Presenter Information

Natalia GreenFollow

Content Category

Literary Criticism

Abstract/Description

In a letter recorded by Janine Utell in James Joyce and the Revolt of Love, Joyce questions, “But why should I have brought Nora to a priest or a lawyer to make her swear away her life to me?” In this paper, I seek to illuminate two topics, seen in Joyce’s question, found throughout “The Dead”: Joyce’s portrayal of marriage as death, and his critique of society for romanticizing marriage rather than acknowledging this link. Joyce’s portrayal of marriage as death throughout “The Dead” is seen through allusions, the fate of the only married sister, and Gabriel’s and Gretta’s marriage. Through this portrayal of marriage as death, and his critique of society’s idealization of marriage, Joyce illustrates that a deeper understanding of marriage can be reached if one simply acknowledges marriage as death rather than attempting to romanticize marriage. If one can understand marriage as death, rather than romanticizing it, they can reach the same understanding and acceptance of marriage as Gabriel comes to concerning death at the end of “The Dead”: that marriage and death are linked, but understanding this can lead to a deeper appreciation of one’s marriage.

Key words: marriage, death, “The Dead,” James Joyce, society

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Origin of Submission

as part of a class

Faculty Involvement

Jarica Watts

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Romeo and Juliet, Marriage and Death: Joyce's Portrayal of Marriage as Death and Society's Fantasy

In a letter recorded by Janine Utell in James Joyce and the Revolt of Love, Joyce questions, “But why should I have brought Nora to a priest or a lawyer to make her swear away her life to me?” In this paper, I seek to illuminate two topics, seen in Joyce’s question, found throughout “The Dead”: Joyce’s portrayal of marriage as death, and his critique of society for romanticizing marriage rather than acknowledging this link. Joyce’s portrayal of marriage as death throughout “The Dead” is seen through allusions, the fate of the only married sister, and Gabriel’s and Gretta’s marriage. Through this portrayal of marriage as death, and his critique of society’s idealization of marriage, Joyce illustrates that a deeper understanding of marriage can be reached if one simply acknowledges marriage as death rather than attempting to romanticize marriage. If one can understand marriage as death, rather than romanticizing it, they can reach the same understanding and acceptance of marriage as Gabriel comes to concerning death at the end of “The Dead”: that marriage and death are linked, but understanding this can lead to a deeper appreciation of one’s marriage.

Key words: marriage, death, “The Dead,” James Joyce, society