A Character Analysis of James Joyces The Dubliners Essay -- Literary

In the collection of short stories in â€Å"Dubliners,† James Joyce introduces a mosaic of the day-to-day lives of working class Irishmen and their personal struggles with the pre-independent societal and personal restrictions of Victorian England. The characters of Little Chandler, Eveline, Maria, and Farrington symbolize the specific components of the kaleidoscopic Irish population and their universal tendency to stay contained within the limits of the current time period and within the limitations of their society. Despite life presenting them with opportunities to improve or change their living conditions, these people are not ready to move on and are suffocated by their ambiguity, their belief system, and their stereotypes. Joyce’s characters illustrate multiple stereotypes and also a variety of beliefs that Irish people followed, which influenced their behavior and their choices. Some literary critics recognize the reason for the paralysis of Dubliners as being the society as a whole with its pervasive moral conditions (Bloom 90-91). One of the most significant stereotypes, described by Phillip F. Herring, was the misleading belief among the Irish population that the improvement of their lives comes â€Å"only through death or emigration† (Bloom 91). This false conviction is presented in at least two Joyce’s characters; Eveline and Tom Chandler. Eveline is a nineteen year old girl from the book of the same name. Although still very young, she is taking care of her abusive father and two siblings in return for having a roof over her head. She is employed in â€Å"stores† under the supervision of Miss Hill, who, similarly to her father, does not show any fondness f or and kindness to Eveline. However, there might be a light at th... ...guage 51.1 (2009): 1-16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. de Voogd, Peter. â€Å"Imaging Eveline, Visualised Focalisations In James Joyce’s Dubliners.† European Journal of English Studies 4.1 (2000): 39-48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2012 Goldberg, S.L. â€Å"Virtues and Limitations In James Joyce’s ‘Dubliners’: A Critical Handbook.† Eds. James R. Baker and Thomas F. Staley. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc. (1969): 29–35. Print. Herring, Philip F. â€Å"‘Dubliners’: The Trials Of Adolescence In James Joyce: A Collection of Critical Essays.† Ed. Mary T. Reynold. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1993): 67-80. Print. Kelly, Joseph. â€Å"Our Joyce: From Outcast To Icon†. University of Texas Press, 1998. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 10 Apr. 2012. Joyce, James. â€Å"Dubliners†. Ed. Margot Norris.1st ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. Print A Character Analysis of James Joyce's The Dubliners Essay -- Literary In the collection of short stories in â€Å"Dubliners,† James Joyce introduces a mosaic of the day-to-day lives of working class Irishmen and their personal struggles with the pre-independent societal and personal restrictions of Victorian England. The characters of Little Chandler, Eveline, Maria, and Farrington symbolize the specific components of the kaleidoscopic Irish population and their universal tendency to stay contained within the limits of the current time period and within the limitations of their society. Despite life presenting them with opportunities to improve or change their living conditions, these people are not ready to move on and are suffocated by their ambiguity, their belief system, and their stereotypes. Joyce’s characters illustrate multiple stereotypes and also a variety of beliefs that Irish people followed, which influenced their behavior and their choices. Some literary critics recognize the reason for the paralysis of Dubliners as being the society as a whole with its pervasive moral conditions (Bloom 90-91). One of the most significant stereotypes, described by Phillip F. Herring, was the misleading belief among the Irish population that the improvement of their lives comes â€Å"only through death or emigration† (Bloom 91). This false conviction is presented in at least two Joyce’s characters; Eveline and Tom Chandler. Eveline is a nineteen year old girl from the book of the same name. Although still very young, she is taking care of her abusive father and two siblings in return for having a roof over her head. She is employed in â€Å"stores† under the supervision of Miss Hill, who, similarly to her father, does not show any fondness f or and kindness to Eveline. However, there might be a light at th... ...guage 51.1 (2009): 1-16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. de Voogd, Peter. â€Å"Imaging Eveline, Visualised Focalisations In James Joyce’s Dubliners.† European Journal of English Studies 4.1 (2000): 39-48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2012 Goldberg, S.L. â€Å"Virtues and Limitations In James Joyce’s ‘Dubliners’: A Critical Handbook.† Eds. James R. Baker and Thomas F. Staley. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc. (1969): 29–35. Print. Herring, Philip F. â€Å"‘Dubliners’: The Trials Of Adolescence In James Joyce: A Collection of Critical Essays.† Ed. Mary T. Reynold. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1993): 67-80. Print. Kelly, Joseph. â€Å"Our Joyce: From Outcast To Icon†. University of Texas Press, 1998. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 10 Apr. 2012. Joyce, James. â€Å"Dubliners†. Ed. Margot Norris.1st ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. Print