“The Dead” , by James Joyce, provides robust characters that stir the soul to reach deeper into the world of the living. Gretta is one character in the story that encourages self examination of relationships both past and present. While physically Gretta is with Gabriel, her soul remains with Michael Furey. Michael Furey is the prince charming that the souls of women spend lifetimes hoping to find. Like Gretta and Gabriel , relationships are often about settling. What is the price of settling?
Throughout this work, Gretta is a sideline, never really the center stage. That spot is taken by Gabriel. Gretta “lives” in a shadow. As Gabriel observes Gretta listening to Mr. D’Arcy, she is at a distance. This seems symbolic of their relationship. Gabriel even makes reference to the distance when he thinks of the image as an artist would see his wife. He states he would name it Distant Music. Joyce has, in a very subtle way implied distance. It is also his desire, whether known or unknown, to bridge the distance between them. Joyce symbolizes this when Gabriel dismisses the others and makes Gretta the focus of his attention: “ Gabriel pointed upstairs towards where his wife was standing.” He was very aware of her “grace and mystery” and wanted to be a part of it. His interest in the song was not direct; it was interest because it was captivating to Gretta.
The “mystery” of Gretta draws Gabriel to desire her in ways that he could remember only by remembering years past. Joyce eloquently describes Gabriel’s revived desires for his wife:
"A wave of yet more tender joy escaped from his heart and went coursing in ware flood along his arteries. Like the tender fire of stars moments of their life together, that no one knew of or would ever know of, broke upon and illumined his memory. He longed to recall to her those moments, to make her forget the years of their dull existence tougher and remember only their moments of ecstasy.”
This rekindled desire for Gretta is twisted into an epiphany of their life and a mature acceptance of Gretta and her past love. Once they are in their room Gretta does not respond to him with sexual offerings, she responds to Gabriel with sadness and a “meltdown” of emotions from the song she heard at the party. She opens up to Gabriel and shares the story of the man who died for her. Harold Bloom offers an interesting observation:
“Gretta Conroy in “The Dead” has suddenly recalled an old lover, of whom she has never spoken and who moved her passions more deeply than her husband has done. After the dance she confesses as much to Gabriel, yet she too is remarkably free of shame, penitence, or the desire to apologize...Has her immature passion for Michael Furey been succeeded by a mature love for Gabriel. Joyce does not say so openly, but we do sense that the humiliation Gabriel feels as a result of her confession is an exaggerated, over-dramatized first response. Later he calmly accepts the situation and this is what leads to the visionary state evoked at the end of the story.” (Bloom 371)
The price of settling was reconciled to Gabriel in the end. Both Gretta and Gabriel paid the price of a life without great passions of a lover. Gretta knew the love while Gabriel realized he had never known that feeling. Could "The Dead" title be a reference to Gretta's love with someone of "the dead" instead of the living?
Works Cited:
Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Reviews James Joyce. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.
Sipiora, Phillip. Reading and Writing About Literature. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2002.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Writing: The Mirror of Life
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, “Babylon Revisited”, reflects his life with an uncanny aura. Throughout this work, there are several examples of his life in the experiences of the protagonist. “Babylon Revisited” often proves to be a transparent tapestry of Scott Fitzgerald and Charlie Wales.
Challenges with drinking problems plague Scott Fitzgerald most of his adult life. Fitzgerald uses this personal weakness to significantly define Charlie Wales. Conversation between Alix and Charlie offers an example.
“No, no more”, Charlie said, “I am going slow these days.”
Alix congratulated him: “You were going pretty strong a couple of years ago.”
“I’ll stick to it all right,” Charlie assured him. “I’ve stuck to it for over a year and a half now.”
Charlie was aware that alcohol had created difficulties for him and he was maintaining control of his consumption. Marion adds her observations about his drinking habits in this conversation with Charlie and Lincoln.
“I should think you’d have had enough of bars.”
“I only stayed a minute. I take one drink every afternoon, and no more.”
“Don’t you want a cocktail before dinner?” Lincoln asked.
“I take only one drink every afternoon, and I’ve had that.”
“I hope you keep to it,” said Marion.
Another place of Charles determination to control his drinking is illustrated in the bar after Lincoln has told him that Honoria will stay with them for another six months. Charlie is distraught. The author reveals a time of challenge for anyone struggling to control alcoholic behavior: “ He went back to his table. His whiskey glass was empty, but he shook his head when Alix looked at it questioningly. There wasn’t much he could do now except send Honoria some things; he would send her a lot of things tomorrow.” …”No, no more,” he said to another waiter.” Fitzgerald gives strength to Charlie at a time when his personal life was in need of strength as well.
Inspection of Scott’s relationship with his daughter, Scottie, reveals that she, like Honoria, would live with another family during her teenage years. While resources indicate that Scottie went to live with family friends at approximately the same time ‘Babylon Revisited” was published, this could be reflection of the author’s life. Could it be visionary ?
Helen Wales is already deceased in the opening of “Babylon Revisited”, her character reveals some of the struggles of Scott’s marriage to Zelda. Charlie remembers a scene at the Florida that was in his words, “the beginning of the end”. The details Fitzgerald uses in this scene closely resemble scenes from an episode in his own life in which Zelda becomes enraged by his affections for Isadora Duncan.
Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald lived a scintillating life on the surface. On a deeper investigation, there was often chaos and strife. Zelda’s life with Scott ended in a mental institution. Fitzgerald tries to reconcile this life in Charlie and Helen. While death takes Helen from Charlie as the consequence of reckless living, Scott loses Zelda to the living consequences of life choices and reckless living.
References:
Fitzgerald, F.Scott. "Babylon Revisited." Sipiora, Phillip. Reading and Writing About Literature. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2002. 6-19.
Prigozy, Ruth. The Fitzgeralds. 2004. 31 January 2007 www.zeldafitzgerald.com/fitzgeralds/index.asp.
Board of Trustees, University of SC. A Fitzgerald Chronology. 4 December 2003. 28 January 2007 http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/chronology.html.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, “Babylon Revisited”, reflects his life with an uncanny aura. Throughout this work, there are several examples of his life in the experiences of the protagonist. “Babylon Revisited” often proves to be a transparent tapestry of Scott Fitzgerald and Charlie Wales.
Challenges with drinking problems plague Scott Fitzgerald most of his adult life. Fitzgerald uses this personal weakness to significantly define Charlie Wales. Conversation between Alix and Charlie offers an example.
“No, no more”, Charlie said, “I am going slow these days.”
Alix congratulated him: “You were going pretty strong a couple of years ago.”
“I’ll stick to it all right,” Charlie assured him. “I’ve stuck to it for over a year and a half now.”
Charlie was aware that alcohol had created difficulties for him and he was maintaining control of his consumption. Marion adds her observations about his drinking habits in this conversation with Charlie and Lincoln.
“I should think you’d have had enough of bars.”
“I only stayed a minute. I take one drink every afternoon, and no more.”
“Don’t you want a cocktail before dinner?” Lincoln asked.
“I take only one drink every afternoon, and I’ve had that.”
“I hope you keep to it,” said Marion.
Another place of Charles determination to control his drinking is illustrated in the bar after Lincoln has told him that Honoria will stay with them for another six months. Charlie is distraught. The author reveals a time of challenge for anyone struggling to control alcoholic behavior: “ He went back to his table. His whiskey glass was empty, but he shook his head when Alix looked at it questioningly. There wasn’t much he could do now except send Honoria some things; he would send her a lot of things tomorrow.” …”No, no more,” he said to another waiter.” Fitzgerald gives strength to Charlie at a time when his personal life was in need of strength as well.
Inspection of Scott’s relationship with his daughter, Scottie, reveals that she, like Honoria, would live with another family during her teenage years. While resources indicate that Scottie went to live with family friends at approximately the same time ‘Babylon Revisited” was published, this could be reflection of the author’s life. Could it be visionary ?
Helen Wales is already deceased in the opening of “Babylon Revisited”, her character reveals some of the struggles of Scott’s marriage to Zelda. Charlie remembers a scene at the Florida that was in his words, “the beginning of the end”. The details Fitzgerald uses in this scene closely resemble scenes from an episode in his own life in which Zelda becomes enraged by his affections for Isadora Duncan.
Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald lived a scintillating life on the surface. On a deeper investigation, there was often chaos and strife. Zelda’s life with Scott ended in a mental institution. Fitzgerald tries to reconcile this life in Charlie and Helen. While death takes Helen from Charlie as the consequence of reckless living, Scott loses Zelda to the living consequences of life choices and reckless living.
References:
Fitzgerald, F.Scott. "Babylon Revisited." Sipiora, Phillip. Reading and Writing About Literature. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2002. 6-19.
Prigozy, Ruth. The Fitzgeralds. 2004. 31 January 2007 www.zeldafitzgerald.com/fitzgeralds/index.asp.
Board of Trustees, University of SC. A Fitzgerald Chronology. 4 December 2003. 28 January 2007 http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/chronology.html.
From End to Beginning
Earnest Hemingway develops an explosive plot in “Indian Camp”. Nick Adams is thrown into a journey of years that takes place in only a few short hours. One cannot arrive at maturity without the experience of the journey. These few hours are only a station in Nick’s transition to maturity. It will take thought and time for Nick to absorb and grow from this experience. Nick reveals his immaturity, and hope for immortality, in the last sentence: “In the early morning on the lake sitting in the stern of the boat with his father rowing, he felt quite sure that he would never die.”
Nick is exposed to life forming events throughout “Indian Camp”. These experiences begin when Nick’s father explains to him “this lady is going to have a baby.” Nick, showing his inexperience in life, replies, “I know”. Nick again tries to show understanding after his father explains: “All her muscles are trying to get the baby born. That is what is happening when she screams.” Nick responds with: “I see”. Those two words provide an interesting point for exploration. “I see” appears to indicate an understanding, a comprehension of the events that are taking place. More realistic is the literal meaning of the words. Nick “sees” what is taking place, almost in awe or curiosity.
Another time, Nick tells his father that he likes being an interene “all right”. While this appears to be an attempt to show maturity, his actions of “looking away so as not to see what his father was doing”, indicate his dislike of the experience. If Nick was showing maturity, he would have been able to express his feeling truthfully. Nick doesn’t show any further interest in what his father is doing to complete the surgery on the Indian woman. Nick also handles the suicide of the father rather benignly. A mature person could not witness and understand suicide without some type of reaction.
While Nick does question his father on the death of the father and suicide in general, Nick does not seem to fully grasp the fullness of what has happened. His thoughts ‘that he would never die”, indicate that he does not understand the realities of life and death, even after the events of the night. Certainly as the new day dawns, Nick has been changed forever by the revolting experiences of his night in the Indian camp with his father, Uncle George, the new mother and the suicidal Indian father. Nick will never look at things in quite the same light again, but maturity will come later for him, as will death.
Works Cited:
"Indian Camp." Sipiora, Phillip. Reading and Writing About Literature. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2002. 28-31.
Nick is exposed to life forming events throughout “Indian Camp”. These experiences begin when Nick’s father explains to him “this lady is going to have a baby.” Nick, showing his inexperience in life, replies, “I know”. Nick again tries to show understanding after his father explains: “All her muscles are trying to get the baby born. That is what is happening when she screams.” Nick responds with: “I see”. Those two words provide an interesting point for exploration. “I see” appears to indicate an understanding, a comprehension of the events that are taking place. More realistic is the literal meaning of the words. Nick “sees” what is taking place, almost in awe or curiosity.
Another time, Nick tells his father that he likes being an interene “all right”. While this appears to be an attempt to show maturity, his actions of “looking away so as not to see what his father was doing”, indicate his dislike of the experience. If Nick was showing maturity, he would have been able to express his feeling truthfully. Nick doesn’t show any further interest in what his father is doing to complete the surgery on the Indian woman. Nick also handles the suicide of the father rather benignly. A mature person could not witness and understand suicide without some type of reaction.
While Nick does question his father on the death of the father and suicide in general, Nick does not seem to fully grasp the fullness of what has happened. His thoughts ‘that he would never die”, indicate that he does not understand the realities of life and death, even after the events of the night. Certainly as the new day dawns, Nick has been changed forever by the revolting experiences of his night in the Indian camp with his father, Uncle George, the new mother and the suicidal Indian father. Nick will never look at things in quite the same light again, but maturity will come later for him, as will death.
Works Cited:
"Indian Camp." Sipiora, Phillip. Reading and Writing About Literature. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2002. 28-31.
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