Allusion in The Wasteland

In the third poem of The Wasteland, titled The Fire Sermon, there is a recurring allusion to Tiresias, a prophet of Apollo in Greek epics such as The Odyssey and Dante's Inferno. Tiresias blind, but knows what is happening throughout the world. This fits perfectly into his role in the poem, he is an uninvolved observer, capable of knowing the thoughts and emotions of all the characters he observes. Because of this, there is speculation that Tiresias may be the narrator of all of the Wasteland. His character also serves as a unifying force. In Greek legend, he was turned into a woman for seven years. This allows him to connect to both the men and women in the story.

Snow as a Symbol in The Dead

A recurring symbol in Joyce's The Dead is the weather, specifically snow. Within the text it is representative of multiple figurative concepts, and has literal significance in regard as well. Its literal significance comes in the form of discussion between characters, hindering their ability to travel, and causing or threatening to cause sickness. Looking at it from a figurative perspective, the snow could be the vehicle for two different but related tenors. The first, and most important tenor is the concept of death. After he learns of the death of Michael Furey, one of Gabriel's first actions is to notice the snow, and Joyce remarks on how the snow, like death, falls indiscriminately on everyone. The next tenor that the snow represents is the character's emotions. The snow is first mentioned when Gabriel's aunts are worried that he has not yet arrived. It becomes a prominent part of the story again when everyone begins to leave the party, and the joyous night is over. In the cab, when a more somber attitude takes over, it is once again discussed, as it covers a statue. Finally, it's universal nature is discussed when Gabriel begins to think about his decline, and his Aunt's impending death. Snow is used as a vehicle to represent both death, and the sadness that goes along with it.

Metaphor in The Dead

The metaphor from James Joyce's The Dead that I chose describes the happiness Gabriel feels while looking towards his wife. "A wave of yet more tender joy escaped from his heart and went coursing in warm flood along his arteries." The tenor in this metaphor is Gabriel's joy, and the vehicle, though not explicitly stated, is his blood. Joyce, in creating this metaphor, is obviously not saying that the two things are the same, just that they have similar actions. To Gabriel, it feels as though joy is filling his entire body, and is giving him energy, bringing newfound life. All these actions are ones that are achieved by the blood in everyone's arteries, which is why the comparison is an excellent one to make. The significance of the metaphor is the way it describes Gabriel's joy so completely. It, at this moment, is as essential to him as the blood in his veins. This encompassing joy sets up for the dramatic shift in tone when his wife describes Michael Furey and the way he died.

My Opinion of Mrs. Dalloway

When I began reading Mrs. Dalloway, I did not enjoy it. I felt confused by the style of narration and bored by the content of the story. As I continued to read, however, I realized why it is revered as one of Woolfe's better novels. The narration, though it remains somewhat difficult to understand throughout the book, provides one major benefit that makes its confusing nature entirely worth it. This aspect, which I have devoted more than one post to, is the characterization Woolfe can achieve. Never have I read a book have the characters felt so real, so entirely relatable. Believe it or not, the dull plot (a woman's thoughts and feelings as she prepares for and then hosts a party) has its advantages as well. Because there are no extraordinary or unbelievable events, the characters and their thoughts feel even more real. In addition, the dull plot is enhanced by the addition of other character's perspectives, as well as Septimus' story arc. I would recommend this book because of its impressively "real" characters and their relatable thoughts and feelings, something few, if any, books could achieve.

Purpose of Writing Mrs. Dalloway Revisited

Now that I have finished Woolfe's novel Mrs. Dalloway, I'd like to revisit the reason she wrote it, as well as the meaning of the book. While portraying characters as real people with relatable, complex emotions is a major part of the novel, it is the entirety of it. Woolfe uses her impressive ability to characterize to deliver a few of her own views on life. Loneliness is a common emotion among every character in the book at at least one point. At the end of the book, however, both Peter and Clarissa are able to overcome it. With the page of the novel comes Peter's acceptance of his lasting love for Mrs. Dalloway, and, with this comes a sense of great relief for him and the reader. Perhaps Woolfe's message here is to open to recognizing how one truly feels. For Clarissa, her relief comes with a stranger realization. Upon hearing about Septimus' death, she is at first offended by the topic, but, as she thinks about it, begins to feel comforted by it. The news allows her to realize the importance of life. This, in turn, stops her from worrying about death, a recurring theme, and instead focus on living her own life.

Why did Woolfe Write Mrs. Dalloway?

In my blog posts I have been focusing mainly on the way Woolfe creates her characters. I find the unique, very personal way of characterization that stream of conscious provides to be by far the most interesting aspect of Mrs. Dalloway. It was, and still is, a revolutionary, unique style of writing, and I believe this played a huge part in why she wrote it. She wanted to portray humanity in an accurate, relatable light, but conventional means of writing didn't offer the right feeling. The post World War I feeling among artists was that they had failed by allowing the war to occur. This meant they needed to explore new techniques and concepts. Woolfe took advantage of this to create an incredible example of excellent characterization.

Woolf's Characters Feel Real

In Mrs. Dalloway, I was, at first, intimidated and confused by the style of writing. It seemed impossible to understand whose mind the narrator had entered, let alone anything about this person. As I grew more comfortable with Woolf's style, however, I began to realize the appeal of the book. The characters, because you, as a reader, can enter their minds, feel more authentic, more personal. You go through life only having access to your own consciousness. There is no way to know if way you think and feel is normal because you only get the filtered, emotionally guarded thoughts that others choose to share. This allows Woolf to create characters that seem almost more human than the real people around you. Her characters have private, petty, and sometimes inexplicable thoughts and feelings that you can only experience in your own head. It is difficult to explain the appeal of this concept, but there is a strange comfort in the way it connects your conscious with those in the book, and through them, to humans in general.