Summary:
Although "Araby", "Eveline", and "The Dead" from Dubliners by James Joyce are three different stories, the author uses similar elements to convey each message, and so develops a strong connection between chapters.
Although "Araby", "Eveline", and "The Dead" from Dubliners by James Joyce are three different stories, the author uses similar elements to convey each message, and so develops a strong connection between chapters.
Internal conflict and epiphany are used to dramatize the characters in three stories. In "Araby", the narrator takes a fancy to his friends Mangan's sister. Since then, he thinks of her day and night, " Her images accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance..." (25). One night, she asks him if he will go to Araby. The narrator replies vaguely, but anyway he promises to buy her something if he goes. Indeed, the narrator has decided to go once she makes this inquiry. When he gets to the bazaar, he is confused; he does not know why he goes to a place where is like a stranger to him. He hates himself for failure to defeat his "vanity", ."..my eyes burned with anguish and anger." (30). In "Eveline", when Eveline's mother is dead, Eveline promises her to take care the family then. This promise restrains her to pursuit her happiness. She wants to leave the house that she has been known since childhood, and marries a guy who can gives her love. She struggles between her own desire and promise. At last, she chooses promise, ."..Amid the sea she sent a cry of anguish." (36). In " The Dead", Gabriel is so cautious of his impression on others, " ...would only make himself ridiculous by quoting poetry to them which they could not understand..." (187). However, he ends up understanding that no matter how successfully to develop a good reputation or to conquer everything, everyone still has to face mortality at the end, ."..he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe...upon all the living and the dead."(236).
Dialogue and imagery play key roles in development of the three stories. When the narrator in "Araby" asks Mangan's sister why she can't go to Araby. She first rationalizes, and then ."..held one of the spikes, bowing her head forwards me..." (26). Finally, she said, "It's well for you." The narrator gets her meaning, and so makes that promise. These two techniques are used in the same way in the other two stories. Readers can hence know characters' personalities and intentions at that time more thoroughly and realistically.
Symbolism is used in three stories, but is more obvious in "The Dead." For Miss O'Callaghan, Aunt Juila and Mary Jane, "Snow" means happiness, ."..said Miss O'Callaghan. I think Christmas is never really Christmas unless we have the snow on the ground." (223). Gabriel also thinks so at that moment. However, after his wife telling her story with her first lover who is dead now, he views snow with different perspective. "Snow" now seems to signify mortality, ."..It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried..." (236).
James Joyce intends to point out those invisible but significant things in our life by Dubliners. Throughout history, greed for money is often one's ruin; it is powerful enough to drive people killing their love ones and losing their conscience. But Dubliners reminds us money is not that important; we must die one day. Then, what is that money for? So love should indeed be more valuable because most of our struggles are caused by love.
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