Heralded as one of the preeminent short stories in the English language, The Dead is the final volume in Dubliners, a collection of 15 short stories by Irish novelist and poet James Joyce published in June 1914. The Dead’s complex narrative is the most renowned within the collection, and Joyce, widely recognised as one of the most influential modernist writers of the 20th century. The Dead focuses on the spiritual journey of the protagonist Gabriel Conroy who, while attending his aunts annual Christmas party, has a series of encounters with three female characters, Lily, Miss Ivors and his wife, Gretta, which drive the narrative to its culmination; a moment of painful self knowledge, a quality he had unconsciously lacked previously, referred
In the Dead there are; life and death; Gabriel and Gretta; male and female; past and present; youth and British/European and Irish. A psychoanalytical reading also reveals self-knowledge and self-delusion, and escape and entrapment as oppositional forces tormenting the protagonist. These paired opposites give meaning to and define the other, and are a code to signify the world in which Gabriel inhabits is one he is alienated from, and that alienation is the root cause of his insecurity displayed on multiple occasions throughout the text. Syntagmatically; that being a sequence of events that build the narrative and convey meaning, (Berger 1998; 16) the Dead’s structure is divided into three distinct parts, that arrival, the dinner and the departure. Gabriel is the unifying concept, who links and imbues meaning to these parts through his interactions with other characters. However, while applying psychoanalytic criticism, it can be seen that the structure is in two halves, a discourse between Gabriel’s conscious and unconscious, revealing Gabriel is vastly different from the man he perceives himself to
These repressed thoughts continue to exist, however, and attempt to exert influence in ways, which the conscious mind does not understand, including neurotic behaviour, symbolism, and language. (Berger 1998; 66/67) With Gabriel, it is evident he perceives himself to have a certain character while the reader sees through his continual exhibition of neurotic behaviour, anxiety, his desire to escape almost to a claustrophobic level, and interior monologues that he is another. Gabriel’s self-delusion signifies he has repressed many parts of his self thus creating a barrier. His unconscious neurotic behaviours point to his ongoing conflict between his consciousness and unconscious, which is paralysing and alienating him. Ultimately, it is Gabriel’s unconscious which reveals who he truly
"One day he caught a fish, a beautiful big big fish, and the man in the hotel boiled it for their dinner" (p.191). Little did Mrs. Malins know that those words issued from her feeble old lips so poignantly described the insensibility of the characters in James Joyce's The Dead toward their barren lives. The people portrayed in this novelette represented a wealthy Irish class in the early twentieth century, gathered at the house of the Morkan sisters for an annual tradition of feast and dance. Although all of the personages had, at one point, a potential for a beautiful life, sad memories of the past and the despair that invaded Ireland had eventually boiled all true senses and desires into a dull stew, destined to rot. Of particular interest is Gabriel Conroy, whom Joyce singularly bestowed a gift of introspection, though that did not save him from becoming yet another of the living dead.
In Night of the Living Dead, the zombies were eventually eliminated. Or were they? Theorists argue that the monster’s elusiveness is due to its physical, psychological and social characteristics that cross the lines of classification. Human’s innate fear of the unknown is due to their inability to make a distinction or draw a clear conclusion. This is explained further in Jeffrey Cohen’s second thesis in “Monster Theory” that claims that; “the monster never escapes” (Cohen, 14). The zombie as a monster can never be destroyed completely and if it is, it leaves a remnant the make people feel uncertain of its destruction. Base on Cohen’s theory, the zombie’s different interpretation allows it to emerge in other forms (a faster, smarter zombie?)
James Joyce author of Dubliners, is a book which examines the everyday life of people who live in Dublin. In this intimate portrayal of Dubliners, Joyce writes short stories about the individuals in Irish society. In Dubliners many characters feel the pressure of society, and show their desires to escape. In the stories “Eveline”, “Counterparts” and “The Dead”, the themes of individuals v. society and journey through escape are present. In each story there is a powerful person present that controls a particular person or situation. In Dublin jobs are very important, since they control the social standing in their society. Dublin itself is a major issue to the characters in Dubliners; they wrestle with the ideas of being able to escape.
ScreenPrism. "ScreenPrism." Why Did "Night of the Living Dead" Spark Controversy after Its Release. Web. 19 Sept. 2017.
Zombie literature in its current form has been around since the early 1920’s, the concept of the “Zombie” itself originated in the nation of Haiti around the same time. Since it’s inception, the purpose of the zombie genre is to commentate on social issues during many periods of human history. These periods include World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. The zombie has represented several things from the nuclear bomb, to the collective fears of humanity in general, such as the fear of death and of dying. Zombies have also been represented as a physical manifestation of the flaws of humanity, such as mindless, joyless consumerism. (McGregor)
I'm more than a little upset with myself that I allowed myself to go so long without watching this film. I've known about for what feels like forever, but for one reason or another I just never got around to watching it. Well, I can proudly say that's no longer an issue, time was made and Re-Animator was watched. Watching Re-Animator for the first time, reminded me of the first time I watched Return of the Living Dead. Both films have this vibrant atmosphere that I have a hard time putting into words. Both films share a lot in common, flawless use of humor, memorable scenes and some of the best practical effects shots that I can think of. But if I had to choose a favorite between the two, Return of the Living Dead would win out, mostly due
James Joyce created a collection of short stories in Dubliners describing the time and place he grew up in. At the time it was written, Joyce intends to portray to the people of Dublin the problems with the Irish lifestyles. Many of these stories share a reoccurring theme of a character’s desire to escape his or her responsibilities in regards to his relationship with his, job, money situation, and social status; this theme is most prevalent in After the Race, Counterparts, and The Dead.
James Joyce is praised for his distinct stylistic purpose and furthermore for his writings in the art of free direct discourse. Though at times his language may seem muddled and incoherent, Joyce adds a single fixture to his narratives that conveys unity and creates meaning in the otherwise arbitrary dialogue. Within the story “The Dead”, the final and most recognizable piece in the collection Dubliners, the symbol of snow expresses a correlation with the central character and shows the drastic transformation of such a dynamic character in Gabriel Conroy. The symbol of snow serves as the catalyst that unifies mankind through the flawed essence of human nature, and shows progression in the narrow mind of Gabriel. Snow conveys the emission of the otherwise superficial thoughts of Gabriel and furthermore allows for the realization of the imperfections encompassed by mankind. Riquelme’s deconstruction of the text allows for the understanding that the story cannot be read in any specific way, but the variance in meaning, as well as understanding depends solely upon the readers’ perspective. Following a personal deconstruction of the text, it is reasonable to agree with Riquelme’s notions, while correspondingly proposing that the symbol of snow represents the flaws, and strengths of Gabriel, as well as the other characters as it effects all equally.
Dubliner by James Joyce is full of epiphanies that characters experience about the lives they live. All of the stories in Dubliners share the common themes of realization, and awareness. As the stories progress “The Sisters” and “the Dead” show the real way of life in Dublin in the early 20th century. These stories were not only showing the truth in the characters lives, but the true problems of Dublin in the 20th century. These themes are echoed throughout both “The Sisters” and “The Dead” and result in the main characters becoming more aware of their mortality and surroundings.
“The Book of the Dead” by Muriel Rukeyser is a great example of Mike Gold’s definition of proletarian literature for many reasons. It also has a few characteristics that differ from Gold’s definition. “The Book of the Dead” is a very long poem describing the Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster that killed thousands of workers in the early twentieth century and their endeavor to seek justice. There are three reasons why this work is an accurate representation of Gold’s proletarian literature. Those reasons are: it is about the worker, relatable to real life, and technical and factual.
When this story is viewed through Sigmund Freud’s “psychoanalytic lens” the novel reveals itself as much more than just another gory war novel. According to Sigmund Freud psychology there are three parts of the mind that control a person’s actions which are the id, ego, and superego. Psychoanalysis states that there are three parts of the human mind, both conscious and subconscious, that control a person’s actions. The Id, ego, and
1 Joyce, James : The Dead , Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol.2, sixth edition
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.
In “The Dead,” James Joyce presents the Irish as a people so overwhelmed with times past and people gone that they cannot count themselves among the living. Rather, their preoccupation with the past and lack of faith in the present ensures that they are more dead than they are alive. The story, which takes place at a holiday party, explores the paralyzed condition of the lifeless revelers in relation to the political and cultural stagnation of Ireland. Gabriel Conroy, the story’s main character, differs from his countrymen in that he recognizes the hold that the past has on Irish nationalists and tries to free himself from this living death by shedding his Gaelic roots and embracing Anglican thinking. However, he is not able to escape, and thus Joyce creates a juxtaposition between old and new, dead and alive, and Irish and Anglican within Gabriel. His struggle, as well as the broader struggle within Irish society of accommodating inevitable English influence with traditional Gaelic customs is perpetuated by symbols of snow and shadow, Gabriel’s relationship with his wife, and the epiphany that allows him to rise above it all in a profound and poignant dissertation on Ireland in the time of England.
People view the statement “God is dead” as an aesthetic statement. They do not journey into the underlying or more obvious meanings of the quote. Even though Fredrick Nietzsche may have been an atheist, I do not believe he meant “God is dead” in a literal or aesthetic way. Nietzsche was pointing out that in society the cultural expansion of other religions and introduction of nihilism have changed Western society morally.