Spiritual Paralysis in James Joyce Specific Stories

Abstract

This research paper attempts a modest investigation on the spiritual paralysis life of the characters in Specific Stories such as Clay, A Painful Case and Evelinefrom James Joyce’s modernist masterpiece Dublinersin order to argue that James Joyce makes a vehement criticism of modernism the influence of which devastate the original values of Ireland. The major issue of the research deals with the negative impacts of modernity as reflected in the form of the frustration, depression, psychological dilemma and emotional alienation in the leading protagonists from the Selected Stories. Placing the contemporary history of Catholic Church and its restrictive doctrines that paralyze the individual wills and desires as well as the European modern changes as the backdrop Joyce excels a portrayal of negative aspect of modernity through the living dead condition of his characters. The research further incorporates the theoretical concept of modernism as its theoretical tool along with the critical reviews from different critics in order for strengthening the major argument on the spiritual paralysis on the Joycean characters. The research paper contributes to the domain of knowledge by the findings that Joycean characters’ paralyzed life under the impact of Catholic Church reflects Joyce’s critique of modernity in twentieth century Ireland.