As readers we carefully study words, words and words. Although early reviewers of James Joyce's Dubliners tended to see the work as a group of completely unconnected tales, more recent commentators have pointed out that there is a definite structure to the sequence and that the stories are linked together by different themes and images. They noted that all the stories center on the theme of paralysis and that images of confinement reappear frequently, in fact paralysis reigns supreme in Joyce's Dubliners. Critics have then divided, conventionally, on the question of whether the symbolism of snow within the final story "The Dead" connotes purification and rebirth or rather a massive reaffirmation of paralysis. Paralysis, which arose from Catholicism and colonization. However, I have come to the conclusion that "The Dead" actually offers ways out of paralysis that have nothing to do with that final symbolism. My understanding and perspectives have been influenced by Trevor L. Williams and his journal article “Resistance to Paralysis in Dubliners.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Furthermore, the motif of darkness is so pervasive in Dubliners that it is difficult to discover an important scene taking place in bright sunlight in any of the stories. From the first story to the last the usual setting is a dark room or a dark street in Dublin, and the action almost always takes place at night or in the early hours of the evening after sunset. All the dark scenes can be attributed to Joyce's desire to present a vivid image of the seedy side of “dear dirty Dublin”. Before writing “The Dead”, James Joyce had foreseen that the story “Grace” would conclude his collection. However, in both situations "The Sisters" was still destined to open "Dubliners". The first sentence of The Sisters: “For him this time there was no hope: it was the third blow”. Similarly for 'Grace': "Two gentlemen who were in the toilet at the time tried to lift him: but he was completely helpless." Two examples cannot show a predilection for anything, according to Trevor L. Williams. Yet it is a fact that Joyce begins these story framings by recording impotence, and that he uses the colon to establish the relationships between the clauses. The first is a continuous relationship shown in the first quote "no hope: third blow", while the second quote is the opposite, "I tried to lift: but it was helpless", but the effects are radically similar. Please note: This is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The darkness in all the stories symbolizes the plight of the Irish people, providing a reason for their paralysis. The darkness within the stories takes the form of the religious, political and social darkness that surrounds the characters, they are not only subject to the physical darkness of the dear, dirty streets of Dublin. Joyce's pessimism about human relationships may seem excessive until one remembers that this view emerges from specific historical circumstances. The characters' relationship with the past equally reflects the historical context of Dublin. The literary articulation of life under capitalism often represents the past as a green paradise period that will be welcomed into a near future made possible by some kind of economic progress. This is because in colonialism economic realization must be postponed until the political future is defined. Time has been relentless for the characters of "Dubliners", as Joyce shows no leniency in his words.