Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Of Joyce's Ghost Story
Well, we can use this thread to share and discuss any passages from "The Dead" that you find to be worthy of comment or question, but maybe, as I look ahead to the second half of class on Friday when the film concludes, I'll query you with responses to the end of the story. What would you say, for example, if I were to ask what/when, specifically, is the moment of epiphany for Gabriel in this story? If an epiphany involves seeing the world or one's self anew, what is it that Gabriel learns? What is his first response upon hearing Gretta's story about Michael Furey and then in what sense does that response evolve? What does it mean when we learn that "the time had come for him to set out on his journey westward" (2199)? By the end of the story, how do you understand the (multiple?) connotations of the story's title? No need to answer all of those questions, of course, but maybe there's something in there that will incline you to share some thoughts!
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Any comments on/observations about the film so far? Do you change/adjust your previous assessment of Gabriel now that you're seeing his interactions at the party -- i.e., do you have more/less sympathy for him, more/less understanding of him, etc.?
ReplyDeleteAnd another question (one that I already posed to the afternoon class): what do you make of that moment when, as Aunt Julia sings "Arrayed for the Bridal," the camera goes up the stairs to visit her bedroom and some of her most personal belongings? What is Huston trying to convey with this scene? To my mind, this is one of the two most significant directorial additions he made, i.e., elements that are not in the printed story (the other is that story/reading, "Broken Vows," by an added character, Mr. Grace -- we could also discuss why he made that addition).
I can't decide whether or not I have sympathy for Gabriel. He is a scholar who has not bothered to learn anything about his wife. He is so obsessed with keeping up appearances that he is callous to real human emotions and problems. He is so self-conscious and uptight that he cannot enjoy a party or handle some gentle teasing about his gollashes.
ReplyDeleteIn the end we discover that his relationship with his wife is very shallow; the death of Furey has obviously had an enormous effect on Gretta, yet she has never discussed it with him, (wouldn't she have, if they were truly intimate?) and he seems to be more jealous than empathetic when she does.
I think that the simple image in the film of the empty, snowy street corner was very powerful. As he stares out of the hotel window, Gabriel realizes that he has never experienced true, passionate love. I pictured the ghost of Micheal Furey standing in the snow, staring up at the window, already haunting him.
Wow robynelaine! great observation. I like the idea of the ghost looking up at Gabriel. "already haunting him", perhaps this suggests that Gabriel will be tormented forever? I think you are right; the evenings events brought about a fork in the road where the couple must each change or at least contemplate the perspectives of each other as well as themselves in order to go on with their marriage. Unfortunately, a lack of communication or the lack of desire for understanding seems to be the root of all discontent in relationships, whether it be with a lover or a friend. We get stuck in our selfish perspectives and forget to think of others.
ReplyDeleteI almost agree with everything said, but I think I hold Gabriel in a much higher perspective than you two. I think he is strong-minded even though he is often unsure of himself. He is the apitamy of a genuine human being. And, robynelaine, just because Gabriel did not know about Gretta's childhood lover who freakishly died at a young age in no way means that he never bothered to learn anything about his wife. And same with you, elizebeth, in your last line you use "selfish" as an adjective for all of us in relation to Gabriel. Gabriel was not selfish, he was not only thinking of himself. He did not consul his crying wife as much as we would have liked to be, but he felt as alone as that street lamp outside his window. I do not blame Gretta for bringing up those emotions when hearing that song, but I do think she could have saved that grieving for a different time, one that does not break a special moment with her CURRENT husband. I am not calling her selfish, but perhaps a bit less considerate than Gabriel, who has been turned hollow and has resulted, bravely, to drop any plans and go west to the isles in a quest to fill himself with anything.
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