...The Dead by James Joyce was a short story published in 1914. The story takes place in Dublin, Ireland during a holiday party. There are many principal characters in this story. Our assignment this for this week’s paper was to choose and analyze two or three characters in the reading. I have chosen to focus on Gabriel Conroy and Gretta Conroy. Gabriel Conroy Gabriel Conroy is the main character in this story, a great majority came from his point of view. He had many faces throughout the story. He was short tempered, socially awkward, and had an acute class consciousness. He is an intelligent, middle aged professor and book reviewer. He sees himself intellectually and culturally elevated in comparison to the rest of the people that are attending the party. To his aunts, has was a loving family man, he brought a cheerful presence to the holiday party and preformed man like duties, like carving the goose for the dinner. While he is loving in the eyes of his aunts, he has troubles making a connection with the other ladies in the story....
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...The Dead: A Psychological Perspective James Joyce’s “The Dead” can be interpreted form a psychological perspective that focuses on the impact of the cognitive and subconscious influences that impacted the content of Joyce’s work. In analyzing “The Dead” from this psychological perspective, there are insights that reveal how confused, disturbed, insecure, and troubled Joyce was in his personal life. The first article is by Coen and is entitled “What Will Become of Epiphanies? A Psychoanalytic Reading of James Joyce’s ‘The Dead.’” One of the more interesting points that was made in this article was that Coen describes how there are elements being juxtaposed against one another in Joyce’s story. These contrasting elements represent death and life. One example of this contrast between life and death was where Joyce wrote, “The morning was still dark. A dull yellow light brooded over the houses and the river and the sky seemed to be descending” (Joyce). This description uses all dark and dull matter to symbolize death. The morning sky, which could be described as brilliant specks of color trying to break through the early morning dark sky, were instead simply referred to as dark. Then, right after this description, Joyce’s entire mood and writing style changed. He wrote, “…Gabriel’s eyes were…bright with happiness. The blood went bounding along his veins and the thoughts were rioting through his brain, proud, joyful, tender, valorour…” (Joyce). This excerpt is full of...
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...For my Research Paper, I plan to explore James Joyce's use of Irish History in "The Dead" through the lens of the character Gabriel Conroy. This topic is significant now on the grounds that Joyce wrote short stories that demonstrated the social conformity from which Ireland, particularly Dublin, endured. Particularly controversial about this topic is that Joyce used vivid descriptions of past events when the truth about the names of Dublin public places, such as the parks and streets, and the unattractive Irish behavior, especially child and spousal abuse, drunkenness, prostitution, gambling, corruption and suicide, were revealed. As a matter of fact, including such specific details in any literary work meant to delay the publication of this...
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...English 12 12 December 2011 Paper Assignment #6 James Joyce Strangled by Spiritual Paralysis Stanislaus Joyce once wrote “Ireland [is] a country which has seen revolutions in every generation” (Joyce 510). But what happens when these revolutions seem to come to an end? The Irish defeated British to become an independent nation of devout Catholics. They worked harder than those beside them to keep their families out of poverty, when Ireland became over populated as a result of the Napoleonic Wars. They suffered through the Great Potato Famine, losing many loved ones in the process. The country struggled to recover after each of these tragedies, but with their triumphs brought improvement. Through their devotion to Catholicism, their loyalty to Ireland and their hard work for their family, they survived, but they settled into an unchanging society engulfed by a form of spiritual paralysis as author James Joyce identifies in his writings. Many literary critics have taken an interest in his writings because of the underlying theme of spiritual paralysis in Dublin. Joyce’s brother, Stanislaus wrote “James Joyce: A Memoir”, in effort to defend and explain Joyce’s motivation for using Dublin as the heart of his writing. He describes Joyce as an independent person, often excited by multiple “enthusiasms”, which he was quick to share with the world (Joyce 488). Joyce was not afraid to criticize his homeland if he felt it would bring improvement, which can be seen in his impulsive...
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...An analysis of the Role of Family Disappointment in Joyce’s Dubliners James Joyce, an Irish modernist writer and influential author in the twentieth century, wrote the story collection named “Dubliners”. This collection consisted of fifteen short stories and carried a naturalist style. In “Dubliners”, Joyce rarely uses metaphors, relying on simplicity and attention to detail to create an authentic setting. Joyce often carried hidden similarities throughout each of his novels and poetry. This is seen true within Joyce’s collection, “Dubliners”. A close analysis of “Dubliners” reveals an excellent example of the role of family disappointment as shown in each of the short stories; “Araby”, “Eveline”, and “The Dead”. A direct example or claim of family disappointment can clearly be seen within each of these three short stories. Theses examples will be laid out and explained throughout this essay. Each example having varying circumstance, and outcome. Displayed from the point of view of the characters, to be taken inside their heads, and be shown a different aspect of what family disappointment means to the characters. The theme of disappointment in “Dubliners” is all about the painful experience. Ambiguity so to speak, the misconception of life being grand, only to face the troubles of reality. The characters determine that their own families don’t always have their best interest at heart, that their wives were deceitful, and that the world of business can be bitter...
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...A&P and Araby John Updike's A & P and James Joyce's Araby share many of the same literary traits. The primary focus of the two stories revolves around a young man who is compelled to decipher the different between cruel reality and the fantasies of romance that play in his head. That the man does, indeed, discover the difference is what sets him off into emotional collapse. One of the main similarities between the two stories is the fact that the main character, who is also the protagonist, has built up incredible,yet unrealistic, expectations of women, having focused upon one in particular towards which he places all his unrequited affection. The expectation these men hold when finally "face to face with their object of worship" (Wells, 1993, p. 127) is what sends the final and crushing blow of reality: The rejection they suffer is far too great for them to bear. Updike is famous for taking other author's works and twisting them so that they reflect a more contemporary flavor. While the story remains the same, the climate is singular only to Updike. This is the reason why there are similarities as well as deviations from Joyce's original piece. Plot, theme and detail are three of the most resembling aspects of the two stories over all other literary components; characteristic of both writers' works, each rendition offers its own unique perspective upon the young man's romantic infatuation. Not only are descriptive phrases shared by both stories, but parallels occur with...
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...Example Literary Research Paper Michelle Carerra Professor Krickstein English 1302 October 15, 2004 The Awakening of Gabriel Conroy Like the stories in Dubliners that lead up to it, “The Dead” dramatizes a moment of self-realization. The story portrays the gradual awakening of Gabriel Conroy, whose vision of his wife, Gretta, at the end of the story is at once a frustrating disappointment and a touching movement toward understanding and love. Robert Adams voices the view of more than one critic when he writes of “The Dead” that this “greatest of the stories in Dubliners stands apart from the rest, being warmer in tonality, richer in the writing, and more intimate in its subject matter” (83). Florence Walzl agrees when she writes that “’The Dead’ is markedly different from the earlier stories. . . .It is not only a longer, more fully developed narrative, but it presents a more kindly view of Ireland” (428). In one sense the “dead” of the title are all those who have lived and died, those who have gone before the festive inhabitants of Dublin who celebrate the Christmas season, Gabriel Conroy and Gretta among them. In another sense the dead are all those who, though alive and breathing, have lost their naturalness, their spontaneity, and most importantly, their passion. Gabriel, one of these, has lost touch with his past and with traditional Irish values. He looks instead toward continental Europe, toward the future, and toward change for an escape...
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...Good Student Dr. Grogan Literary Methodology 17 February 2012 Mistaking Awkwardness for Arrogance: A Reexamination of Gabriel in James Joyce’s “The Dead” A figure as complex and multifaceted as the rich narrative from which he is taken, Gabriel Conroy has long interested readers seeking meaning in James Joyce’s “The Dead.” Initially regarded as “a painfully ordinary man” by Melissa Free, subsequent critics have more harshly accused Gabriel of arrogance and classism, based on his “Three Encounters” with the characters Lily, Molly Ivors, and Gretta (280, 283). However, though many sound arguments can be made in support of Gabriel’s arrogance, one might see this position as a failure to recognize two important factors: First, the nervous insecurity with which he often conducts himself, and second, the disparity between his inner thoughts and outer actions. Indeed, an ethical examination of the story’s “Three Encounters” reveals a highly self-conscious, socially clumsy Gabriel, whose sometimes-condescending thoughts rarely manifest in intentionally hostile behavior. One can first see this display of self-consciousness when examining Gabriel’s discourse with the character Lily, the first in the series of encounters by which he is often judged. For those critics who interpret Gabriel negatively, this might seem a reasonable place to start, for his amusement with the girl’s low accent – “[smiling] at the three syllables she had given his surname,” – is a clear indication that Gabriel...
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...“The World of Contradictions: Through the scope of formalist criticism, it is apparent that the setting in James Joyce’s Araby and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper affects the main character’s mental and physical state” “Araby” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” are both remarkable short stories, but the thoughts conceived after reading it are everything but short. Araby, written by, James Joyce is about a young character that lives in a neighborhood that appears to be dark and gloomy based solely on the author’s description of the houses and such. “An uninhabited house of two storeys at the blind end…” suggests that this neighborhood isn’t in paramount condition. On the other hand, the author makes several references to religious faith. For example, the Christian Brothers’ School, where the young character attends, or the Priest who has died prior to this story taking place, evokes this idea of purity. It is quite contrary that in a short story where the author paints a vivid image of gloom and despair, there are religious references that cause readers into a world of contradiction. In the same way Charlotte Gilman Perkins, author of The Yellow Wallpaper seeks to evoke a message of individual expression and successfully does so by recording the progression of the illness, through the state of the “yellow” wallpaper. Apparently, the bulk of the setting of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is in a room that the unnamed narrator has been forced to stay in by her husband...
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...English 112 4 March 2013 The Dark and Dreary Colors of Araby Araby appears as the third story in the Dubliners, a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce set in Dublin, Ireland. Each of the stories in Dubliners contributes to the degrading experience of existence. Robert Fuhrel points out that Joyce's story reflects his urban upbringing, education, and the purposes expressed in letters Joyce wrote attempting to get Dubliners published. Araby is set in the Dublin of Joyce's youth, and the setting and plot are based on the author’s experiences (173). The story is told through the eyes of a young and innocent boy who is stuck in a world of darkness. Araby is about a young boy who falls in love with his neighbor, Mangan’s sister. The boy spends all of his time watching, or thinking about Mangan’s sister. When the boy and Mangan’s sister finally talk, the character suggests the boy go visit a bazaar called Araby. Since Mangan’s sister cannot attend, the boy plans to go and buy Mangan’s sister a gift. On the night the boy is to attend, the uncle is late coming home and by the time the young boy borrows money and makes his way to the bazaar, most of the people have left and many of the stalls are closed. The boy buys nothing and walks through the dark, empty halls. The character is disappointed in himself and the surrounding world. The author plays with light, shadow, and color throughout the story. Joyce utilizes color in Araby to show imagery of the neighborhood...
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...In James Joyce’s Araby, a young boy becomes strife with strong love for a girl, Magnan’s sister that his friend knows after seeing her countless times while he lies wait in the shadow behind the curtains of his room silently watching until she comes out so he could chase after her. This urgent lust has begun to cast a darkness upon the narrator, causing a shift in behavior all towards the achievement of being with Magnan’s sister. Throughout James Joyce’s Araby, an image appears of contrasting black and white where an object is surrounded by a blinding light that the subject is only outlined and what lies within is unknown, and this obsessive secrecy has caused the narrator to become flawed by the belief that Magnan’s sister is real to which in the end he is casted down by his own inner imaginative evil. An image of a blackened figure caused by the flooding exterior light gives the aspect of how that all is seen or known is this outlined exterior and nothing can be said about what lies inside the lines cast between worlds. The narrator, a young boy, is hiding amongst the shadows for a glimpse of a girl that lives across the street. It is never told why the narrator has found a sudden interest in this girl other than her looks have given thought, which gives it all the more a sense of peculiarity as the narrator continues to seek her out every night when she comes home and every morning “…watching her door. The blinds was pulled down…so that I could not be seen. When she came...
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...“The Dead” In James Joyce’s short story “The Dead” we notice how not living life to its fullest potential can be detrimental to a persons self esteem. The title contributes to this revelation by setting a strong focus on death and mortality, which serves as a constant reminder throughout the story. Joyce chooses to reveal this to us in forms of motifs of music to structure the story, and with this use of musical references the meaning of the story comes out in so many different ways creating a melody, thereby binding the music, and story together. Joyce uses the main character Gabriel to reveal to us the overall reoccurring theme, and how emotionally dead these characters are which leads up to Gabriel’s epiphany at the end of the story. With a title like “The Dead” we imagine that it is going to take place in some gloomy place, like a graveyard. However, to our surprise the story opens up to a Christmas party in which Mr. & Mrs. Conroy, Gabriel and Gretta, are invited to attend. We do not get the feeling of gloom or death, but more of a warm inviting environment. However, with the progression of the story the focus shifts towards the isolation and insecurities that Gabriel is exemplifying. We first see this taking place when he is questioning himself about his speech that he is planning on giving later on in the night. Gabriel is wondering whether or not to quote Robert Browning because he “fears they would be above the heads of his hearers.” (2174) He feels...
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...Kaitlyn Simpson W0436017 Dr. Gibson English 231-04 Archaic Lore in “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” and “The Dead” Intro: Id texts and subject. Thesis: D.H. Lawerence and James Joyce use archaic lore in their stories “The Horse Dealers Daughter”, and “The Dead”. Storytakes place in English midlands, four sibling late 20’s sittng around family home. -- D. H. Lawrence’s stories have the sense that they’re ritualistic; his rough home life. He had a God awful dysfunctional family. His mom and dad were polar opposites which caused them to Fight battle through the kids. In early 20’s he got ill, and diagnosis 100 years ago tuberculosis. It was incurable then. . He knew he was dying therefore he decided he wouldn’t waste what he had. He sought out the things that were really important. A deeper meaning in life “savage pilgrimage,” he traveled around the world. He was looking for the power spots. One of the things he realized was there were also power centers within everyone of us. All over the planet ancient patterns that play out over and over. In D. H. Lawrences’ writings he explains a very archaic belief--that there are energy vortices within all of us. These power centers are located in our spiritual bodies, and are known as “chakras”. But as Lawrence explains, in most of us, there is a tremendous imbalance in the way the chakras are activated, and this imbalance causes various problems, neuroses, and complexes in our lives. In “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” D.H. Lawrence...
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...Tommy Campbell Fr. Williams Eng 241 26 February 2011 Symbolism Symbolism is a powerful tool used by people every day to force people to look past the obvious and find the deeper meaning. Symbolism is used by authors, musicians, priests, and many others. James Joyce, a well-known Irish author, uses symbolism repeatedly throughout his collection of short stories published in 1916. In these stories, titled Dubliners, Joyce uses symbolism not only to enhance the stories, but to also show the hidden, underlying message of each story without coming out and saying it directly. Joyce’s stories are centered on the problems of Dublin and through his use of symbolism Joyce is able to focus attention on what problem each story is addressing. James Joyce, author of Dubliners, uses symbolism effectively to enhance the stories. The first story in Dubliners deals with the problems of the Catholic Church. “The Sisters” is about a priest, Father Flynn, who goes crazy because of the incredible stress placed on him by the rule-centered church. A note publicly announcing the priest’s death read “July 1st, 1895 The Rev. James Flynn (Formerly of S. Catherine’s Church, Meath Street), aged sixty-five years. R.I.P.” (Joyce 4). Joyce associates Father Flynn with S. Catherine’s Church because St. Catherine was torn apart physically and Father Flynn was torn apart mentally, because of the rules and strict guidelines he was expected to uphold. Making this connection enhances the story because it...
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...Dubliners Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. The fifteen stories were meant to be a naturalistic depiction of the Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century. The stories were written at the time when Irish nationalism was at its peak, and a search for a national identity and purpose was raging; at a crossroads of history and culture, Ireland was jolted by various converging ideas and influences. They centre on Joyce's idea of an epiphany: a moment where a character has a special moment of self-understanding or illumination. Many of the characters in Dubliners later appear in minor roles in Joyce's novel Ulysses. The initial stories in the collection are narrated by children as protagonists, and as the stories continue, they deal with the lives and concerns of progressively older people. This is in line with Joyce's tripartite division of the collection into childhood, adolescence and maturity. Araby Summary The unnamed protagonist in Araby is a boy who is just beginning to come into his sexual identity. Through his first-person narration, we are immersed at the start of the story in the drab life that people live on North Richmond Street, which seems to be illuminated only by the verve and imagination of the children who, despite the growing darkness that comes during the winter months, insist on playing "until [their] bodies glowed." Even though the conditions of this neighbourhood...
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