Essay on Feminism in Dubliners - 1321 Words

| Feminism in Dubliners | Mrs. Atkins; English A3 Tuesday, May 25, 2010 James Joyce’s book of short stories entitled Dubliners examines feminism and the role of women in Irish society. The author is ahead of his time by bringing women to the forefront of his stories and using them to show major roles and flaws in Irish society, specifically in â€Å"Eveline† and â€Å"The Boarding House†. James Joyce portrays women as victims who are forced to assume a leading and somewhat patriarchal role in their families. He uses them to show the paralysis of his native land Ireland, and the disruption in social order that is caused by the constant cycle of abuse that he finds commonplace in Ireland. Joyce is trying to end the Victorian and archaic view of†¦show more content†¦This is seen when the narrator speaks about the story of the field that Eveline, her brothers, and another family’s children used to play on which was bought by a man from Belfast in order to build a house. Another example, is how she and her brothers would p lay out in a field, and her father would come to â€Å"hunt them in out of the field with his blackthorn stick† (34). This also symbolizes the discord of family relations, and the premature annihilation of her childhood innocence by her father and the premature end of innocence that is caused by abusive men to their children in Ireland. Eveline is also denied the basic right to love and affection by her own choice. She finds a man who loves and values her, and is the exact opposite of her abusive father. Frank represents the opportunity for escape and a break in the cycle. She finally has an opportunity for a new life, and she chooses to stay in Ireland to take care of her father and brothers. Eveline’s choice to stay in Ireland, rather than to leave with Frank can be seen as a result of the lack of self-worth and mental constraints set on her by her father, which parallels the fact that Ireland’s paralysis is caused by the abuse of male authority roles. Eveline feels tied to her father, in the same way a hopeless chained animal who knows no better than to wait patiently and endure. The illusion of captivity was so complete that even though she had an opportunity to escape her ‘cage’, she chose to stay in it.Show MoreRelatedCriticism Of The Dead By Margot Norris1093 Words   |  5 PagesAnnotated Bibliography 1. Johnson, Jeri. Joyce and Feminism. The Cambridge Companion to James Joyce. Ed. Derek Attridge. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1990. 196-233. Print. This source is a criticism piece that is explaining a point of view that relates Joyce to feminism. Johnson is comparing the masculine and feminist characters, and the asking the question of where are these happy, successful, independent female characters, why do we connect Joyce and feminism and what do they have in common to connect thoseRead MoreEssay on Narrative Style and Character in James Joyces Clay609 Words   |  3 PagesMaria the suppressive spinster in his short story Clay. This particular approach influences the reader to sympathize with Joyces flawed character, while ironically pointing out the particular flaws and directing them towards Irish society. Dubliners is a collection of short stories by James Joyce in which the author utilizes the everyday experiences and rituals of the Irish middle and lower class to publicize his disdain with the Irish society and the political views adopted by the Irish peopleRead MoreFrankenstein and Araby Essay1469 Words   |  6 Pagesidea of â€Å"othering† of Elizabeth Lavenza in the gothic novel Frankenstein. In a similar manner, the female character in Araby that is Mangan’s sister is also othered. The short story Araby by James Joyce illustrates the quest that a middle class Dubliner boy initiates to win his love interest over. Since Mangan’s sister cannot come for the bazaar Araby, the boy promises to bring her something back but he fails in doing so. Throughout the novel, Mangan’s sister is portrayed as â€Å"other† in contrast