The Literary Devices Used to Strengthen the Theme into One of the Short Stories by James Joyce - Research Paper Example

?Insert Outline Introduction Theme How events in the story underscore the theme The literary devices James Joyce uses to strengthen the theme How the characters in the story confirm the theme Personal reflection and conclusion Introduction Counterparts is one of the short stories that feature in James Joyce’s 1914 anthology, Dubliners. The story revolves around one evening of Farrington’s life. Mr. Farrington, a clerk is also referred to as “the man” in the story. The most important aspect of the story is the manner in which the author, Joyce uses the plotline and the events in the story, its characters and literary devices to build and strengthen the theme of the story. Thesis statement Joyce uses the plotline, the character of Mr. Farrington and his deeds to underscore the main theme which is the socioeconomic ravages of alcoholism in the story. How events in the story underscore the theme Critical readership reveals clearly that the events and plotline of the story Counterparts touch on the drawbacks of alcoholism. One of the most important events that underscore the author’s intent of castigating alcoholism and its effects is the office setting where Mr. Farrington is summoned by Mr. Alleyne, his boss. It is interesting that despite the stakes that are many and high, Mr. Farrington still makes way for a quick beer. One, it is clear that since Mr. Alleyne overheard Mr. Farrington mimicking and making fun of his voice and North of Ireland accent, the relation between the two has grown increasingly inimical and antagonistic. The crux of the matter herein is that this kind of situation can easily lead to Mr. Farrington losing his job. The fact of this matter is well underscored by Mr. Elleyne’s statement to Mr. Farrington, “You impertinent ruffian! You impertinent ruffian! I'll make short work of you! Wait till you see! You'll apologise to me for your impertinence or you'll quit the office instanter! You'll quit this, I'm telling you, or you'll apologise to me!" (Cole, 50). Secondly, it is obvious from the plotline that the task that Mr. Alleyne is asking for had not only been assigned to Mr. Farrington, but is also long overdue. A clerk, Mr. Farrington is expected to have made a copy of the contract between Kirwan and Brodley by 4 o’clock, but he had not done so. It is against this backdrop that Mr. Alleyne charges strictly and angrily that, “Mr. Shelley said, sir .... Kindly attend to what I say and not to what Mr. Shelley says, sir. You have always some excuse or another for shirking work. Let me tell you that if the contract is not copied before this evening I'll lay the matter before Mr. Crosbie.... Do you hear me now?" (James, 69). Most interestingly, when he is released by Mr. Alleyne so that he can attend to this duty, he sneaks from the office into the beer house quickly, while reasoning that he is waiting for lights to be turned on in the office. Eventually, when he presents the copy of the contract between Kirwan and Brodley, it is shabbily done, despite the copy being a legal document. At an instance, the name Brodley is repeated twice, instead of putting down the proper name, Bernard Brodley. Some sentences are left hanging. In an embarrassing scene, Mr. Farrington is not able to give any reasonable explanation behind his failure in the presence of Mr. Alleyne, Miss Delacour and the rest of the company’s staff (Boysen, 400). All these events above are meant to show the degree of seriousness with which alcohol has gained its chokehold on Mr. Farrington’s life, to an extent that Mr. Farrington is ceding away his sense of judgment. Particularly, Mr. Farrington’s choice to run out for quick beer at the O’Neills even in the wake of the urgency and importance of the task before him, the bad relation between himself and his boss and strict warning of dire consequences, clearly reveals that his ability to make simple and sound judgment has been compromised. Abravanel points out that the urgency of the matter and the prospects of it contributing to Mr. Farrington being relieved of his duty are well communicated in the statement, “.... Kindly attend to what I say and not to what Mr. Shelley says, sir. You have always some excuse or another for shirking work. Let me tell you that if the contract is not copied before this evening I'll lay the matter before Mr. Crosbie.... Do you hear me now?” Abravanel contends that while psychologists always agree that the inordinate and unreasonable prioritization of alcohol or any other habit may serve as the determinable point of addiction, this trait is always readily observable among alcohol addicts (just as it is the case with other addicts). (160). The literary devices James Joyce uses to strengthen the theme The author greatly uses direct speech and dialogue to underscore and bring out the theme of the story. In the story, some of the interpersonal discourses confirm the problem of alcoholism and the dangers that accost it, as shall be seen forthwith. At one instance, the chief clerk warns Mr. Farrington subtly that he is crossing the line, as far as addiction to alcohol is concerned. This is seen in the instance where the chief clerk says, "I know that game," he said. "Five times in one day is a little bit... Well, you better look sharp and get a copy of our correspondence in the Delacour case for Mr. Alleyne" (Bloom, 15). The foregoing shows clearly that the chief clerk had noticed Mr. Farrington’s drinking behavior very clearly, to the point of knowing or being able to approximate how many times he visited the beer joints. It is most probable that the five times in which Mr. Farrington could sneak out in a day were office hours, since the chief clerk does not feature among Mr. Farrington’s inner circle that he drinks with. If the chief clerk had noted the behavior, it is highly plausible that the rest of the employees are also privy to Mr. Farrington’s penchant for heavily engaging alcohol. Many a time, other people outside a particular habit are the ones who notice change of behavior or even signs of addiction, just as the chief clerk is aware that Mr. Farrington goes to beer joints at least five times in a day. According to Curry, James Joyce as the narrator or the author of the story also uses a linear plotline to underscore the theme of alcoholism, in respect to Mr. Farrington’s evening. The audience is introduced to the scene at 4 pm, and carried through the plotline up to nighttime. Nevertheless, in this short period of time Mr. Farrington and his friends have already visited at least four beer joints. This shows the extent to which Mr. Farrington and his friends, O'Halloran, Leonard and Nosey Flynn are addicted to alcohol. Likewise, the manner in which the company of Mr. Farrington are familiar with all the bars in the streets, speaks of the same group’s mastery over the art of drinking. This is also consistent with habits of alcohol addiction. The binge begins at the O’Neills, then to Davy Byrne’s, then to Scotch House, before they end up in Mulligan’s Poolbeg Street. As if this journey to different bar houses is not protracted enough, Mr. Farrington had also been at Callan’s Fownes’s Street. The night before this day, Mr. Farrington had spent his money to the last penny at a beer joint known as the G.P. (236) Cole divulges that James Joyce also greatly uses symbolism to strengthen the theme of the destruction that alcoholism causes. It is interesting that eventually, after pawning his watch and other personal effects for alcohol and then spending all his money on alcohol with his friends, Mr. Farrington leaves for home humiliated, angry, vengeful and discontent. This happens after Mr. Farrington has spent almost everything, to the point of pawning his watch at Terry Kelly’s Pawn Office, Fleet Street, just to get drunk. After his drunken episode, Mr. Farrington has only two pence in his pocket, but he is not satisfied (46, 7). The foregoing is James Joyce’s ingenuity at intimating that no extent of self indulgence and inebriation with alcohol is enough to guarantee peace from the dynamics of the society and man’s surroundings. Particularly, this idea is reinforced by the fact that after drinking in five beer outlets, Mr. Farrington is not able to shake off from his mind, his failures at the workplace, his inability to approach the lady in the big hat and his defeat in arm wrestling by a mere boy. The author seems to intimate herein that alcoholism does not suffice as the solution to life’s failure. In a closely related wavelength, it is important to note that after pawning his watch and spending all his money in drunkenness, James Joyce depicts Mr. Farrington as feeling thirsty again and longing to go back to the ‘hot reeking public house’ once again. By this design, James Joyce is portraying alcohol or alcoholism as a bottomless pit whose appetite is insatiable and destructive. The destructive aspect of compulsive drinking is seen in Mr. Farrington forfeiting his respect, money, pride, belongings and composure, among other things, because of drunkenness. It is probable that he is also about to lose his job. Another use of symbolism to exemplify the destructive nature of drunkenness or alcoholism is seen in the way Mr. Farrington’s home is presented. Mr. Farrington’s family is in the dark, when Mr. Farrington arrives. The absence of Mr. Farrington’s wife who is away at the chapel and the act of Tom, one of Mr. Farrington’s sons being the only one to descend downstairs to tend to him speak of the family’s disunity. While it is true that Tom’s siblings are asleep before their father’s arrival only because their father came late, it is also most probable that these children are also motivated to steer clear of their father because of his alcohol-driven violent predisposition. Conversely, it is also most probable that Mrs. Farrington‘s consistent acquaintance with the chapel is necessitated by her husband’s mannerisms. It is most likely that Mrs. Farrington frequents the chapel to pray for her husband, Mr. Farrington and her family. This still means that in one way or another, Mr. Farrington’s alcoholism and commitment to drunkenness is the factor that draws a wedge among the Farringtons. It does this by instilling fear among the children and making Mrs. Farrington overly committed to prayers. On a light note, James Joyce refers to the beer Mr. Farrington and his friends O'Halloran, Leonard and Nosey Flynn are taking as poison. This is at the instance Higgins comes to join these friends. Although the phrase is used only once, it is strong and suggestive of what the narrator thinks of alcoholism. While it is true that the effects of the poison of alcohol are best evidenced by Mr. Farrington, effects of continued alcoholism on O'Halloran, Leonard and Nosey Flynn are also sure. Theirs do not readily come up since they are not the point of focus. However, their poor sense of judgment is seen in their preference to keep drinking with Mr. Farrington to helping him. How the Characters in the Story Confirm the Theme The characters of the story also help underscore the theme of the drawbacks of alcoholism which James Joyce attempts to discuss. No person exemplifies the ravages of slavery to alcoholism than Mr. Farrington. At one point, having spent all the money at the G.P., he decides to pawn his watch at Terry Kelly’s for some alcohol. Mr. Farrington’s character traits become that of perfect contradiction. At one end, he is disrespectful to Mr. Alleyne’s authority, going by his actions, while at the other end, he authoritatively and wrongly instills fear by using violence. His severe beating of his faithful son Tom shows his impatience and inability to express love towards those that he loves because of alcoholism. According to Boysen, this impatience is embodied in his words (to his son), “On that fire! You let the fire out! By God, I'll teach you to do that again!" (400). Personal reflection and Conclusion The story of Mr. Farrington is not a case of readership into condemnation, but into understanding. The failures that accost Mr. Farrington are not so much occasioned by inward flaw and freewill, than alcoholism which has bound him and clouded his judgment. The need for helping those represented by Mr. Farrington overcome the effects of drunkenness is confirmed by his loss of everything he treasures. It is most likely that Mr. Alleyne is going to influence Mr. Farrington’s sacking, even as Mrs. Farrington, Tom and the rest of the family pull away from him. This is especially due to the fact that the mistakes Mr. Farrington does are as a result of his captivity to alcoholism, and not as a result of freewill. Works Cited James, Joyce. Dubliners. London: Grant Richards Ltd., 1914, 69. Print Abravanel, Genevieve. “American Encounters in ‘Dubliners’ and ‘Ulysses.’” Journal of Modern Literature, 33.4 (2010), 153-166. Print Bloom, Emily. “The Protestant Thing to Do: Anglo-Irish Performance in James Joyce's "Dubliners" and Samuel Beckett's ‘All That Fall.’” Texas Studies in Literature & Language, 51.1 (2009), 1-16. Print Boysen, Benjamin. “The Self and the Other: On James Joyce's ‘A Painful Case’ and ‘The Dead’.” Orbis Litterarum, 62.5 (2007), 394-418. Print Cole, Catherine. “Teaching James Joyce's Short Fiction: Dubliners in the Creative Writing Classroom.” Eureka Studies in Teaching Short Fiction, 7. 2 (2007), 45-52. Print Curry, Martha. “Sherwood Anderson and James Joyce.” American Literature, 52.2 (2008), 236. Print Read More