Longing to Escape Essay - 1084 Words

Longing to Escape When adversity stares people in the face, do they run away from it, or do they have the willpower to fight it head on? James Joyce, the author of Dubliners, at the young age of twenty-three, was able to take note of the struggles and hardships of the Irish people at a time when their once prosperous Dublin city was in retrograde. He took all the emotions and angers that his people had during this period in time, and summed it up into fifteen short stories. Throughout these stories Joyce places his characters into situations that leave them in constant states of dishevelment and agony. Some characters run away from and are left defeated by these situations and responsibilities, while other characters are†¦show more content†¦On the surface, this might appear to some readers that Mrs. Mooney is doing her duty as a parent to make sure that her daughter is well taken care of. Others might think that Mrs. Mooney is trying to escape her duties as a mother by putti ng her daughter off with an older man at such a young age. However, being the determined, scheming person that Mrs. Mooney is, she probably is only thinking about the â€Å"dowry for Polly that promises to maintain or increase the female family’s wealth for the next generation† (Kelly 8). This suggests that Polly’s mother is only thinking about money in hopes that it will help their family to escape their middle class and enter into a higher social class. Mr. Doran just happens to be the fly caught in Mrs. Mooney’s web. In â€Å"The Boarding House,† responsibility is surmounting escape. Mrs. Mooney knows that Mr. Doran is the perfect husband. He had a â€Å"good screw,† â€Å"a bit of stuff put by,† he was quiet and level-headed, unlike the other loud, conceited men, and she knows that he didn’t want to get involved in a scandal (60). Mr. Doran knows that in order for him to remain as the respected person he is and to maintain his social status; marriage is the only amends he can make for â€Å"taken advantage of Polly’s youth and inexperience† (59). He also knows that there isn’t any way he could escape the grasp of the manipulative Mrs. Mooney, for Mr. Doran â€Å"represents theShow MoreRelatedLonging For An Escape By James Joyce940 Words   |  4 PagesLonging For An Escape An abusive situation can certainly make one person dream of an escape, but what happens in most cases? Oftentimes a person gets too afraid to leave, remembering promises, or in some cases, wondering what might happen to the other people who are left in the home if the abusive person escapes. James Joyce’s story, â€Å"Eveline,† is based on a young woman who is in an emotional time, but is trying to start a new life due to a rough life; then a reflection from the past strikes herRead MoreTheme Of Similes In The Odyssey767 Words   |  4 Pagesthe use of literary devices, specifically similes. One of the central themes in The Odyssey which is strengthened through the use of simile is Odysseus’ ability to use deception rather than sheer strength to escape perilous situations. Another central theme emphasized by similes is the longing of Odysseus and his men to complete their nostos, or homecoming. In book 9, Homer details the journey of Odysseus and his men to the land of the Cyclopes, a species of one-eyed giants. Odysseus and his menRead MoreWhere The Sidewalk Ends Analysis Essay1159 Words   |  5 PagesMost North-American homes are blessed with one of Shel Silversteins award winning poetry books. His poem Where the Sidewalk Ends is arguably the best poem of all time. 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