James Joyce: Paralysis and Epiphany
Dena Ferguson
Instructor Ramon Guel
English 310
19 July 2015
James Joyce: Paralysis and Epiphany The paralysis of life has bared the understanding of Joyce’s literary “epiphany” for many readers. James Joyce’s technique of using his characters to blatantly show readers how life could stagnate, or find “paralysis,” leaving them unopened to the great epiphanies before them was no less than genius. Joyce frequently built his plots through the real life “paralysis” of his characters, drawing readers in with the hope of a resolution to the characters dilemmas. Most readers, however, found themselves greatly disappointed in this respect. There was no big “ta da,” no beautiful happy ending, only an “epiphany”. The question is whose epiphany, the characters or the readers? The goal of this paper is to provide understanding and acceptance of James Joyce’s literary works through an explanation of the history, interpretation, and significance of “paralysis” and “epiphany.” In order to understand James Joyce’s meaning of paralysis there is a need to examine life in Dublin during the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth century. During this time, Dublin was a diverse city full of contradiction and tension. The city had little work, low wages, and rampant mistreatment of workers. Most of Dublin’s population was extremely poor and destitute. In addition to the poor living and working condition, Dublin suffered from a divided government and a divided populous. Dublin was the first city of Ireland; however, it was strongly under British rule, causing the city to have two main societies, the British upper class and the oppressed Irish lower class, which were constantly at odds. This created vast undertones of anger and discord, which ultimately lead to the formation of an extreme nationalist militant group determined to through the British out. The Dublin of James Joyce’s childhood was a city divided and on the brink of a war. (The National Archives of Ireland)
Instructor Ramon Guel
English 310
19 July 2015
James Joyce: Paralysis and Epiphany The paralysis of life has bared the understanding of Joyce’s literary “epiphany” for many readers. James Joyce’s technique of using his characters to blatantly show readers how life could stagnate, or find “paralysis,” leaving them unopened to the great epiphanies before them was no less than genius. Joyce frequently built his plots through the real life “paralysis” of his characters, drawing readers in with the hope of a resolution to the characters dilemmas. Most readers, however, found themselves greatly disappointed in this respect. There was no big “ta da,” no beautiful happy ending, only an “epiphany”. The question is whose epiphany, the characters or the readers? The goal of this paper is to provide understanding and acceptance of James Joyce’s literary works through an explanation of the history, interpretation, and significance of “paralysis” and “epiphany.” In order to understand James Joyce’s meaning of paralysis there is a need to examine life in Dublin during the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth century. During this time, Dublin was a diverse city full of contradiction and tension. The city had little work, low wages, and rampant mistreatment of workers. Most of Dublin’s population was extremely poor and destitute. In addition to the poor living and working condition, Dublin suffered from a divided government and a divided populous. Dublin was the first city of Ireland; however, it was strongly under British rule, causing the city to have two main societies, the British upper class and the oppressed Irish lower class, which were constantly at odds. This created vast undertones of anger and discord, which ultimately lead to the formation of an extreme nationalist militant group determined to through the British out. The Dublin of James Joyce’s childhood was a city divided and on the brink of a war. (The National Archives of Ireland)
Cited: Dictonary.com. 2014. Web site. 19 April 2014. Hannan, Gerard. irishmediaman.wordpress.com. 28 March 2014. Web. 19 April 2014. newadvent.org. Catholic Encyclopedia . 2009. Web. 19 April 2014. The James Joyce Center Dublin. The James Joyce Center. 3 November 2012. Web. 19 April 2014. The National Archives of Ireland. census.nationalarchives. n.d. Web. 19 April 2014. The Vatican. Catechism of the Catholic Church. n.d. Web. 19 April 2014. Williams, Bob. members.optusnet.com. n.d. Web. 19 April 2014.