The Depiction of Epiphany in Literature - Assignment Example

Introduction In literature, the sudden and abrupt transformation in a character’s current ideological stance and, or, mental disposition is attributed to the notion of an epiphany. Thus, this moment of epiphany is a “moment of seeing which is not reading” (Tigges 99). The nature of this moment of realization varies along with the circumstances that prescribe its development in the plot of a literary form; nevertheless, all epiphanies in literature may prove to result to a positive change. That is to say, that a character’s moment of sudden comprehension of a truth will lead to the positive awareness of the conflict that he is, or has been, into. Though this positive change and awareness of existence may not justify the tragic or terrible end of the literature, and may even prove to be contradictory to the desired ending, it provides an evident space for the discussion and debate of ethical norms, which in turn, suggests that there are lessons to be learned from the story. The conceptual framework of a story, a novel, a play, or a poem, along with other literary ideas utilized by the author, provides the much-needed base for a well-developed epiphany. In most cases, the epiphany is not an apparent device, and perhaps, just closely related and attributed to the dénouement of the plot. What set an epiphany from such climatic events and falling resolutions is that it is occurs abruptly and endures briefly (Maltby 120). The process is self-contained, it occurs within the character, inside his mental constraints, within his very own thinking. Thus, in this sense, epiphanies can be talked of as the driving force behind the climax and the succeeding events in the story, and should not be paralleled with tipping points that speak of structural ideals of a story. Epiphany in James Joyce’s Works There exists a considerable tendency in literature to associate epiphany with Joyce’s literary creations. Gradually, with the enthusiasm of critical studies and analyses of his works, “epiphanies became accepted as the central metaphor of the aesthetic theory which encompassed James Joyce’s works” (Bowen 103). Joyce’s major works are thus said to be a proliferation of epiphanies, and the essence of these moments engenders the poignant conclusion of the characters’ fate. Joyce’s use of epiphany as a literary device has been the foreground on which the term achieved its popularity in literature. Literary critics and scholars who have studied his 1914 publication of a short story collection, Dubliners, recognize that there is a moment of deep self realization in each of his stories and that these moments create a sudden reversal in the characters’ view of themselves or the society at large. Epiphanies in this Irish author’s works proffer the much-needed driving force that concludes the story to its moral and the vehicle by the story would convey the larger truth o social reality that it seeks to propagate. Epiphany as a Transition in Joyce’s Araby The boy-narrator’s story is a passage of childhood, of youthfulness, and the circumstances that shape his life in a society that rests on its religious ideals. Yet in these setting, conflicts of spiritual origins may be well inferred, with first line of story talking about a quiet street and how it changes “when the Christian Brothers’ School set the boys free.” In this particular opening line of the story the conflict that is religious in foundation is introduced by the notion of suppression that the use of the phrase “set the boys free” suggests. . In the second paragraph of the literature, a dead priest’s story is told. The moment of epiphany in Araby is built up on the emotional aspects of the boy’s existence grounded on his society’s religion. He is caught between sensual feelings towards the girl and his iconic treatment of that girl. Thus, his epiphany is developed upon the conflict of his secular and religious views of femininity. In this idea, Joyce’s starting paragraphs that deal with the Christian religion make sense. In Cheng’s (96) words, That the boy reads a book by Scott romanticizing as an unblemished heroine a Queen Mary who was generally considered a harlot (the queen as quean; Mary as Magdalen) and associated with Babylon as a figure of Orientalized luxury, already pre-scribes the curve of Joyce’s story and epiphany and reveals the over determined disillusion that comes with romanticism, the fall lurking behind a rise. This conflict is therefore the driving force of the development of his epiphany. The author’s use of setting as a foreground of the development of the epiphany is effective. From the streets to the train station and the bazaar, the boy’s emotions and outlook of himself gradually changes, and this culminates in his epiphany. What better thing does his epiphany may bring than deep and analytic self-realization is the change in his persona. There is a sudden awakening; in the end, he realized the secular and materiality behind his dreams of winning the girl’s attention. In Cheng’s words, this translates to the “inevitable disillusion of behind his romantic othering” (97). Nevertheless, as Cheng argued, the construction of his epiphany is rather ironic in that it shifts from the othering of the girl to the othering of his own self. In the end, he described himself as a “creature driven and derided by vanity” whose “eyes burned with anguish and anger”. A Greek Perspective of Epiphany Perhaps there is no other major Greek work that can parallel the popularity of and credit given to Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. One of the surviving seven complete works of the well-known Greek playwright, Oedipus Rex has been the subject of intense and deep critical and psychological analysis. This work is considered by many as the perfect tragedy, perfectly structured, regarded by Aristotle as a model of Greek tragedy. Although epiphanies in Greek literature may be well associated with divine beings only (Steiner 95), an epiphany in Oedipus’ character is considerable. The dramatic irony as a device is a compelling force behind the development of the epiphany in this particular case. The readers know from the very start that Oedipus himself is his own enemy. This builds up the epiphany of Oedipus. As the play progresses, the facts mount up, and when the tension swells up, Oedipus’ epiphany comes into play. His epiphany was his realization of his identity, of the circumstances that prescribed his fate. It suddenly dawns on him that he was the enemy he was seeking, he was his father’s killer, he was his own self’s destroyer. The story of Oedipus the King does not start at the beginning. Although the story starts at the middle, with the pestilence that again raged the city, the background part of the story translates events that are rather important to the development of the moment of epiphany. The series of events that lead to his epiphany is inferred to have started with the old man at the banquet who told him that he was not the real son of King Polybus. This provoked him to search for the answers and as he embarked on his journey, Apollo’s oracle was partially fulfilled. As he continued on his journey and came upon the distressed city of Thebes, the oracle is fully fulfilled with his marriage to Jocasta. In the succeeding events, the epiphany was getting to the point of conclusion, as Oedipus’ own truthfulness became evident. He was accommodating of all the evidences presented and never held back any as he gave them an honest look, even when it was suspected that he was involved. However, as a messenger from Corinth came to announce Polybus’ death, Oedipus’ epiphany came as he was told that Polybus’ was not his biological father. Then only he realized that the prophecy was fulfilled and that the blind prophet was right. The essence of the play’s theme culminates after this moment of epiphany, as the fundamental question, “Who am I?” is answered. As Oedipus became conscious of the past actions that he unwittingly committed, the Greek hero that is in his character does not cease to exist nor suppressed by the revelation of the truth. Indeed, pride was his flaw, yet he was true to his word. In the closing lines, he laments “I must needs blind myself, that I may not see my father when I pass to Hades, nor my suffering mother, nor my children’s faces, nor yet this city, nor the shrine of the gods.” After the epiphany part of the play, the consequences of the past events draw to the conclusion of the story, with Oedipus in keeping with his word that the killer would be punished. Jocasta hangs herself from her bewilderment, and Oedipus blinds himself and wanders away from the throne. Epiphanies in Real Life: What Are We Supposed To Learn? Although an epiphany may be developed through physical manifestations of evidence and accumulation of facts, as in Oedipus’ case, the essence of the internal realization must come not entirely from the presence of these rational constructs. As in the boy’s epiphany in Joyce’s Araby, the moment, which was developed on the character’s series of emotional upheavals, is more of profound understanding of a larger truth. The question of real life epiphanies springs out of the notion of the use of term as a literary device, that is, epiphanies are utilized as a structural device to create the desired conclusion of the story and as a narrative device to facilitate the development of the character (Maltby, 123-4). In this sense, an epiphany is treated as a mere literary convention, that is to say those epiphanies in literature may not be possible in real life because such moments of realization were created only to achieve the perfect conclusion as the author may have wanted (122). However, this is a narrow argument and is at times, misleading. Considering real life situations, the epiphany in Araby may prove to be possible, as the boy’s consciousness of his own being becomes evident and he suddenly grasps a healthier insight on things. He begins to understand love and life as he transcends from youthfulness and innocence to a much deeper understanding of his own self. In real life, this may translate to the experience of a shift in ideology, a sudden change in perspective. When people experience something that triggers them to reflect on their actions and recognizes what that means, a real life epiphany is on its way. Real life epiphanies may not be as poignant as the Joyce’s characters’ and as revealing as Oedipus’, nevertheless, moments of self-realization often occur in real life as something that arise when we begin to understand the larger truth that we failed to see and sometimes, refused to accept. Nevertheless, the idea of epiphanies as a literary convention is to be considered when it comes to analyzing a story. It brings about the question of what the author wants to say, his purpose, his intention. What message is he trying to convey? Moreover, on part of the readers, what are they supposed to learn? The notion of Maltby’s structural and narrative structures is important in this sense. As a narrative device, the occurrence of an epiphany is the culmination of the author’s message. By making the character realize some kind of truth, he transcends though the reader’s minds and persuades them, provokes them to think about the same truth that the character realizes. In perhaps the same manner, in utilizing an epiphany to come up to a desired conclusion, the author presents a scenario in which the consequences of the characters’ actions are presented to the reader, thus, providing them a cause-and-effect set-up that may prove to be effective in conveying the message us well. In this use of epiphanies as structural devices, lessons are presented in a manner that is rather easy for the readers to grasp as the events, the characters’ actions and its consequences are discussed by the author itself. Whether or not an epiphany is evident in a literature, what is more important is that this device proves to be an effective tool in propagating ideas and ideologies. References: Bowen, Zack. “Joyce and the Epiphany Concept: A New Approach”. Journal of Modern Literature Vol. 9, No. 1 (2002): 103. Cheng, Vincent John. Joyce, Race, and Empire. Cambridge University Press, 1995. Maltby, Paul. The Visionary Moment: A Postmodern Critique. SUNY Press, 2002 Steiner, Deborah Tarn. Images in Mind: Statues in Archaic and Classical Greek Literature and Thought. Princeton University Press, 2002. Tigges, Wim. Moments of Moment: Aspects of the Literary Epiphany. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1999. Scodel, Ruth. Sophocles: Greek Literature, Twas 731. Twayne Publishers, 1984. Read More