Re: Snow in "The Dead":
James Joyce Campfire
If ye would like to moderate the James Joyce Campfire, please drop becket@jollyroger.com a
line.
James Joyce & Re: Snow in "The Dead"
[Open Source CMS
Renaissance][Postnuke Hosting][Gallery
Hosting][Blog Hosting]
DR. ELLIOT'S NORTH AMERICAN GREAT BOOKS TOUR--COMING TO A BOOK
STORE NEAR YOU
[WRITERSWORD.COM: Open Source CMS for Writers][Free Open Source Blog Hosting][Open Source Business][HD Video & HD Camcorder
Forums]
[Pen Pals][Open
Source CMS: Free Photo Gallery Hosting]
[Great Books Lovers Match][Free
Open Source Photo
Gallery Hosting]
[Free
Postnuke Blogging & Hosting][Physics &
Astronomy Forums][Poetry][Shakespeare's Plays][Great Books][Open Source Business]
[Great Books Games][Federalist Papers][Poetry Contest][Classic eCards][Book Forums][Physics T-shirts]
The new James Joyce Forum is at
http://killdevilhill.com/jamesjoycechat/wwwboard.html and
jollyrogerwest.com.Due to spam and off-topic content, these forums are being phased out and replaced with new
great books forums. Please join us!
The
World's Largest Literary Cafe: Carolinanavy.com
[Jollyroger.com][Carolinanavy.com][Nantuckets.com][BusinessPhilosophy.com][greattextbooks.com][Quarterdeck][xmlclics.com]
[
Jolly Roger Live
Chat][The Jolly Roger][Kill Devil
Hill][Western Canon University]
[Federalistnavy.com][Starbuck.com][Linux Poetry]
[ussconstitutions.com]
[Free jollyrogermail][William
Shakespeare]
[JR Greetings]
[nantucketnavy.com][hatteraslight.com][Clic Greetings]
[MASTHEAD SEARCHTM]
[Follow Ups][Post Followup][James Joyce Campfire]
[]
[The
World's Largest Literary Cafe: Carolinanavy.com]
Posted by fuzzyoctopus on November 19, 192003 at 12:49:28:
In Reply to: Snow in "The Dead" posted by Sh*thouse Poet on March 14, 192003 at 04:48:19:
The Irishness idea is a very nice one- but take into account Joyce's personality and history- Irish nationality wasn't as big a deal to him as someone as Yeats I think.
Most importantly don't forget that Joyce is a modernist. The snow is all about separation, and isolation. Gabriel tries to protect Gretta, keep her safe (he really loves her!) by buying galoshes- note where she comes in the door, it mentions the snow is on her galoshes.
The point is that while snow does cover both the living and the dead, it also separates them. Just after arriving at the hotel, Gabriel is thinking about how glad he is that Gretta is his, that she belongs to him. But in reality all of her does not- part of her belongs to Micheal, her lost love. She is forever separated from Michael by death (his grave covered in snow) and Gabriel realizes that he will forever be separated from Gretta because of this separation b/t her and Michael.
If he weren't dead it probably wouldn't be as big a deal for her (road not taken and all).
Miss Ivers does indeed disappear into the snow- when she and Gabriel realize that neither is really understanding each other, that though they think they're communication neither one really knows what the other is thinking.
What's interesting on first reading this story is that it's called "The dead" but it takes place at a Christmas dinner- a time of celebration and new life! The snow is outside, and everyone watches it, but they're inside AWAY from it, trying to forget their own isolation for a short bit. Just look at his aunts- they're really quite lonely and are trying to forget that for the night.
"Their two spinster aunts, the Misses Morkan, are fading fast, and his Aunt Julia in particular will not live to see many more parties like this one. Nothing, clearly, is as it once was; the old times are ping away, despite the attempts of traditionalists like Gabriel to keep the past alive."
So the Irish nationality does indeed play a factor, but it's sorrow at being separated from the past by this insurmountable divide- represented by snow.
Share this page with a friend!
Follow Ups:
Post a Followup
[Follow Ups][Post Followup][James Joyce Campfire][ ]
[The World's
Largest Literary Cafe: Carolinanavy.com ]
[Jollyroger.com][Carolinanavy.com][Nantuckets.com][BusinessPhilosophy.com][greattextbooks.com][Quarterdeck][xmlclics.com]
[
Jolly Roger Live
Chat][The Jolly Roger][Kill Devil
Hill][Western Canon University]
[Federalistnavy.com][Starbuck.com][Linux Poetry]
[ussconstitutions.com]
[Free jollyrogermail][William
Shakespeare]
[JR Greetings]
[nantucketnavy.com][hatteraslight.com][Clic Greetings]
[MASTHEAD SEARCHTM]
James Joyce Campfire
James Joyce & Jollyroger.com
If ye would like to moderate the James Joyce
Discussion Deck, please drop becket@jollyroger.com a
line.
University
Store: Save on Textbooks!
[Poetry]
[Great Books & Classics]
[Shakespeare]
[Classics]
[Classic eCards]
[American History]
[Great Books]
[Tutors]
[Great Books Forums]
[Greatest Conversation]
[Cairn Studios]
Join us before the
mast for
Moby Dick year.
READ THE GREAT BOOKS
TERM PAPERS, RESEARCH PAPERS, ESSAYS
BUY THE GREAT BOOKS
Free postnuke hosting,
blogging, and
online photo
albums @ mobynuke.net
WRITERSWORD.COM
JOLLYROGER.COM US ARMED FORCES PENPALS
THE THREE BOOKS OF THE RENAISSANCE
SUMMER GREAT BOOKS CHALLENGE
Open Source: Free Photo Gallery Hosting for Stock
Photography
Open Source Digital Rights Management for Artists,
Authors, Bands
Free Open Source Blogging & Blog Hosting
Great Books Discussion Forum
Open Source Business
DR. ELLIOT'S NORTH AMERICAN GREAT BOOKS TOUR--COMING TO A BOOK
STORE NEAR YOU
[Shakespeare Forums]
[Bible Forums]
Feedback? Would you like to moderate a forum? Contact m o b y d i c k m
o v i e @ y a h o o . c o m.
Join The
Great Books Renaissance! myspace.com/americanrenaissance