The Role Of Father In James Joyce's Dubliners

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James Joyce uses his novel Dubliners to reveal how fathers are in Dublin during 1904. Joyce utilizes his stories within Dubliners, such as “Eveline” and “Counterparts,” to describe the cruelty fathers were during the early 1900s. Within “Eveline” Eveline Hill is trapped within her home dealing with her abusive father and trying to escape the reality with her lover. However, she remembers her mother’s promise of maintaining the household. Her father is a prime example of Joyce’s representation of fathers within the 1900s. He is an abusive man usually when he is only drunk. During his rarity of soberness, he shows characteristics of a normal father. “Counterparts” exhibits the same aspects of fathers. Farrington eludes from his work at the law firm to have drinks with his friend. This makes him into an incompetent nuisance within his work that makes him angry, even though it is his own …show more content…

From “Counterparts” Joyce uses Farrington to reveal how working fathers were in Dublin. Farrington is incompetent at work bringing nothing but disappointment to his boss. He also drinks as much he can to avoid his workplace and his rage created from the law firm. However, he takes that rage home only to beat his son who agreed to serve Farrington dinner once it is made. His first reaction to see his dinner will take a while to make is to become the abusive father Joyce witnesses typically in Dublin. Eveline’s father shows how unemployed fathers were in Dublin. Her father relied on Eveline completely for his food as well as money to buy more alcohol. His influence of Eveline’s typical daily routine made Eveline into an emotionless robot who most likely continued her days of maintaining the house she lives in with her abusive father. James Joyce reveals to the readers that the fathers he witnesses in Dublin during 1904 were most likely abusive is

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