Joyce’s attention to detail truly draws the reader into his stories and makes them feel as if they are gossiping with the ladies, dancing with the other guests, and sitting at the table sharing a meal with his characters, especially in his story, “The Dead.” My mouth started to water when I read page 168, where Joyce describes every detail of the magnificent feast, from the “fat, brown goose” to the “small bowl full of chocolates and sweets wrapped in gold and silver papers.” I could see it so clearly in my imagination that I almost reached out my hand to pluck one of the oranges from its pyramid. Then, on page 179, Joyce describes Gabriel’s wife. His alliteration of the “s” sounds when Gabriel was “surprised at her stillness” makes the event seem hushed and quiet. The author painted a picture when he described how Gretta leaned on the banister of the main stairs, yet she was shrouded in shadow. The sheer amount of adjectives that Joyce uses in these couple of paragraphs builds an anticipation that follows the reader through the story until Gretta finally reveals what was truly on her mind.
Joyce does not write fanciful happily-ever-afters, but strives to write stories that connect with people on a deeper level by mimicking real life. However, real life is not easy to write about due to the fact that it does not often have grand, solid endings. Real life would be very boring to read about, but Joyce spices it up with his masterful use of detail.
I agree with your comment on the ending completely. A solid ending without questions is unrealistic, and since the story is about life and death, it wouldn't even ring true to the main ideas. I like what you said about details spicing up the the story, and I also think they help to make it more realistic as a whole. Life is teeming with countless colors, shapes, textures, and details, so noting these aspects in the text makes it seem more real.
ReplyDelete