Irish Nationalism, Keats and Dubliners

Literature and literature review is a fundamental component of culture, and it has long served as a vital medium for academics to describe the different aspects of human life. The reader can link the pacing of a book to the events that were peculiar to a certain community at a given time by demonstrating different themes. James Joyce’s Dubliners, a collection of fifteen short stories inspired by different aspects of nationalism, is built on this foundation. Following the storyline’s demonstration in Dead and Araby, the reader can deduce that Irish nationalism is built on a foundation of alienation and reminiscing about missed opportunities. Loneliness can first be perceived as a key feature that defines the Irish nation because literature authors depict their characters as lonely members. For example, in The Dead, it is seen that Gabriel Conroy is a lonely person because despite the fact that he has a wife, he rarely spends time with her. When he finally gets the chance of vising a hotel with his wife, he is thrilled at the opportunity. Similarly, the narrator in Araby is delusional and obsessed with the idea of talking to a girl that he starts steeling glances at a neighbor’s daughter. The author states, “her figure defined by the light from the half-opened door….Her dress sw[inging] as she moved her body and the soft rope of her hair toss[ing] from side to side” (Price 23). The reader thus realizes that the Irish nationalism is founded on a society that is composed of lonely people.

The other significant feature that one can relate from the author’s outlining of the themes of the book Dubliners is that nationals in Ireland consider reminiscing as a major basis for solving personal challenges. It is normal for people to have personal issues that cause them to be distressed and in the end make such subjects to ponder upon missed chances. From the reading of the author’s description of the life conditions in Ireland, it is apparent that the characters face stressing conditions (Joyce 2). The manner in which they respond, however, is the significant feature because the subjects try to escape from the reality by resorting to reminisce the times they had with the deceased. Gretta avoids the idea of consummating her relationship and starts recalling her past relationship (Donschikowski 32). Gabriel is angered but ponders over not having been informed about such a crucial aspect about his wife’s past. The same outcome is perceived when one considers the nature of the relationship the narrator had with the neighbor’s daughter. He is caught up in a love stressing episode that angers him so that he could not by his new friend a preferred gift that would draw her into him. The common feature that the reader draws from the manner in which the author describes the nationalism in Ireland is that people try to evade their problem.

In summary, it is worth noting that from the description of the major themes in Dubliners, Irish nationalism is defined by people trying to evade their problems while others evidently show that they are leading lonely lives. The two tales that are appropriate in the description of these themes are Dead and Araby, two of the key books in James Joyce’ Dubliners. Overall, the reader can conclude the through characterization and the assessment of the thesis of literary works, one can make significant assumptions about a country’s nationalism.

References

Donschikowski. ”Literary Analysis Using James Joyce’s ‘Araby,.’” A Thematic Approach (2016): n. pag. Web.

Joyce, James. Dubliners. N.p., 1914. Print.

Price, Jerry. ”‘Araby’: A Simple Tale of Youthful Passion.” Campu Pages (2016): n. pag. Web.