Response to Leah,

I agree with you when you say that all the stories (that we have covered in class) have bad endings, and really lead to nothing. It makes it difficult to read through these stories because they are rather boring and i feel that while i am reading i am just looking for Joyce's method of revealing some sort of symbolism. I have to go back and re-read various paragraphs because i am too focused on searching for the meaning rather than the story itself.

JORDAN WELLS - WEEK TWO

This week we had to read "After the Race" and "The Two Gallants." I thought that these two stories were more difficult to read than the previous stories we read last week. Each story leads to a moral in the ending, sometimes i hard to catch the meanings due to Joyce's writing style. In "After the Race" we learn the differences of other countries through symbolism given within the peronalitly traits of the characters. I didn't really understand the symbolism after reading, the story lead to nothing, leaving it very confusing for me to understand. In "The Two Gallants" these two men, with very little values, use women to steal for them. These two men are low class people and there actions are disturbing.

Week 2

To comment on what Victoria said, I agree with much that you had to say. First off, once we went over the stories in class, a lot of things made since, as you noted. I think that was dead on when you said how all of the reoccurring symbols and themes portray Ireland’s issues. And nothing James Joyce does is an accident. My least favorite story was “Araby,” as well. The ending was inconclusive it seemed like.

Blog Post-Week 2

Upon reading the stories this week, I again noticed that the characters always have a moment revelation in which they recognize the truth of the situation, but do nothing to change it. In “After the Race”, Jimmy loses a game of cards, and gives a speech as he was intoxicated completely embarrassing himself. He hangs his head in his hands, knowing that regret will set in the next day, but the funny part about this is the next day is already there. This story suggests that regret is always lurking; as he ignores the situation he covers it with his obsession of wealth. The next short story, “Two Gallants” is about two men who convince a maid to steal from their employers. These men both live a shallow life, and are not very ambitious. The ironic thing about this story is these men are far from ‘gallant’, as the title of the story is “Two Gallants”. One of Joyce’s techniques throughout the Dubliners is using deep underlying messages about Irelands past, for instance, in “Two Gallant” a harp is used which is a traditional symbol of Ireland. Again, Lenehan’s dinner reflects the colors of Ireland’s flag, green peas and orange ginger beer. As we talked in class, the stories gradually begin to change and the characters start to grow as the stories go on. For example, the first few stories were about young boys, to teenagers and finally the last story “The Dead”. I find this very interesting, and as I continue reading these stories I find myself becoming more involved in each story.

Ashley Belcik

Blog Post Week 2 Jebediah Pritchard

The two stories covered this week,After the Race and The Gallants do indeed share a common theme. This a first may not be entirely apparent at first. It may be apparent that the stories are about Ireland, though there is another theme that it noted, perhaps a noted theme among many. The connecting strand that was noted by me was of a man as being a worthless , nothing, deprived animal living in a world of false constructs and hellish anxieties and realities . As Edgar Allan Poe has stated in Sonnet, to Science, “...........are dull realities”. A dull , morose reality is introduced in the readings and such concepts an reintroduced and reiterated in many of the others reading in Dubliners.

The two central characters in the reading are to a degree helpless They of course are also not helpless to a degree, the reality of the situation may be like the perception of the situations , though perception is highly subjective and this point , I believe should be considered. I am strongly reminded of the central character in Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground, an unnamed central character who is shy, introverted, timid , unhappy , bitter, morose, morbid, and generally in a sour state. The characters in Dubliners , say Jimmy and Lenehan are both mildly similar to Dostovyevsky's unnamed character, though what is sharply similar is the punishing state of affairs which these three mentioned charters find themselves in and their shared notion of change, though not that change will occur, though that each of these three characters considers change in a stated or unstated, indirect way.

Response to jrimmer 's Post

Are the stories in Dubliners in fact dark bleak tales? To an extent they may be. They are works of fiction that were based upon an author's perception of the situation of his homeland. To me it seems the stories are sweet and sour. There is hope in these stories combined with ill fortunes and a rough lot in life.