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The ambiguity of death and the afterlife has been a source of enthrallment throughout history. Sigmund Freud, an acclaimed psychologist, possesses numerous theories on the concept of death. One of which being, that humans in their unconscious, believe they are immortal. Freud believes that ¨...at bottom no one believes in his own death.” (Freud 7) Throughout the novel Dubliners, James Joyce approaches the idea that in the unconscious “mind”, humans do not recognize the imminence of death. This concept evolves as Joyce links emotional paralysis with metaphorical immortality in the subconscious minds of his characters in two short stories, “A Little Cloud” and “The Dead.”
Little Chandler, the protagonist of the short story “A Little Cloud”, experiences emotional paralysis that prevents him from realizing that his aspiration to become a poet can never happen.
Little Chandler’s failure to change throughout life is an embodiment of that emotional paralysis and is evident throughout the piece— specifically in two places. The first notable instance occurs when Gallaher says, “I see you haven’t changed an atom” to Little Chandler.
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(Joyce 73) It has been eight years since the two last saw each other and the first thing brought to Gallaher´s attention is that not a single thing has changed about his friend, down to the smallest part of him.
This situation exemplifies that Little Chandler has not developed as a person, though that is what is necessary to be a poet. Poets are typically inspired by the lively, fast-paced nature of life, but that is not possible for Little Chandler, due to his inability to change and denial of the fact that his dream is long dead.
The second instance occurs when Little Chandler questions the way that his life unfolded, blaming it on his family life when it was his emotional paralysis to blame. “Was it too late,” he thought, “to try to live bravely like Gallaher?” (Joyce 81). The life he seeks is one that he can no longer achieve; Little Chandler has a responsibility to his wife and his newborn son, yet he cannot grasp the nature of that responsibility and the character that it brings. He longs to find poetry in travel and adventure, but does not realize the poetry staring at him through his son’s eyes.
Little Chandler is unable to comprehend that he will never truly overcome his emotional paralysis until he learns that his thoughts and perception on life are what hold him back and keep him miserable. Little Chandler insists that he could still be a poet, even with the responsibilities that come with being a husband and a father; He reads Lord Byron while trying to rock his baby to sleep. While his determination is commendable, his efforts at becoming a poet are pitiful. This is exemplified when the baby begins to cry and Little Chandler shouts at him. Little Chandler is conscious to the fact that yelling at an infant is immoral, but all he can do at the conclusion of the story is give his son to his wife and feel remorse about what he has done. It is evident that Little Chandler believes that his dream to become a poet is still alive in his subconscious mind, and that is further provoked by the emotional paralysis he experiences throughout the story.
In contrast to Little Chandler´s denial of the death of his dream to become a poet, in the short story, “The Dead”, the protagonist Gabriel comes to terms with his inability to communicate and properly connect with others. His controlling nature and incapacity to effectively communicate are challenged throughout the encounters he experiences over the course of the night. His first encounter occurs with Lily, one of the maids. Quite overworked and restless, she becomes rather defensive when asked of her love life by Gabriel. Instead of apologizing or providing explanation, Gabriel hastily ends the conversation by giving Lily a holiday tip. He blames his prestige for his inability to relate to servants like Lily, but his willingness to let money speak for him suggests that he relies on the comforts of his class to maintain distance.
Noting this, the author states that, just like his encounter with Lily, Gabriel would fail to effectively communicate throughout the rest of the night. This is seen once again during his dance with Miss Ivors in which, unable to appropriately answer her barrage of questions regarding his nonexistent nationalistic sympathies, he quickly discloses that he is sick of his country to both his and Miss Ivors´ surprise. This second instance provides an example of Gabriel’s loss of control. He tries to conversate with Miss Ivors and avoid her questioning by mentioning his arrangements for a cycling of the country, but fails to avoid her much longer by blurting out and quickly leaving once he knew he no longer had control of the conversation.
Gabriel’s last encounter occurs with his wife, Gretta. When he sees Gretta enchanted by the music, Gabriel longs to be “...the master of her strange mood.” (Joyce 229) Though Gabriel remembers their romantic courtship and is overcome with attraction for Gretta as he listens to the music, this attraction is rooted not in love but in his desire to control her. Coming to this realization, he reflects on his own controlled, passionless life. He realizes that life is short, and those who leave the world with great passion, in fact live more fully than people like himself. He, unlike Little Chandler, is made aware of his inability to communicate with others, and he attributes this to the emotional paralysis of a passionless life.
In summary, Freud’s concept that humans within their unconscious fail to relate death to themselves and their lives evolves as Joyce links emotional paralysis with metaphorical immortality in the minds of Little Chandler and Gabriel in two short stories, “A Little Cloud” and “The Dead.” The dead cast a shadow on the present, drawing attention to the mistakes and failures that people make generation after generation. This failure results in a realization for both characters that the lives they lead may never truly change, for their outlooks on life are what hold them back from true understanding. The monotony of Dublin life leaves Little Chandler dissatisfied with his own life— confined to an office space to think freely of poetry but not act— and Gabriel ignorant to his relationship with people and the impact that has on his life. They live in a suspended state between life and death, in which each person has a pulse but is incapable of profound, life-sustaining thought or action.
"A Little Cloud" and "The Dead" by James Joyce. (2021, Dec 07). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/a-little-cloud-and-the-dead-by-james-joyce-essay
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