Darkness as Paralysis in "Dubliners"

Paper Summary:

The paper comments that although "Dubliners" by James Joyce is a collection of short stories that reads like novel because the characters and situations all come together and relate the same story, the main theme is the spiritual and political paralysis of a nation. The paper then explores how this theme is presented in the book and how the paralysis experienced by those in "Dubliners" is both personal and national.

From the Paper:

"The paralysis of Dublin also extends to the Church which acts as both a paralysing force and is itself in a state of paralysis. Indeed none of the priests in Dubliners are portrayed favourably: In "Araby" the priest who had formerly lived in the house had left it littered with papers, left his rusty bicycle pump outside, and had left his sister nothing but his furniture in his will. Fr. Keon in "Ivy Day in the Committee Room" is referred to as "a black sheep" and though he belongs to no "chapel or church or institution" he is quite "thick" with the politicians and financially does quite all right although no one is sure how. Even Fr. Purdon, whose ascent to the pulpit literally entails a struggle (173), gets his name from Purdon Street, which in Dublin makes up part of the red-light district. These unflattering portrayals of the clergy exemplify the corruption of the Church and its resulting paralysis."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Brown, Terence. Introduction. Dubliners. By James Joyce. London: Penguin, 2000. vii-xlix.
• Joyce, James. Dubliners. London: Penguin, 2000.
• Murphy, M.W. "Darkness in Dubliners." Modern Fiction Studies 15(1) (1969): 97-104.
• O'Sullivan, J. Colm. Joyce's Use of Colors. Ann Arbor (Michigan): UMI Research Press, 1987.
• Smith, Thomas F. "Color and Light in 'The Dead'". James Joyce Quarterly 2 (1965): 304-309.

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• Analytical Essay # 26903 : "The Isolation of Emotional Paralysis in "Dubliners"
• Book Review # 112368 : "Paralysis in "The Dubliners"
• Book Review # 145279 : "Sexuality in "Dubliners"

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