Essay about Dark Dublin - 1205 Words

Dark Dublin James Joyce’s, Dubliners is made up of short stories that depict the lives of people in Dublin during the early 1900’s. At this point in history, Ireland was going through a time of distress. The author writes about this time through his stories and characters in the stories â€Å"Counterparts,† â€Å"Ivy Day in the Committee Room,† and â€Å"The Dead.† In these three accounts, Joyce uses the individuals to demonstrate the society of Ireland at this time. He does this using the specific theme of lightness and dark. Joyce connects the humanity based theme of individual and society to the literary theme of light and dark through stories†¦show more content†¦When Farrington gets home one night, he tells his son to â€Å"light the lamp† (93), and asks him: â€Å"What do you mean by having the place in darkness?† (93) He also yells at his son when he realized that the boy â€Å"let the fire out† (94). â€Å"Counterparts† displays many examples of the literary theme of light and dark. The character Farrington in â€Å"Counterparts,† is an example of an individual in Dublin who represents the society of Ireland. Farrington displays behaviors of a non-functional alcoholic. We know this because of the evidence that he can not get through the day without his alcohol fix: â€Å"He felt that he must slake the thirst in his throat† (84). Farrington represents Ireland in this story because they both are going through rough times; both Farrington and Ireland are going through a depression. Both the individual and the society are represented here. The Irish society feels inferior because they were ruled by England, just as Farrington feels inferior to his boss, Mr. Alleyne. â€Å"Mr Alleyne began a tirade of abuse, saying that two letters were missing† (87). Also, at the bar, Farrington is defeated by a â€Å"mere boy† (93) named Whethers. These two characters represent England’s domination toward Ireland, and Farringt on represents Ireland during the early 1900’s. The short story â€Å"Ivy Day in the Committee Room,† from Dubliners, has many references to light, which represents the society of Ireland. These come from the manyShow MoreRelatedDubliners:How is it related to Modernism?1657 Words   |  7 Pagesoffers a tremendous possibility of pinpointing the elements of modernism through analysing its basic themes, narrative devices, structure, imagery and language. Joyce chose to name this collection of short stories Dubliners as its scene is set in Dublin. The title leads the reader to presume that it is a book about life and that it describes it as it is; but this novel regards life from one aspect only. 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In each of his prose works he used symbols to experience what he called an quot;epiphanyquot;, the revelation of certain revealing qualities about himself. His early writings reveal individual moods and characters and the plight of Ireland and the Irish artist in the 1900s. Later works, reveal a man in all hisRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Araby 1246 Words   |  5 Pagesalso exist in ironic contrast to this sphere of falsity and misrepresentation. Within Araby, James Joyce formats a portrait in which the miserable and emotionally decrepit city of Dublin significantly contributes to the dehumanizing experience of the title character. The boy is haplessly subject to the city’s dark, despondent conformity, and his tragic thirst for the unusual in the face of a monotonous, disagreeable reality, forms the heart of the story. The narrator’s ultimate disappointment occurs