Analysis of The Novel Dubliners by James Joyce Essay

In response to his publishers suggested revisions to Dubliners, James Joyce elevated his rhetoric to the nearly Evangelical [and wrote]: I seriously believe that you will retard the course of civilization in Ireland by preventing the Irish people from having one good look in my nicely polished looking-glass1. A pivotal part of this looking-glass is Joyces representation of Dublin, which functions akin to an external unconsciousness in that a series of unrelated characters experience similar problems by virtue of their common connection to the city. Furthermore, the characters absorb the city into their identities, creating a symbiotic relationship with it. This renders escape - or emigration - a bifurcation of ones identity, and†¦show more content†¦Aside from an obvious fear of harm, the narrator is discomforted because the experience estranges him from the familiar, and in his trepidation he seeks Mahony, who, like dear, dirty Dublin(p.52), he once considered abandoning: I had always despised him a little(p.15). The narrators timorous reaction to what resides beyond Dublin is a common motif in Dubliners. In his exchange with the josser (whose namesake evokes tosser: slang for masturbation), he tests a new identity removed from the city, assuming a pseudonym and conversing with a stranger in a field outside the city(p.14). But the test frightens him, and he calls for the familiar Mahony despite his disdain for him. Although, many of the characters fantasies flirt with departing Dublin, they all balk at their imagined departures in reality. Eveline harbours the most striking example of this: She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition.(p.26). Eveline is paralysed by the notion of sundering herself from Dublin and forging a new identity in Buenos Aries(p.26). She cannot bear to emigrate because deleterious circumstances at home alongside an abusive father have destroyed her Show MoreRelated The Theme of Escape in James Joyce’s Dubliners Essay1073 Words   |  5 PagesThe Theme of Escape in James Joyce’s Dubliners In James Joyce’s Dubliners, the theme of escape tends to be a trend when characters are faced with critical decisions. Joyce’s novel presents a bleak and dark view of Ireland; his intentions by writing this novel are to illustrate people’s reasons to flee Ireland. In the stories â€Å"Eveline, â€Å"Counterparts†, and the â€Å"Dead†, characters are faced with autonomous decisions that shape their lives. 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