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question number 1

Why can “Dubliners” be regarded as a highly innovative work?

James Joyce summarizes in his human and artistic experience the epochal transition from the 19th to 20th centuries in his human and artistic experience.

Joyce was deeply influenced by the great changes of his time which was characterised by restlessness and uncertainty: people started questioning the traditions and cultural heritage whilw their country was afflicted by many political and cultural issues. This emerges from the texts of the Irish author, in which he conveys an image of Dublin as the center of the modern and spiritual paralysis He can certainly be defined as one of the literary fathers of the new century, thanks to his thematic and stylistic innovations, Joyce will inspire many other twentieth century writers and will become the symbol of a cosmopolitan artist who had the ability to project his ideas about man and human existence in a new way. Joyce expresses and portrays the discomfort and restlessness of the man of his time proceeding "from below", paying particular attention to people who lived their true and authentic vices and defects in a condition of frustration and aspiration.

It can be regarded as a highly innovative work because Joyce's style is here characterized by a mixed use of realism and symbolism. Joyce wants to take the reader beyond the usual aspects of ordinary life and shows the spiritual paralysis in which most Dubliners seem to be imprisoned. Joyce presents the lives of his lower-middle class characters as being oppressed by the external forces of society limiting their chances to realise their full potential as human beings. The main theme in Dubliners is therefore the failure to find a way out from one's own confined world. Dubliners consists in a psychological exploration of the characters' impressions and points of view. As a result, their language is often broken down in a succession of words which reflect their memories and expectations. Reality in Dubliners becomes the place of the psychological projections made by the characters' minds. Although in Dubliners Joyce still employs a third-person narrator and is not yet using the stream of consciousness technique that will later characterise his novels - like Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake - in Dubliners there is already an anticipation of his future narrative style and themes.

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QUESTION N.1

Why can “Dubliners” be regarded as a highly innovative work?

“Dubliners” is an innovative work from many points of view, not only for the narrative technique used by James Joyce, but also because it represents one of the first narrative works that criticize the “modern times”.

“Dubliners” is an innovative work also because, although the characters become aware of their existence through an “Epiphany”, they cannot do anything because they’re are chained to their social role. The incapacity of the Dubliners to realise their full potential as human beings is the sign of spiritual crisis that - Joyce’s collection of short stories focuses on two important, fundamental themes: the moral, spiritual “Paralysis”, caused by politics and religion of the time in which all Dubliners seem to be caught in and their inability to “escape” from a condition of unhappiness. For example, in the story of “Eveline”,  we see a young woman that is about to leave her home for  Buenos Aires where she hopes to start a new life with her fiànce Frank. Unexpectedly, at the end, when she remembers her mother and the promise she had made to her, she will decide to remain at home and look after her family.  In each story, the attempt to escape always fails and it’s exactly this incapacity of the Dubliners to change their lives which reveals the spiritual weakness of Joyce's fellow citizens. All characters seems to be suffocated by the social context, the culture, the rules deeply rooted in Catholicism. Each character has a social mask from which he  cannot escape.

in Joyce's opinion - a moral, spirtitual paralysis is affecting the modern world.

In “Dubliners”, the author leaves the omniscient narrator and develops the use of the point of view technique. Dubliners consists in a psychological exploration of the characters' impressions and points of view. As a result, their language is often broken down in a succession of words which reflect their memories and expectations. Reality in Dubliners becomes the place of the psychological projections made by the characters' minds. Although in Dubliners Joyce still employs a third-person narrator and is not yet using the stream of consciousness technique that will later characterise his novels - like Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake - in Dubliners there is already an anticipation of his future narrative style and themes. “Dubliners” can be regarded as a highly innovative work because Joyce's style is here characterised by the mixed use of realism and symbolism. The collection contains realistic stories in the style of Flaubert and Emile Zola, on the other hand, “Dubliners” is soaked of many symbolic elements, which the author used to escape censorship, too. Last, but not least, “Dubliners” aimed at denouncing the conditions under which the Irish lived and worked. “Dubliners” isn’t a sentimental story with a happy ending; it is psychological, realistic, investigation that describes the human condition at the beginning of the 20th century.

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Question number 2

On the day of her departure to Argentina, Eveline is torn between duty and desire. Explain.

Eveline is torn between duty and desire, between the known and the unknown. She is really insecure about her future: she doesn’t know if it is better to leave Dublin with her boyfriend to start a new life in Argentina or to stay in Dublin and continue to live her everyday life. In the final scene of the harbour, while Frank is urging her to come on board, she appears like frozen by fear and guilt; she is like paralyzed, she cannot speak or express her emotions.  Eveline wishes she could escape from that miserable life. She dreams of going away and live a different life. Eveline wants to change her life, and apparently she is ready to leave her house, her father, her job, because she wants to be free. On the other hand, however, she will fail the courage to pursue her dream. She would like to leave with Frank but she is afraid of leaving her abusive father and her home, because of a promise she had made to her mother that she would keep their family together. The woman is in a really complex moment and she has a twisted mind. Most of the story takes place in her mind and her psychology is indeed complex and very conflictual. She will not follow Frank on board the leaving ship and will remain in Ireland.

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Question Nr. 3

Try to list all the human feelings that the story touches. In particular Eveline felt obliged towhom? Why?

This story takes us through human feelings and most of them are in contrast with each other.One of the most important is love,along with fear, frustration and moral paralysis.At the beginning of the story, we see Eveline sitting at the window in her old, shabby house before leaving for Argentina with Frank.Frank is a sailor,who has travelled in many countries,so he is someone who doesn ́thave a settled life.He falls in love with Eveline and he wants to star a new life with her in his home in Buenos Aires.Maybe he saw in her the change of having a normal life and finally be loved by someone.He shows his love to Eveline by trying to make her happy in many ways.He doesn ́t want to leave without Eveline,but on the other hand the young woman doesn ́t seem tobe sure about her feelings.Obviously there is a contrast between what she feels for Frank and her sense of duty towards her family.On one hand she feels safe and happy with him and she thinks she is in love with him.On the other hand she wonders if she is just attracted to him because he can change her life in better.We discover that she feels opressed by condition and she begins to think about the reasons why she wants go away.Eveline is unhappy because of her abusive father.Although Eveline remembers that he was a perfect,lovely and funny man,after her mother´s death he changed.He has probably been suffering so much that he changed in the worse version of himself.
Eveline understands the pain he feels,because she had a special bond with her too.As the time of departure approaches, Eveline is seized by fear and uncertainty about her choice. She hears an oldItalian song that reminds her of her mother's last day of life. She thus remembers that she made a promise to her mother to keep the family together as long as she could.That ́s the reasons why she feels bliged to herfamily: she knows that her father have  no one else but her and even if she had bad times,she loves her family and she knows that she must keep the promise.She shows to be verykind,forgiving and resilient.
In some ways this story can be divided in two parts showing two groups of human feelings:the positive ones like love,happiness,hope for a better life and the negative ones like the pain the father feels;the anguish that Eveline feels because she is notsure about her decision,the oppression and sadness she feels in her life.
I think it isincredible how James Joyce was able to instill so many emotions in such a short story.You can feel the joyfulness,lightheartedness typical of the adolescence then the stress and the fear to make a final decision.You feel the remorse and at the end Eveline's moral paralysis and lack of courage.When she is petrified at the harbour andlets Frank go away without her ,you can literally putyourself in her shoes and see her sense of panic and that ́s incredible

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Question n. 3

Try to list all the human feelings that the story touches. In particular Eveline felt obliged to whom? Why?

Eveline's story and the whole collection of dubliners deal with situations of everyday life, in which the author describes ordinary characters with different personalities, who are no heroes and have no particular virtues.

The female figures like for example Eveline and Gretta Conroy are characterized by doubts, insecurities and sensuality.

The protagonist of the short story Eveline is a young girl who lives in a hostile social context, forced to lead a monotonous life, due to the death of her mother, Eveline has to look after her father and brothers. She is introverted, indecisive, afraid and conditioned by Dublin narrow, Catholic mentality.

Eveline thinks back to her past, especially on the vow she made to her mother, promising that she would keep the family together. She then remember her childhood. We discover that she is terrified by her father who abuses her. Moreover, she feels frustrated because of her unpretentious job as a saleswoman. Still, she has planned to go away with a sailor named Frank to Buenos Aires, an ambitious, good-natured, generous and strong-tempered guy. Eveline decides to stay in Dublin and does not follow her boyfriend because she feels obliged to keep the promise made to her mother. Frank, who has already embarked on the ship, shouts at her inviting her to join him. At the end of the story, however, he is forced to leave without her.

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How do Eveline's feelings towards Frank evolve? What prevents Eveline from leaving with Frank?

Eveline is ready to escape from her hard life and start a new one in Buenos Aires with Frank. He is the only person who has treated her kindly and lovingly. Apparently, she seems in love with him, but in reality she sees him as a chance to run away from her depressing life. At first she is fascinated by Frank. She has been attracted by Frank's lively personality and the novelty of having someone in her life, but her feelings towards Frank do not evolve during the story, because she has never been in love with him.
At the end of the story, when the ship is leaving the harbour, Eveline will not get on board with Frank. First of all, the love she feels for him is not so deep to give up her life. Secondly, before dying her mother had pleaded to keep their family united and she promised that she would do so. Eveline's "moment of epiphany" happens while she is going down to the harbour where Frank is waiting for her. Suddenly she hears an organ playing some Italian music that she reminds her of the promise she made to her mother. The memory of her mother's suffering and unhappiness make her instinctively feel the need to escape. She realises that she could restart her life from zero with Frank.
This ordinary episode represents Eveline's moment of self-realisation. When she finally is at the port, however, her sense of duty prevails on real wishes. She then invokes God and asks for guidance. In doing so she gives up her free will and her right to self-realisation. Although Eveline is tired of her life, she is unable to make a final decision in order to improve it. She is paralysed by external and moral forces linked to culture and religion. We see that Eveline is completely blocked by fear and cannot neither move,see or speak. She will let the ship go without even finding the force to greet Frank. Through the character of Eveline Joyce shows us the inability of the human being to react from a negative and/or monotonous situation, because we lack courage and spiritual strenght. The last scene shows Eveline as a symbol of all Dubliners' spiritual paralysis and lack of moral courage. Eveline is not able to react and make a decision to her own happiness. She will remain in Dublin and continue her miserable life with her family.

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Question number 4

QUESTION N 4 HOW DO EVELINE’S FEELINGS TOWARDS FRANK EVOLVE ? WHAT PREVENTS EVELINE FROM LEAVING WITH FRANK ?

In this short story James Joyce deals with Eveline’s chance to move away from her family, from her miserable life in Dublin, to start a new life with Frank in Argentina. Frank is a kind, open-hearted man and a sailor, who has visited a lot of places in the world and has bought a house in Bueonos Aires. He decides to ask to Eveline to become his wife and return there with her. This is a new opportunity for her that proves she has the strength to think about a new future away from the harships of her and daily life in Dublin. But these two characters have opposite lives: Eveline feels obliged to give sustenance and help to her family, meanwhile Frank loves travelling has always been indipendent, away from his family and affections. Throughout the story James Joyce is not precise about the feelings of the characters: Eveline doesn’t speak about love, happiness or fear neither is Frank’s  love and spirit of adventure explictly described. This is maybe an esortation for the readers to imagine the love and the thoughts of the protagonists as an opportunity for the readers to give their opinion about this. Frank’s proposal marriage and invitation to go to Buenos Aires is a great opportunity for Eveline because she could get married with Frank and she wouldn’t be treated as her mother was treated. Moreover she could have a new job, a new house and it could be a fresh start in a far-away country with Frank. But something stops her: maybe she lacks the courage to abandon her old father. Despite his abusive behavior, her father hasn’t always been a drunk man who exploits her for money but he used to be a nice father in the past: for example Eveline remembers when she as a child was in her bed for a day and he had read a ghost story and made toasted bread. So Eveline doesn’t want to go to foreign country where she can’t speak the lenguage, can’t have her family and do the same things as taking care of the home, working, caring for children. Eveline remains basically blocked in her hemiplagic state, she is unable to decide about her future, but prefers to keep herself into an unrealistic or unrealized imagery, rather than really change her life.

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Question Nr.5

Discuss Joyce’s relationship with Dublin and how the feeling of “paralysis” he associates with his hometown is developed in “Dubliners”.

Dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories written by James Joyce, which form a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in Dublin, in the early years of the 20th century. However, in order to understand the relationship between the author and his hometown, it’s important to recognize the social and historical background in which his short stories and novel were written.

At that time the Irish people were demanding their independence from Britain, through his work and the stories of its characters, Joyce wanted to represent and raise awareness about the state of paralysis in which the Dubliners were living. The people of Dublin were, in his opinion, physically and spiritually paralysed in a state from which they were unable to move forward.

They were being hindered from making progress and reach their true potential. Joyce’s purpose was trying to show them that there was absolute need to change their condition, unless they wanted to remain in this hopeless state with no future. This state of paralysis is both caused by external forces such as religion, cultural immobility and politics, as well as a general psychological crisis.  Each story from the “Dubliners” contains a hint to this theme. In some of the 15 stories that make up the collection it is more subtle and in other more evident. The most significant element that they have in common is the brief moment of epiphany that every character experiences at some point, where the paralysis seems to vanish. Joyce was trying to show that people would live stuck in their own paralysis unless they were willing to actually make a change. In “Dubliners” the characters live in two different ways either accepting their own situation without even being aware of it or lacking the courage to change their lives. In Joyce’s view all Dubliners are too scared of becoming responsible of their own destiny and live like slaves in their limited condition. Simply wanting to make a change is not enough, Joyce felt that they needed to act upon their dreams and aspirations for a better life. The collection of short stories “Dubliners” doesn’t only narrate the lives of some fictional characters, but it teaches real life lessons. Those who try to avoid the paralysis and have the courage to set free from the chains that bind them are forced to become exiles, exactly like James Joyce who would live his entire life abroad and would never go back to Ireland. It can be very stressful and complicated to leave all behind and make an effort to change things, but it is equally true that this can lead us to a more satisfactory life and the blossom of our greater self.

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QUESTION NR 5

DISCUSS JOYCE’S RELATIONSHIP WITH DUBLIN AND HOW THE FEELING OF “PARALYSIS” HE ASSOCIATES WITH HIS HOMETOWN IS DEVELOPED IN “DUBLINERS”

James Joyce was born in Rathgar on 2nd of February 1882 and he attended Jesuit school before going to University College of Dublin, where he studied foreign languages. In 1904 his mother died. However his father was hopeless,as there was very little to keep him in Dublin,he decided to leave. It was not just out of personal reasons that he made the decision to leave his hometown and move to other European countries such Switzerland,Italy and France. It was also because of religious and political reasons. Joyce believed  that Ireland was in a state of paralysis because it was too rooted in Catholicism. Between 1904 and 1905 Joyce wrote a collection of fifteen short stories  with the title of “Dubliners” ,which are divided into four groups. They correspond to the four phases of human life: childhood,adolescence,maturity and public life. As Joyce himself wrote: “I call the series Dubliners to betray the soul of that hemiplegia or paralysis which many consider a city” (Letter to C.P. Curran,July 1904).He wished that his stories would tell of  “the bread of everyday life” to recognize the brief moments of insight, which Joyce referred to as “moments of epiphany” in everyday life. Lack of action at these crucial moments reinforce the idea of paralysis of will. This feeling of hemiplegia or spiritual paralysis -that many of the characters experience- gives unity to the different stories. Joyce wrote this book during the Irish Literary Renaissance. The novel was a way to show the people of Dublin what they seemed to be missing the awareness of the paralytic state they had fallen into because of their deep-rooted Catholicism,the Irish politics and the culture of the time. In one of the collection’s stories called “Eveline” ,the family circumstances keep the girl from running away with her lover Frank. Joyce does not criticise the girl for her choice,rather he invites the reader to identify with her. Eveline’s paralysis shows the reader the profound and truly meaning of doubt,making him forget about the harsh contest of Dublin which the author himself denies.  In "Dubliners" the characters live in two different ways either accepting their own situation without even being aware of it or lacking the courage to change their lives. In Joyce's view all Dubliners are too scared of becoming responsible of their own destiny and live like slaves in their limited condition. Joyce's main objective in Dubliners is to make them become aware of it.

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Question nr. 5

Discuss Joyce’s relationship with Dublin and how the feeling of “paralysis” he associates with his hometown is developed in “Dubliners”.

James Joyce was born in Dublin which in 19th century was the second city of the British Empire.  Like his father, Joyce opposed Ireland’s status as British colony and supported the Irish quest for Independence.

At the age of 20 he decided to move to Europe because he considered his hometown as a claustrophobic and oppressive city.

The author in a letter to Grant Richards said how he came to choose Dublin as the setting for his short stories and novels.

Dublin, as he said, was “the center of paralysis” and the “old sow that eats her fellow”.

In his opinion, this city had been paralyzed for centuries by two forces. On one hand, the Roman Catholic Church, which had constrained the Dubliners in a stagnant social life and had been exercising too much control over them.

On the other hand the ineffective and unproductive government that was under the control of the UK.

In the collection of short stories  “Dubliners”, all the unlike characters appear to be stuck in a condition of immobility and psychological paralysis  can be found from which they are unable to move on.

An example of it, in the story of “Eveline”, a young girl who comes close  to breaking free from her existential paralysis when she decides to leave for Argentina with Frank. However, when it is time to make a decision and board the ship, Eveline is seized again by doubts and gives up her chance to be happy and free.

Joyce had a double feeling for his hometown. He was disgusted by the atmosphere of cultural and spiritual  decay, but at the same time he admired that “Dubl
in has been a capital for thousands of years” and he appreciated its dignity and culture.

In “Dubliners” the characters live in two different ways either accepting their own situation or lacking the courage to change their lives.

The protagonists often accept their  miserable condition and do not find a way out of their mental and moral paralysis.
Those who try to avoid the paralysis and have the courage to set free from the chains that bind them are forced to become exiles, exactly like James Joyce who would live his entire life abroad and would never go back to Ireland.

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QUESTION NR 6

“Referring to the passage you read from “Dubliners”, explain and discuss Joyce’s idea of “epiphany”

Joyce's idea of epiphany is that of a revelation, a sudden manifestation of self-awareness by a character. Throughout Dubliners, the characters experience this kind of revelation that shows them their true nature, but this has negative results and is usually disappointing. The readers, however, are shown the whole process which, in its turn, becomes an epiphany for them.

In the short story Eveline, the protagonist, Eveline, has started a love story with a man she adores because she wants to leave a life in which she is unappreciated and unhappy. Until the moment she is about to leave, Eveline is considering all her memories with her family and the place where she lived. While she is going to the harbour she hears an old Italian song that was played on the day her mother died. She thus remembers the promise she made to her her mom. Nevertheless, when she is ready to leave she realizes that she needs to abandon this attempt at fulfilling her dream because Buenos Aires in not where she belongs: instead she realizes that she needs to stay by her father’s side despite the hardships of her life with him. Right on Eveline is paralyzed: she can’t move and is seized by doubts whether she should leave or not while Frank is calling for her: at that moment she asks God for guidance instead of asking to be guided to do what is bets for her. Joyce, in the story, uses the word “duty” referring to this moment, which is significant because it shows that she is asking the unselfish question of what she should do instead of what would make her happiest.

Finally she realizes that leaving with Frank to Buenos Aires is what would set her free but not what she is really ready to do. She feels that her duty is to stay with her father in the town where she was raised. Eveline’s self-realisation takes the form of an epiphany, according to Joyce’s idea, because it is upsetting to the character and it is something that she was unable to grasp until this point. The climax in the story is reached when Eveline chooses not to go. The moment when Eveline gives up chasing her dreams is disappointing because she has not chosen to improve her life.

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Question Nr.7

ILLUSTRATE EVELINE'S EPIPHANY ON THE DAY OF HER DEPARTURE TO ARGENTINA

Eveline is frustrated and tormented by regrets.
She has spent an unhappy life and she feels entrapped.
Therefore she is looking for a way out of static Dublin, which apparently seems to be the only solution.
So close to escape, Eveline revives her past life at home, remembring cheerful and joyful events about her family: her father's caring for her when she was sick and a family pic-nic before her mother died.
These memories overshadow the reality of her abusive and violent father and a job that is not satisfied with.
They make her feel guilty thinking about her father, who is old and he may need her help and he who will probably miss her.
Eveline's sense of family duty prevails over her fear of love and an unknown life abroad.
The moment when she is at home and she hears a street organ playing in the street, reminds her of the promise made to her mother and it represents the beginning of the moment of epiphany.
Moreover, the moment when she is about to leave the station and get on the ship with Frank, represents the culmination of the epiphany.
It is a moment of sudden awareness, when she realises that she doesn't want to end up like her dead mother.
However, when Eveline must make her final choice between escaping to Argentina with Frank, or staying in Dublin with her family, she remembers her promise made to her dead mother to keep the family together and she decides to remain.
As Eveline approaches the moment of departure, she reaffirms her decision.
When she is about to leave, she sems paralysed by her condition and incapable of acting.
We see her clutching the iron rail and being unable to move.
Although Frank persistently calls her on board from the ship, she doesn't follow and does not leave with him; she feels like a helpless and trapped animal.
The lack of action emphasizes Eveline's paralysis of will which characterizes her character  when she is about to leave.

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Question number 7

ILLUSTRATE EVELINE'S EPIPHANY ON THE DAY OF HER DEPARTURE TO ARGENTINA

Eveline is a young woman who lives in Ireland. She lost her mother and her brother and therefore she lives with her father, who mistreats her.
She works in a shop, where the owner provokes and makes fun of her . We first see her while she is sitting at the window in her home and is looking down on the street. This reminds her of numerous memories about her childhood.
She then starts looking back at the moments passed with her family. She is thinking  about the choice she has to do: stay with her violent father and lead a strenuous existence or leave her country and move to Buenos Aires with her boyfriend Frank, a sailor who could protect and guarantee her tranquillity and stability.
All of a sudden while she is already on her way to the harbour where Frank is waiting for, the sound of a street organ reminds her of her mother's death.
It's the same song that an Italian musician was playing on the day her mother died.
She remembers her mother's uneventful, sad life.
It is the idea of ending up like her mother that makes her decide to leave with Frank in order  to reconstruct a new life with him, far from her monotonous existence.
By the time Eveline arrives at the harbour, while she is waiting in a crowd to board the ship with Frank, she feels extremely disoriented and lost. As she feels hesitant and prays God for direction.
Eveline glimpses the ship which is about to weigh anchor, but inside herself, she feels frightened and she doesn't listen to Frank's words.
When the boat whistle blows and Frank pulls on her hand to lead her with him, Eveline resists.
While Frank is dragged by the crowd, she grabs hold of the barrier and seems to be like paralysed.
He continually shouts at Eveline that she should hurry up, but she remains fixed, motionless and emotionless.
Eveline is portrayed by Joyce like a helpless animal.
Although she has experienced an epiphany as a sudden moment of self-awareness,
she is incapable of reacting and of making a free choice.

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Eleonora
question number 7
ILLUSTRATE EVELINE'S EPIPHANY ON THE DAY OF HER DEPARTURE TO ARGENTINA

Joyce was the first writer to use the literary device of "epiphany" in his writings. An epiphany is a special moment of insight trigged by a trivial gesture or a banale situation which leads the character to a sudden self-realisation. It is a moment of insight which Joyce's character have but then are unable to act upon. We can find a very powerful epiphany in this short story, when Eveline is going to the Port with Frank to leave for Argentina. Once Eveline arrives at the Port she feels paralyzed, she can't move, she doesn't know if she's doing the right thing and above all she feels trapped because of the promise made to her mother not to leave her family. To make this decision she relies on God and hopes that He will show her what is best to do ("God show me what my duty is"). At the end Eveline will realize that going to Buenos Aires with Frank is what she wants to do but she will feel obliged is to stay in Dublin with her father and her family despite the miserable life that she will be condemned to.

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   Elena                                                                     Question number 3:                                                 Molly’s monologue in Joyce’s “Ulysses” – indeed the whole novel - ends with the word « yes », which Molly repeats at various moments in her stream of consciousness. What attitude to life does this word reveal?  

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   Elena                                                                     Question number 3:                                                 Molly’s monologue in Joyce’s “Ulysses” – indeed the whole novel - ends with the word « yes », which Molly repeats at various moments in her stream of consciousness. What attitude to life does this word reveal?  

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In the eighteenth episode we can find Molly’s direct interior monologue in which she brings back her thoughts in an uninterrupted flow of consciousness. James Joyce builds a soliloquy of over forty pages in which the woman reflects on her lovers, on herself and on the other protagonists. Despite the lack of punctuation marks, there are eight huge periods that reveal the true nature of the woman, which throughout the novel is mainly told by male figures. In this monologue Molly repeats several times the word “Yes”. This word is a form of punctuation, increasingly insistent, even though the monologue is miss punctuated. It seems also that the her her pointing out that she means I woman wants to reiterate her words and her thoughts by saying “yes”, pointing out that she means “Yes, I said this!”

Molly says yes to her past and her body, yes to her sea, love and life. The reason could be the deep, sensuous self- confidence firstly to herself and secondly to the entire world and all the deep, sensuous emotions she had experienced in her life. With the last capitalized  “YES”, she confirms the words “..yes I said..” and “..yes I will”.

From these repeated few words we can understand that she is a very assertive as well as powerful woman. Molly has no regrets or doubts about her past or present, about her thoughts or every word she expresses in her monologue.

In the last lines, Molly remembers the moment in which Leopold proposed to her.

This could be another reason why the woman is emphasizing the word “YES” in the final part of her monologue: especially in the last two lines it sounds like she was answering to Leopold’s proposal.

Finally, we can agree that Molly’s monologue is with no doubts out of the lines as it is fragmented in little chunks of meaning that need to be interpreted by the reader.

She wants to be precise and recollects some important moments of her life then she goes into more detail and then reinforces her impression just by saying a very simple word like “yes”, which stands not only as a punctuation mark but also as approbation for her words.

In conclusion, in James Joyce's Ulysses, Molly in her role of the modern Penelope shows to be stronger than the homeric Penelope. She is passionate, unfaithful, self-assertive and emancipated.

James Joyce chose to conclude his novel with Molly's long direct interior monologue thus conveying an important message about human life.