James Joyce's Dubliners - Araby as Epiphany for the Common Man
Joseph Campbell was one of many theorists who have seen basic common denominators in the myths of the world's great religions, Christianity among them, and have demonstrated how elements of myth have found their way into "non-religious" stories. Action heroes, in this respect, are not unlike saints. Biblical stories are, quite simply, the mythos of the Catholic religion, with saints being the heroes in such stories. The Star Wars film saga is, according to Campbell, an example of the hero's maturation via the undertaking of a great quest. Though it is a safe assumption that many of today's film makers are unconscious of the extent to which their narratives approach biblical parallels, Joyce spent his career turning seemingly simple stories into veiled recantings of biblical and mythical experience. "Araby" is a case-in-point. Like Luke Skywalker, the boy in "Araby" certainly reaches a maturation of sorts while undertaking a quest. Joyce takes accurate and mundane details of Dublin life and elevates them into a grand mythical pattern, targeting a moment of departure and awakening for the boy. Joyce's function in equating mundane experience with heroic experience is to propose that the potential for epiphany--the hero's realization of a certain truth--is not exclusive to saints alone, but exists in all people.
In order to so, Joyce must declare a relationship between the ordinary and the sublime. The ordinariness of the boy's story is apparent. On one level, it is a simple story about the kind of unrequited "puppy love" that strikes most boys of his age. The details of the setting come from real Dublin--North Richmond Street and Westland Row Station--and depict ...
... middle of paper ...
...t chooses to go to the temple, Orpheus chooses to go to Tartaros. Joyce made his own choice: to leave Ireland, and the result is a lifetime's body of work that demonstrates great insight. It is a good guess that this insight came from a realization Joyce himself may have had--his own epiphany, if you will--illustrating the extent to which the pattern of journey and realization found their way into his life as well as his work.
Work Cited
Joyce, James. Dubliners. New York: Washington Square Press, 1998.
Works Consulted
Schwarz, David R. Dubliners: Complete, Authoritative Text with Biographical and Historical Contexts, Critical History, and Essays from Five Contemporary Critical Perspectives. Ed. David R. Schwarz. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press, 1994.
Werner, Craig Hansen. Dubliners: A Pluralistic World. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1988.
There are different accounts on how Placerville attained the name of Hangtown, but the most famous is an episode that occurred one January night in 1849. A gambler named Lopez hit it rich at a local saloon. After he retired for the evening, several robbers tried to overpower him. Lopez fought back like a tiger, and with the help of others, the robbers were captured and beaten like piñatas. Three of the robbers had been wanted for previous robberies, as well as for murder at a gold camp on the Stanislaus River. A thirty-minute trial was held for the robbers and after a unanimous “guilty” verdict, the crowd called out, “Hang 'em! Hang 'em!”
The novel, 1984, by George Orwell, depicts a dystopian society where no freedom exists; not even the freedom of thought. The scene takes place in Oceania, a society in which the ruling power called “the Party” strictly controls everything people do: from the way they speak, to how they move, to their very own thoughts. Winston Smith, the main character of 1984, struggles through the day to day life of having to blend into the brainwashed citizens of Oceania, where monitors called telescreens record and analyze every little movement. Anyone not showing signs of loyalty and homogeneity become vaporized, or in other words, cease to exist and become deleted from history. Tired of his constricted life, Winston decides
“Miller has said that he originally conceived do something Death of a Salesman within Willy’s mind and that Willy’s psychological state dictated the structure of the play” (Leone 97). The flash back technique in death of a salesman is organized preparation, climax, and resolution. The play focuses on Willy’s actions with his family and the themes of the play.
This type of abuse can be either unintentional or intentional (Dubble 39). Neglect is considered unintentional when the caregiver does not have the adequate knowledge to care for the resident. For example, bathing a patient in 115 degrees Fahrenheit water and not knowing that the water should not be warmer than 105 degrees Fahrenheit is considered unintentional neglect. Neglect becomes intentional when the caregiver knowingly does not provide quality care. A resident developing bedsores from not being turned every two hours, residents’ diets being ignored, and residents being left in feces are all examples of intentional neglect (Reed 189).
James Joyce wrote the book Dubliners; Joyce expresses many different types of emotions throughout the book. The emotions portray individuals in society, and light and dark. The emotions of individuals are examined throughout the stories by other members in society. The stories that express the ideas are: “The Encounter,” “Eveline”, and “The Dead.” The symbolism of individuals in society expresses many different situations that are happening in the characters lives. The symbolism of light goes along with the idea of feeling happy and enjoying life. The theme of dark shows the individuals fighting, and having a negative outlook on life.
The first Indians to set foot in the western hemisphere were the Paleo-Indians. The Paleo-Indians crossed the land bridge called the Beringia (Roark 6). They are estimated to have arrived at least by 14,000 BP (Roark 6). Research shows that the Paleo-Indians
their lives as well. No matter what the situation is, or who the person is, there is no way to avoid
The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus was created to separate all African American legislators from all of the other non-black legislators in the State of Georgia’s House of Representative as well as the State of Georgia State Senate. This was done so that outside of legislation session, the different African American legislators has the space, opportunity, support and resources to come up with bills, legislations, agendas, conferences, and other things that would support the black community. This is exact definition of Strong Black Nationalism. The main purpose of the causes was to become a “separate” group of individuals that would advocate for the African American community. The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus also aligns with Shelby’s second conception of Black Nationalism; weak black nationalism. Unfortunately, we live in America where it is almost impossible to assist the black community without getting punished for it. This is something that the members of the Georgia Legislative Cause understand. Many times they are unable to advocate for one race of people so they use bills and different legislation as a way of advocating. Weak Black Nationalism would suggest that the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus is trying to make the black community identity as just “African American” but
Texting and driving is a deadly issue in today 's generation. Using our cellphones while driving is a damaging habit among teens and adults. This habit caused many catastrophic accidents and deaths. Texting while driving has made the roads unsafe for other drivers. Many states recognize the immense threat resulting from texting and driving and have placed a ban on this epidemic. While many people realize texting and driving is hazardous others believe that the ban is useless and not strong enough of a solution.
The first part of the rule of faith reminds Christians of “God, the Father, not made, not material, invisible; one God, the creator of all things” (paragraph 5). Irenaeus believes this is important when interpreting the bible because God the Father is the creator of everything and “by His Word has created the whole world” and “has given laws wherein each several things should abide” (paragraph 10). Irenaeus says that since God is t...
In the novel's opening story, "The Sisters," Joyce elevates this concern with writing "reality" from sub-theme to theme: the story is an extended meditation on textuality just as much as it is the story of a boy and a priest. By beginning with a metatext Joyce brilliantly opens up the entire collection for a different kind of reading, one based on noticing rather than overlooking literature's limitations. With...
first, he has accomplished his mission as Hamlet will also die from the wound caused by
In Dubliners, James Joyce tells short stories of individuals struggling with life, in the city of Dublin. “It is a long road that has no turning” (Irish Proverb). Many individuals fight the battle and continue on the road. However, some give up and get left behind. Those who continue to fight the battle, often deal with constant struggle and suffering. A reoccurring theme, in which Joyce places strong emphasis on, is the constant struggle of fulfilling responsibilities. These responsibilities include; work, family and social expectations. Joyce writes about these themes because characters often feel trapped and yearn to escape from these responsibilities. In “The Little Cloud”, “Counterparts”, and “The Dead” characters are often trapped in unhappy living situations, often leading to a desire of escape from reality and daily responsibilities.
Throughout time women have been oppressed. The journey women have had has been a long one. Women were oppressed from choosing whom to love, speaking against her husband or any male, getting jobs outside household duties, voting, etc. Women were looked at as the weaker sex. The oppression in Gilead is no different. These women are oppressed by the patriarchy. In Gilead women are valuable, but not all are treated as such. Handmaids play a role for the greater good, but the Wives are treated above the Handmaids, even though the Handmaids, such as the narrator Offred, are the ones giving society a chance. The patriarchal society set in place makes all of the decisions over the greater women populations. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale examines the overall effect of a patriarchal society on
The golden ratio is a term used to describe proportioning in a piece. In a work of art or architecture, if one maintained a ratio of small elements to larger elements that was the same as the ratio of larger elements to the whole, the end result was pleasing to the eye.