The Dead By James Joyce Essay

Ulysses, set June 16th 1904, immortalises James Joyce’s first, illicit sexual union with Nora Barnacle. This romantic gesture, coupled with Molly Bloom’s rapturous last words eliciting her own sexual encounter – ‘yes I said yes I will yes’ (1127) – gives rise to the ‘Joyce of Sex phenomenon’ (Valente 522), ‘the popular, and sometimes scholarly, assumption that Joyce affirms the potential of human sexuality to be fully liberating and gratifying’ (Valente 523). However, Joyce’s emancipatory erotic vision becomes crippled by the stifling sexual paralysis experienced by those in Dubliners. The episodic structure presents momentary windows into the confines of individual’s sexual otherness and the ambivalence amid the threat and promise of transgressing

Her ‘bronze hair’ (211), set beautifully against a ‘blue felt hat’ (211) illuminates her from the surrounding ‘darkness’ (211). The absence of light portrayed in Gretta’s background scenery acts as an embodiment of Gabriel’s sexual penumbra, the shadowing restraints of paralysis which cannot be broken by himself alone. He captures this visual image and depersonalises himself by rendering it a frozen, static painting. Gabriel’s characteristic aloofness becomes representational of an intertwining of Joyce’s typical semi-autobiographical anti-heroes and his literary alter ego, Stephen Dedalus’ basis of literary art in the theory of the ‘detached [and] impersonal artist’ (Splitter 191). Joyce emphasises Gabriel’s detached relationship with Gretta through naming the painting ‘Distant Music’ (211) and through his inability to identify clarity in his ardent loves own music. This clarity is obscured as Gabriel’s own sexual melody is out of sync, he alone is listening to a ‘thought tormented music’ (192) where he yearns to create harmony with Gretta’s unreachable tune. At this point we can establish Gabriel’s affinity to an anti-hero figure. The yearning sensation is reminiscent of the words written years ago in a letter, one which cannot quite capture Gabriel’s depth of ‘tender’ (215) emotion. Gabriel’s confession associates himself to the anti-hero motif whereby he fears his ‘own words are

Buber proposes that ‘the acceptance of the loved one’s otherness translates into a general acceptance of otherness that can undo the socio-political boundaries that alienate individuals from each other’ (Buber 66). The endorsement of otherness through affection, empathy and love gives weight to individuals not as a threat but a ‘legitimate political subject, who can pave the way for more positive political action’ (Buber 67) and in turn a release from sexual paralysis. Despite Buber ridding sexual restrictions from this theory, Duffy proposes his own. Instead of using Mrs. Sinico to ‘help, heal, educate, raise [and] redeem’ (Buber 66) to create the initial paving stones for sexual freedom he refashions her into an image to reflect his own greatness in his ‘angelical stature’ (106). This gesture reduces Mrs. Sinico to a mirror where Duffy rejects the opportunity to transform the ‘affirmation of otherness’ (Buber 66) into a broader social dialogue. By deeming Mrs. Sinico as ‘unfit to live’ (111) he further denies the invitation she provides to enable him to transcend his sexual paralysis. The return of the repressed phenomenon again features towards the latter of ‘A Painful Case’ where Mrs. Sinico’s voice ‘touch[es Duffy’s] ear’ (112). The redemptive power of Mrs. Sinico is