The Analysis of “Spiritual Paralysis” in The Dead from the Perspective of Narrative

潘清玉

【Abstract】The Dead written by James Joyce is arresting with careful reading. The paper will analyze its profound meanings from the perspective of narrative， including how the story is conveyed， how the constituent and supplementary events work， how the perspective alters and whats the gap.

【Key words】narrative； spiritual paralysis； The Dead

The Dead was selected from James Joyces Dubliners （1914）. Its protagonist Gabriel Conroy， though living in Dublin， tends to be deprecating about what he regards as the provincialism of Irish culture. While making his way to the hotel， Gabriel makes efforts to woo his wife Gretta but discovers that she is thinking of someone else called Michael Furey. Narrative is so much a part of the way we apprehend the world； Filmmaker Brian De Palma put this idea even more strongly： “people dont see the world before their eyes until its put in a narrative mode.” （Abbott： 2002： 6） The paper aims at analyzing how the story is conveyed， how the constituent and supplementary events work， how the perspective alters and whats the gap.

According to Barthes， A nucleus （“constituent event”， “kernels”） cannot be deleted without altering the story， but neither can a catalyzer （“supplementary event”， “satellites”）. （Abbot： 2002： 20） The constituent events revolve around the protagonist Gabriel Conroy who meets setbacks with three ladies， including Lily， Miss Ivors and Gretta. The small talk between Gabriel and Lily sets the tone for Gabriels uneven night. Gabriels friendly care confronts with Lilys great bitterness. After the small conflict is another conflict. While dancing， Miss Ivors fiercely criticizes Gabriel as “West Briton”. Miss Ivors represents parochial nationalist but Gabriel is the opposite， prone to accept new concept and break the Irish tradition. Grettas nostalgic recall towards Michael Furey after hearing the song The Lass of Aughrimm makes Gabriel increasingly jealous and humiliated. “...snow was general all over Ireland…It was falling， too， upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried...” Snow seems to cover the truth of life， and since it covers both the living creature and the dead， it mixes the boundary between life and death. What a profound symbolic meaning. He who is alive is as paralytic as a walking dead； he who is already dead is as immortal as in spirit.

As to the supplementary events， it includes aunt Julia and Kate， Mary Jane， Freddy Malin and so on. For example， Freddys drunkenness is another kind of paralysis. The itemization of the food on the supper table is completely given， showing their complying with set rules. Some nesting stories are told on the table： Freddy is indulgent in the climax of his story but out of tune in the party while Gabriel and two aunts recall the story of grandfathers horse Johnny who walk around King Billys statue， they burst out laughter. But they are unaware that they walk around “the past” like Johnny. Any supplementary event is deliberately chosen to make the texts meaning more far-reaching.

The Dead adopts third-person limited narration. At first， the narrator adopts non-focalization. it can shift to talk about anyone in the party but characters inner activity isnt exposed. When it comes to Gabriel， it changes to “focalization” like a camera. The combine of two kind perspectives reveals the latent contrast： the dim house versus white snow； Christmas day symbolizing birth versus frequently mentioned “dead” people such as Michael Furey. These strong contrasts increase tension for the text. On the other hand， the limited third person makes the narrator sometimes unreliable. While Lily says “The men that is now is only all palaver and what they can get out of you”， the unreliable narration makes Gabriel worried and embarrassed. Such unreliable narration leaves blank and expands the reading space for the implied readers.

Gap or distance is necessary in good narrative discourse. Firstly， the implied author adopts the timing technique to create suspense. “Ulterior narration， the most common situation， reports on events after they happen.” （Keen： 2003： 101） The narrator mentions something but will later unlock it with duration. For example， the narrator begins with the party scene but doesnt explain the reason and time and later it is disclosed by Gabriels talk “Christmas”. With some omission of details， gaps are achieved as well. For example， while Gretta falls asleep， Gabriels consciousness interrupts. What is he thinking about his wife？ At the end of text， Gabriel gets epiphany， but whats the closure？ Will he die soon as he thinks his aunts will？ Will he soon set out on his journey westward？

The Dead is an exquisite novella. Joyces consummate narrative technique makes it deserve reading with much space for interpretation. The “mental paralysis” Joyce depicts about Dubliners is also a warning for contemporary people.

References：

[1]Abbott，H.Porter.The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative.NY：Cambridge University Press，2002.

[2]Attridge，Derek.The Cambridge Companion to James Joyce.Shanghai：Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，2000.

[3]Keen，Suzanne.Narrative Form.NY：Palgrave Macmillan，2003.