How James Joyce Influenced the Opinion of The Readers Through Essay

How James Joyce Influenced the Opinion of The Readers Through Symbolisms In His Book The Dubliners - Essay Example The Dubliners by James Joyce is probably one of the few books that leave a lasting impression on the readers. Centered on the theme of paralysis and decay, this book leaves a strong impression on the readers with the use of symbolism and colors. The book is structured in such a way to show how the citizens eventually become trapped in the society of Dublin Ireland (Stone 1990). Written at the time when nationalism was at its peak in Ireland, â€Å"The Dubliners† give us a glimpse of how Joyce perceived the events in Ireland at that time. The point this work of Joyce wants to drive in the minds of his audience is that Dublin is the epitome of paralysis (Levin 1993) and the people in this society are suffering from decay (Friedrich 1990). True enough; the stories in the book are filled with disappointments, frustrations, the feeling of helpless and darkness. The book itself is divided into four parts namely, childhood, adolescence, maturity and public life (Levin 1993) which mak e it easier for the readers to focus on the type of character that the book in trying to portray. Technically, one can read through â€Å"The Dubliners† and treat it as a realistic and straightforward tales of every life filled with disappointments and failures or read the story at the symbolic level thereby interpreting the scenes and the characters of the story thereby transcending into another plane of understanding of the life in Dublin at the time the book was written. For the purpose of this paper, let us take the second option and try to understand how the symbolisms and settings in the book influence the perceptions of the readers and how these settings and symbolisms help the reader form a conclusion at the end of the story.