The Waste Land- Allusion

In "The Fire Sermon," there are allusions to many different songs and old poetic works through out the sections. At the end, there is a reference to St. Augustine's Confessions, "To Carthage then I came / … O Lord Thou pluckest me out O Lord Thou pluckest" (Lines 307-310). It is important to note that during "The Fire Sermon," the narrator proclaims himself to be the mythological creature Tiresias, one whom has both male and female features. Tiresias views an interaction between a vulnerable women and a clerk, and ultimately feels ashamed for what he has witnessed. St. Augustine's Confessions is an autobiographical work that St. Augustine contemplates and retreats his sinful youth and immoral life. At the end of The Fire Sermon, this allusion to the Confessions exemplifies that Tiresias feels remorse for what his life has come to be and all of the terrible things he has done and seen.

The Dead- Symbol

The piano playing in the background of The Dead is symbolic in the sense that the vehicle, the music playing, represents many tenors, or larger themes of the story. Originally, the pianist is playing waltzes so the dinner party feels sophisticated and classy. As the evening moves on, the songs transform and become more lively and rowdy, as do the guests. Mary Jane then plays, and Gabriel remarks on the discordance of the piece, how there seems to be no melody nor any pattern.

All of the different types of piano music symbolizes the contrasting opinions of the Irish people during this time period in history. During the early 1800's, the Irish were annexed and then lead England to be known as Great Britain. When The Dubliners was published in the early twentieth century, the Irish were in turmoil because they were underneath the British, but many wanted to gain independence. Miss Ivors criticizes Gabriel as West Briton, as Gabriel admits that he does not feel great pride for his nation. Overall, the various sounds of the piano through out the evening of the party reflect on the different opinions people feel in Irish about gaining their independence from England during this time period. Joyce hopes to exemplify this flaw in society during the turn of the century prior to the First World War. 

The Dead- A Metaphor

"The coffin is to remind them of their last end."

In this part of The Dead, by James Joyce, Aunt Kate and Mary Jane are explaining to Mr. Browne a ritual of monks: every night when the go to bed, they sleep in coffins to "make up for the sins committed by all the sinners in the outside world." The vehicle in this case in the last end and it is carrying the tenor, or the coffin. This metaphor is significant to the story because the coffin is foreshadowing a death that the readers learns about in the end.

Mrs. Dalloway- Clarissa's Fear of Aging and Death

As a human, there is an argument that we are born to fear three things: falling, loud noises, and abandonment. Although falling and loud noises can clearly be defined, abandonment can imply different things. Even though it may appear to be a stretch, researchers argue that death falls into the third category; humans are naturally afraid of abandoning life. Clarissa in "Mrs. Dalloway" struggles to cope with the fact that as life moves on, so does her sense of loneliness. In her eyes, this is common, this sense of being alone. Towards the end of the novel, Clarissa comments about the old woman in the window next door. She respects this woman for taking the time to reflect on her life, and recognizes that it is something she does more and more often. In order for a woman to feel more complete, Clarissa believes that one has to have a sense of independence and purpose. She finally comes to terms with the fact that she is growing older and that death is a part of life after she witness the old woman. It is not until she overcomes these fear until she is able to openly communicate with Peter and Sally towards the end of the party.

Mrs. Dalloway- The Pocketknife

Throughout "Mrs. Dalloway," Peter often refers to the blade of his pocketknife. In general, a knife or another weapon represents power and capabilities. In the novel, Peter often fidgets the knife around in his hand, representing his inability to handle making decisions. Also, he feels that he needs to be "armed" (both physically and mentally) while meeting Clarissa, so he must carry the knife. Ironically, when they saw one another for the first time in years, Clarissa is using scissors while sewing. Even at the party, Peter mentions the knife before he enters. Peter and the knife reflect Peter's struggle of either accepting or denying English traditions. Overall, this knife represents the larger idea of power in society and those who are capable or either obtaining it or not.

Mrs. Dalloway- A Question

Why do you think the narrator chose to tell the inner thoughts of people on this particular day?

Mrs. Dalloway- A Word

Suffering

Mrs. Dalloway- Peter Walsh, Regret and Sadness

Although in class we have discussed a great deal about Mrs. Dalloway's regrets in life, we haven't talked that much about Peter Walsh's regrets in life.

As mention in an earlier debate, one brought up the idea that "regret" is a termed used in place of "sadness," because it is society's beliefs that sadness means something more than just a feeling or characteristic: one who is sad has mental concerns beyond the stigma of what sadness should be. Woolf tries to delicately weave decades of history into hours by using stream of conscience to exemplify the feelings behind the actions of her characters. In one case, Woolf has Peter dream to take the reader into a deeper part of his mind.

During this dream, Peters imagines himself as a solitary soldier walking through different scenarios. He depicts women as sirens and different figures, indicating his loneliness and desperation for women. After her dramatically awakes, he recalls the exact moment of Clarissa's rejection of his proposal. This leads one to believe how Peters regrets and sadness in life largely derives from the pain her felt after his proposal to Clarissa.