Paralysis In James Joyce's The Dead

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The Relationship of Shifting Narration to the Theme of Paralysis in James Joyce's "The Dead"

James Joyce said that the Dubliners series was about paralysis…the paralysis that plagued Ireland and its people that had the inability to live life fully. In her article, "Pattern of Paralysis in Joyce's Dubliners: A Study of Framework," Florence L. Walzl relates an incident that illustrates Joyce’s motivations to write the series.
Impatient at the restrictions of life in Dublin, he concluded that Ireland was sick, and diagnosed its psychological malady as hemiplegia, a partial, unilateral paralysis. He told his brother, "What's the matter with you is that you are afraid to live. You and people like you. This city is suffering from hemiplegia of the will." When he had finished only the first story he stated, "I am writing a series of epicleti—ten—for a paper…. I call the series the Dubliners to betray the soul of hemiplegia or paralysis which many consider a city" (221).

The short story "The Dead" is one of the writings in the Dubliners series that presents the theme of paralysis. One can argue that the Misses Morkan's annual dance represents Ireland’s repressed and predictable society and Gabriel Conroy represents Ireland sedated citizens and their static and dispassionate nature. One can also argument a relationship between the story’s shifting narrative and the aforementioned theme of paralysis.
The narration starts with the party as seen through Lily’s perspective. In the first scene of the story, we are introduced to Lily (the maid), who is very busy taking care of the arriving guests to Misses Morkan's party. There are several important lines in the very second paragraph that illustrate the repetitive nature of the party. The...

... middle of paper ...

...alized everything that is wrong with him and his life there is not guarantee that he would do anything about it. He has shown to be passive time and time again throughout of the story. Even though he has become self-aware, he also realized that his problem is that the way in which he is wired. He assumes his make-up is the problem and that is fixed. This makes any attempt to change highly difficult.

Works Cited

Hollister, Michael. Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, Revised Third Edition. Salem Press, Inc. New York. 1998.

Joyce, James. The Dead. Bedford/St. Martin’s. Boston/New York. 1994.

Lucente, George L. “Encounter and Subtext in ‘The Dead’: A Note on Joyce’s Narrative Techniques.” Studies in Short Fiction. (2002): 281-287.

Walzl, Florence L. “Pattern of Paralysis in Joyce’s Dubliners: A Study of Framework.” College English 22.4 (1961): 221-228.

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