women → dupes the housemaid into giving him a gold coin Themes ▪ Betrayal ▪ Paralysis

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: The Boarding House Summary ▪ Mrs. Mooney plans her daughter Polly into an arranged marriage with her lodger Mr. Doran ▪ Irish women trying to marry their daughters to well off men ▪ Arranged marriage – social standards, public perception ▪ Role of the priest → highlights the level of involvement of the Catholic Church in the lives of ordinary people → first port of call for a lot of people Quotes ▪ The characterisation of Polly ‘a little perverse Madonna’ creates her as a seductress increasing her desirability ▪ The ellipsis in “perhaps they could be happy together…” – Bob’s dilemma as he feels trapped and concerned about what his friends and employers will think about his relationship with Polly ▪ The allusion of Mrs Mooney and Bob to Joyce’s context where the Irish were oppressed by the British → Mrs Mooney’s conspiracy to trap Bob into marrying Polly illustrates his paralysis and powerlessness (i.e. Mrs Mooney is metaphorical to British while Bob is Irish) Characters ▪ Mrs. Mooney: Plan to secure her daughter, Polly, in a comfortable marriage makes her a morally ambiguous character → demands equal treatment for men and women but also manipulates relationships to rid herself of her daughter ▪ Bob Doran: Successful clerk fears his affair with Mooney’s daughter will ruin his reputation and bemoan the restraints of marriage but resolves to marry her out of social necessity and fear Themes ▪ Powerlessness ▪ Social opinion ▪ Paralysis ▪ Marriage

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: A Little Cloud Summary ▪ Little Chandler meets Gallaher → Chandler dislikes Gallaher’s success ▪ Parallels with aspects of the political struggle between England and Ireland at the time ▪ Reflects how the Irish were ruled by the British monarchy, and how the British viewed the Irish as uneducated, superstitious and poor Quotes ▪ ‘often from his tiresome writing to gaze out of the office window’ – insight into Chandler’s dissatisfaction or escape from reality → foreshadows later incidents where the reader discovers how dissatisfied Chandler really is ▪ Chandler feels guilty for having ‘straying thoughts’ and he’s another Dubliner who is trapped but makes no effort to change – symbolises the failure to reunite Ireland in the time since the fall of Parnell ▪ The description, ‘dirty Dublin’ portrays Dublin to be stagnant in its development as opposed to other countries surrounding it ▪ The contrast of Little Chandler’s dissatisfaction and Gallaher’s bold writing career abroad – Chandler’s life consists of not experiencing any sense of adventure whereas, Gallaher experienced travelling and freedom Characters ▪ Little Chandler: Unhappy and fastidious clerk reunites with his friend, Gallaher. Small, fragile and delicately groomed. Rebels against his domestic life after hearing Gallaher’s exciting life then shamefully re-embraces it (conform) ▪ Gallaher: represents all that is enticing and desirable – success in England, a writing career, foreign travel, laid-back ease with women → contrasts with Little Chandler’s weakness Themes ▪ Dissatisfaction ▪ Escape ▪ Paralysis

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: Counterparts Summary ▪ Farrington repeats the same tasks and through this repetition, Farrington is going nowhere and remains paralysed ▪ Farrington takes out his frustration in pubs and on his son ▪ Criticism towards Catholicism – the oppressive nature of religion at the time which paralyses individuals and city of Dublin (unable to escape, protest or fight for their freedom of speech) Quotes ▪ The characterisation of the protagonist, “hanging face”, symbolises Dublin, reflecting the dark, paralysed side of humanity ▪ At the end, Farrington beats his son, Tom, and he tells his father “Don’t beat me, pa! And I’ll…I’ll say a Hail Mary for you…” symbolises the heavy reliance people had on the Catholic Church at the time ▪ The repetition, “At the chapel, at the chapel, if you please!” portrays Farrington’s oppressed emotions – his life is paralysed due to the heavily religion based lifestyle Characters ▪ Farrington: aggressive copy clerk and protagonist ▪ Mr. Alleyne: Farrington’s boss – exasperated by Farrington’s poor work → yells and insults to embarrass him in front of office staff – serves to worsen Farrington’s frustrations and fuel his anger Themes ▪ Resentment ▪ Failure ▪ Powerlessness ▪ Paralysis

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: Clay Summary ▪ Similar to Farrington in ‘Counterparts’, Maria has a routine or repetition of her duties → idea of paralysis ▪ Highlights the values revolving around society’s gender roles that correlate to engage the audience with such concerns of Joyce’s time ▪ Explores Joyce’s negative attitude toward Catholicism through Maria’s perspective → Maria is a Catholic who had a bad opinion on Protestants but discovers that they are ‘very nice people to live with’ Quotes ▪ Self-deprecating responses – suggest lack of voice which contributes to her likability despite her performance in work → her ability to cut the ‘barmbracks’ so perfectly they ‘seemed uncut’ ▪ The symbolism of the song that Maria chooses to sing is about a young woman abducted from her family, raised by gypsies → depicts herself as Ireland singing about the ‘hope and pride’ that has been lost resulting in Dublin to fall victim to Britain ▪ The limited dialogue implies Joyce’s desire to highlight society’s negation of the roles of everyday people Characters ▪ Maria: quiet and prim maid. Her happiness faces challenges in the smallest of events ▪ Joe: The man Maria visits. Like Maria, he worries about mundane details, but also hides a deeper wound → serves as a sad figure of unhappiness Themes ▪ Paralysis ▪ Poverty ▪ Conflict ▪ Disconnection

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: A Painful Case Summary ▪ Mr Duffy rejects Mrs Sinico’s affection towards him → 4 years later, realises he has condemned her to loneliness and death ▪ Repetition exists for Mr Duffy → continued repetition suggests paralysis Quotes ▪ “the brown tint of the Dublin streets” symbolises decay of Dublin ▪ The description of “an overripe apple” represents the decaying nature of Mr Duffy’s whole existence as the colours of an overripe suggest yellow and brown – colours of decay that define his paralysis in society ▪ The facial description of Mr Duffy, “his cheekbones also gave his face a harsh character; but there was no harshness in his eyes…” further references his decaying nature and his place in society ▪ “his spiritual life without any communication with others” signals his rejection of the church – Joyce had an anti-Catholic belief as he thought that it caused lack of progression for Ireland ▪ “his life rolled out evenly – an adventure-less tale” highlights the monotony of his daily routine Characters ▪ Mr. Duffy: Tragic protagonist ▪ Mrs. Sinico: Mr. Duffy’s companion. After being rejected by him, she becomes an alcoholic and dies when she is hit by a train. Themes ▪ Isolation ▪ Loneliness ▪ Guilt ▪ Paralysis

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: Ivy Day in the Committee Room Summary ▪ Minor Irish politicians fail to live up to the memory of Charles Parnell ▪ Political view of Ireland – death of the patrilocal leader, Charles Parnell ▪ Depicts how the political turmoil disrupts unity in Ireland ▪ Mourns the state of Irish politics and people’s inability to maintain consistent beliefs Quotes ▪ The ‘Committee Room’ alludes this scene of atrophy to the betrayal of Parnell – The Committee Room in London was where Irish politicians chose not to support Parnell as leader – destroyed Parnell’s career ▪ Motif: Gossip – Henchy badmouths Tierney “Tricky Dicky Tierney” though later, he suggests that Tierney is as good as his word → Joyce suggests the fickle nature of Irish people as people are more concerned about their own desires rather than the needs of the country ▪ After Hyne’s poem which laments the loss of Parnell, there is a round of applause → ironic as the men in the room are more concerned with their own personal goals rather than Parnell or development of Ireland Characters ▪ Mat O’Connor: One of the political workers. Quiet and reserved – tempers conflict and praise about the dead politician Parnell but shows little interest in his own political work ▪ Joe Hynes: critical of the candidate for whom he works for but never wavers his statements or views ▪ John Henchy: political promoter. Suspects everyone of betrayal – suspects his boss of shirking the men out of beer and pay checks and suspects Hynes of informing the opposing candidate – most equivocal figure Themes ▪ Loyalty ▪ Politics ▪ Paralysis

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: A Mother Summary ▪ Mrs Kearney tries to win a place of pride for her daughter, Kathleen, in the Irish cultural movement but fails ▪ Organisers pays only half of the fee for her daughter’s performance → her stubbornness and pride over her daughter eventually turns everyone against her ▪ Determined to defy the gender confines of society ▪ Critiques shallow concerns about social profile Quotes ▪ The characterisation of Mrs Kearney ‘unbending in manner’ → nothing has changed for Mrs Kearney (paralysed) – her stubbornness isolates both herself and her daughter ▪ Mrs Kearney’s aggressive personality alludes to the gender stereotypes at the time where women were inferior – Mr Holohan scolds her for going against the societal expectations, “I thought you were a lady” ▪ Kathleen’s passive nature contrasts with aggressive nature of her mother, Mrs Kearney Characters ▪ Mrs. Kearney: overbearing mother and socially ambitious member of Dublin middle class ▪ Mr Holohan: Befuddled secretary who organises the musical concerts. Though he remains quiet – he resists and counters Mrs. Kearney’s critiques Themes ▪ Stubbornness ▪ Status ▪ Appearance ▪ Paralysis

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: Grace Summary ▪ Mr Kernan falls down in a bar → friends try to reform him through Catholicism ▪ Deteriorating influence of the church in the paralysed state of Dublin ▪ Roman Catholic Church held dominance over the population as it was seen as profoundly influential on the lives of the Irish Quotes ▪ The characterisation of Mr Kernan, “His clothes were smeared with the filth and ooze of the floor,” highlights the failures of the church in fulfilling their responsibilities towards the man ▪ “No one knew who he was” symbolises Mr Kernan’s bleak state ▪ Mr M’Coy states, “The Jesuit cater for the upper classes,” suggests Joyce’s critical view on the segregation of the Irish society in relations to one’s social status ▪ Mr Kernan’s synecdoche, “I bar the candle…I bar the magic lantern business,” demonstrates the associations of the church’s doctrines and their intention for financial gain Characters ▪ Mr Kernan – introduced as an alcoholic whose social status is in rapid decline ▪ Jack Power – his dedication to Kernan appears shallow → aware of Kernan’s dwindling social status in comparison to his own burgeoning career ▪ Mr Cunningham – well respected man who works for the British Government in Ireland Themes ▪ Alcoholism ▪ Redemption ▪ Religion ▪ Paralysis

English Advanced Mod A - James Joyce Dubliners (1914) Notes Short Story: The Dead Summary ▪ Gabriel Conroy attends party with his wife → experiences epiphany about the nature of life and death ▪ Joyce criticises Ireland being a country of ‘The Dead’ → describes Ireland as trapped and paralysed by the tensions of politics and religions Quotes ▪ The exclamation in Gabriel’s statement, “I’m sick of my own country, sick of it!” which reflects Joyce’s ...