제임스 조이스의 『더블린 사람들』에 나타난 마비와 각성

Abstract

Dubliners, James Joyce's first work, is composed of fifteen stories based upon life in Dublin. Its main theme is the paralysis of Dublin society. Its structure is divided into four periods: childhood, adolescence, maturity and public life. Dubliners is a work having the same scenery throughout Dublin and the consistent structure or theme of paralysis in Dublin society. The repetition of images or symbols are found everywhere in Dubliners. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the aspects of paralysis in Dubliners, and how the hero awakens and overcomes the paralysis in "The Dead" as a synthesis. The theme of paralysis begins with an old priest's physical disease in the first story, "The Sisters," and is apparent in all the other stories of Dubliners. In this paper, classified are five aspects of paralysis which are religious, moral, economic, political, and cultural. The theme of paralysis leads to self-awareness. Some characters recognize their own problems and try to solve them. Joyce's purpose of writing the book seems to help Irish people realize their spiritual conditions and escape from them. Such self-awareness culminates in the final story, "The Dead." "The Dead" summarizes the major theme of Dubliners and serves as an epilogue. Gabriel Conroy, who finally breaks the wall of his pride and egotism and feels the mutual dependency of the living and the dead, arrives at self-awareness. In the end, Joyce presents his country Ireland as a center of paralysis in Dubliners. And then, he makes his characters who live death-in-life in Dublin experience some severe paralysis and he, at the same time, emphasizes a spiritual deliverance of his country through his characters' experience of paralysis.