Quote:
Originally Posted by BelleZora
Upon reflection, I have to say that I appreciate James Joyce's apparent view in this book that epiphanies happen and they have little practical value. In other books they are a handy literary device, but in real life they are pretty much a dime a dozen and about as life-changing for most of us as they are for Joyce's Dubliners. Take some of the common epiphanies: (1.) If I don't lose weight I'll likely get diabetes or at least bad knees, (2.) If I don't stop drinking I'll destroy both myself and my family, (3.) If I don't stop yelling at the kids, they will never want to be around me. These epiphanies by themselves are not worth much. Even when we can imagine being different, we might as well be in Joyce's Dublin.
Last month we read The Count of Monte Cristo and, although it was among the favorite books I read all year, I didn't have much to think or say about it. It was just great entertainment. (Okay, there was the part about Dantes' realization that revenge can have unintended consequences). On the other hand, I didn't much enjoy reading Dubliners. I was relieved when it was over. But I can't stop thinking about it. This morning I realized why Evaline was so uncomfortable to read and it was a damned epiphany. Probably a fat lot of good that will do me.
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Yes, the point is that Eveline is presented with an epiphany that could be life-changing but she has become so warped that she is unable to grasp the opportunity when it comes. I think the comparison to an animal at the end is significant. Animals are driven by programmed compulsions to survive in a particular environment and are not self-reflective (at least so believers in reductionist determinism would hold}. Eveline has lost the human ability to be self-reflective and thus make a choice which would change her environment. In fact, Joyce may be telling us that the entire concept of self-reflection and free will is an illusion. That we are all incarnations of "Eveline" in some fashion.
Joyce quite carefully crafts this story but it is so bleak that I lose any sympathy for the heroine and its deterministic philosophy repels me. For me, it is worth reading this type of thing--once--so that one can respond to it intelligently, but one doesn't have to like it.