Dubliners: Looking Back Into Our Present
James Joyce’s Dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories. While each short story focuses on certain themes and ideas, they are mostly dark and gloomy, and realistically detail the lives of Dubliners. It is extraordinary considering Joyce did not write it in Dublin. Varying demographics of Dubliners are explored. From schoolchildren, parents, to plain office workers living routine lives, stories are crafted from quite ordinary and real events. However, a general theme of isolation and detachment is present. Despite these stories being written over a century ago, such themes seem as pervasive as ever in modern society. The fifteen short stories collectively represent Dublin society through the eyes of James Joyce.
‘Counterparts’, one of the fifteen short stories, introduces the readers to Farrington, a man whose job is copying documents. The repetitive nature of his work may influence his personality, which could be described as impulsive. As Dickens describes in Hard Times, for the people in Coketown “every day [would be] the same as yesterday and tomorrow”: much like Farrington’s life. The reader quickly learns Farrington’s opinion of his boss, exemplified by his “spasm of rage” towards Mr. Alleyne. Such dislike and distancing from one’s employer is not uncommon in modern society. A survey found that 58% of respondents trust a stranger more than their boss; 53% of Americans are unhappy at work; while 11.4% of Americans claim to work more than 50 hours a week. Links have been made between working for more than 55 hours a week and depression. Furthermore, Farrington “longed” to be away from his work and at a bar with his friends, suggesting that he is unhappy at his workplace. In addition, Brian A. Primack Ph.D., the director of a technology and health research centre, says that “we are inherently social creatures”, demonstrating that humans have hardly changed in that regard. The statistics and the opinion of an expert in their field illustrate that the “hell” which Farrington thought his life was, is still present in today’s society. The issues which Farrington have with his office illustrates the relevance of Dubliners. It is clear that in modern society, Joyce’s Dubliners is still applicable to workers, and reflect the struggles which workers experience.
In ‘A Painful Case’, Joyce urges readers to examine the life of a lonely person. Mr. Duffy, a “saturnine” man who has “neither companion nor friends” meets another lonely person, Mrs. Sinico. An epidemic of loneliness it seems, is not an issue of the past. It turns out that isolation and alienation is “widespread”. Moreover, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that 45% of Australians have experienced mental disorder, while George Monbiot, environmental and political activist, claims that modern society is in an “age of atomisation”. Additionally, he claims that an “epidemic of loneliness is sweeping the world”. Jacqueline Grassmayr in Canon Reloaded states that “cities were… places of alienation”. However, Joyce does not explicitly state the reasons for Mrs. Sinico’s detachment from society. Joyce compels the reader to examine reasons why she is an “outcast from life’s feast”. Mrs. Sinico’s husband is regularly away as captain of a “plying” boat, while her daughter gave music lessons. It can now be seen that Mrs. Sinico is detached and severed from society due to no companionship and social interactions: there is no purpose in her life. Joyce sets out to prove that Mrs. Sinico’s isolation is quite credible and real. Joyce attempts to bring her predicament to the attention of others, through his portrayal of the lonely.
Dubliners has remained relevant in today’s society due to the language Joyce carefully and skilfully employs. Monbiot asserts that “[a] string of facts… has no power… to dislodge a powerful story” and that effective and powerful stories can be “quickly memorised”, while Grassmayr claims that cities are places of “polar opposites”. Joyce is able to, through skilful use of language, create a resonating story while capturing the essence of cities Grassmayr described. One such example appears in the introduction of ‘Two Gallants’. The streets which “shuttered for the repose of Sunday, swarmed with a gaily coloured crowd” are the setting. The descriptive language evokes images of a large slow-moving mass of people. Such images area easy to remember and immediately elicited from one’s mind when talking of a crowd of people. The idea of opposites is also present. The streets, which were closed, were alive with activity. Similarly, Joyce’s subtle use of language becomes evident in ‘A Painful Case’ — the moments leading up to Mr. Duffy discovering the death of Mrs. Sinico are marked with slighter and slighter disturbances. Firstly, Mr. Duffy’s hand “stopped”. His food began “deposit[ing]… cold white grease” before his hazel stick “[struck] the ground regularly” in the “twilight”. Finally, he reached his house, only to read the paper in “failing” light. A cold sinister feeling grows along with the intensifying language. In this manner, Joyce manipulates the feelings and mood of the readers, and draws emotions of danger, disturbance, and something darker, and also alter the setting of the short story. Such powerful and memorable stories, characterised by careful use of language, only reinforces the relevancy of Dubliners.
Dubliners has remained relatable in modern society. The collection of fifteen short stories concern certain groups of people, who seem comparable to those who Joyce wrote about. While each story tackles its own issue, there are general themes of detachment from society. Very real events are transformed into stories where isolation and paralysis are overarching themes. The original and realistic stories Joyce tells of ordinary Dubliners facing the difficulties of navigating life are relatable in modern society. They are as compelling as they are accurate about Dublin life. It appears as though Joyce has created a timeless piece able to withstand the various changes in society over time. It should therefore be said that Dubliners is as relevant as ever.
