Epiphany, Paralysis, and the Senses in Dubliners
Katy
ENL 4303
2 March 2014
Epiphany, Paralysis, and the Senses in Dubliners
The word “epiphany” derives from the Christian account of Christ’s manifestation to the Gentiles as represented by the three Magi, so it is appropriate that James Joyce would use this term to describe the sudden awareness of the essence of an object, person, or situation. In Joyce’s novels, an epiphany is the moment in when all previous misconception or ignorance falls away to reveal the formerly unnoticed truth. It is the task of Joyce’s characters to seek this clarity not from a divine source, but rather in everyday situations that are at times uncomfortable or disappointing. Epiphanies are central to Dubliners, which is in essence a series of awakenings in fifteen different novellas. These various moments of insight and discernment can be read as a sequence of multiple objective epiphanies due to the fact that what materializes from the text is not only the revealing of the essence of the character, but also the revelation of the moral and intellectual paralysis of the city of Dublin itself. I posit that in Dubliners, all characters experience stimulation to one or more of the senses prior to the awareness of his or her predicament, which leads the character to recognize the emotional paralysis. In Dubliners, the characters’ vision is of such importance that the other senses such as taste, hearing, smell, and touch seem to carry little if no significance until the key moment just before an epiphany. Furthermore, the characters seem to be visually hypnotized by the city, which allows them to be controlled by a force that numbs their other senses. Joyce’s intent to present Dublin as a city whose inhabitants are trapped in a state of paralysis is confirmed in a letter he wrote to Constantine Curran, saying the goal of Dubliners is “to betray the soul of that hemiplegia, or paralysis which many consider a city” (Ellmann, 55). Dubliners exposes what goes on behind closed doors
ENL 4303
2 March 2014
Epiphany, Paralysis, and the Senses in Dubliners
The word “epiphany” derives from the Christian account of Christ’s manifestation to the Gentiles as represented by the three Magi, so it is appropriate that James Joyce would use this term to describe the sudden awareness of the essence of an object, person, or situation. In Joyce’s novels, an epiphany is the moment in when all previous misconception or ignorance falls away to reveal the formerly unnoticed truth. It is the task of Joyce’s characters to seek this clarity not from a divine source, but rather in everyday situations that are at times uncomfortable or disappointing. Epiphanies are central to Dubliners, which is in essence a series of awakenings in fifteen different novellas. These various moments of insight and discernment can be read as a sequence of multiple objective epiphanies due to the fact that what materializes from the text is not only the revealing of the essence of the character, but also the revelation of the moral and intellectual paralysis of the city of Dublin itself. I posit that in Dubliners, all characters experience stimulation to one or more of the senses prior to the awareness of his or her predicament, which leads the character to recognize the emotional paralysis. In Dubliners, the characters’ vision is of such importance that the other senses such as taste, hearing, smell, and touch seem to carry little if no significance until the key moment just before an epiphany. Furthermore, the characters seem to be visually hypnotized by the city, which allows them to be controlled by a force that numbs their other senses. Joyce’s intent to present Dublin as a city whose inhabitants are trapped in a state of paralysis is confirmed in a letter he wrote to Constantine Curran, saying the goal of Dubliners is “to betray the soul of that hemiplegia, or paralysis which many consider a city” (Ellmann, 55). Dubliners exposes what goes on behind closed doors
Cited: Joyce, James. Dubliners. New York: Dover Publications, 1991. Print. Joyce, James, and Richard Ellmann. Letters of James Joyce. Vol. I, II. London: Faber and Faber, 1966. Print. Riquelme, John Paul. "Eveline." Teller and Tale in Joyce 's Fiction: Oscillating Perspectives. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1983. N. pag. Print.