Mapping: Dubliners
From The Waste Land Wiki
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=Introduction= | =Introduction= | ||
| − | The aim of this project | + | The aim of this project is to map three of the stories from James Joyce's ''Dubliners'' --''Araby'', ''Clay'', and ''Eveline''-- in order to make observations about what the mapping process adds or takes away to each story. I chose these three stories because they share a similar theme of desiring love and of self growth through a failure to find the love the protagonists of these stories seek. For the mapping process I used google maps and tried to make a point of every location mentioned in the stories to the best of my ability. Unfortunately, because some of the settings described in the three stories are unnamed, they are not depicted on the maps. Additionally, the protagonist of these stories also traveled by tram which is not a mode of transportation supported by google maps. As an alternative, I used the train system of Dublin to the best of my abilities to compensate for this. Though the mapping process of these stories was often very tedious and challenging, the three maps allows an individual to draw conclusions from the stories that may otherwise go unnoticed. |
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| − | Mapping Araby | + | Mapping ''Araby'' aided in understanding the story because it depicts exactly how far the protagonist willingly traveled in effort to impress the girl with whom he was so infatuated. When reading the story, it is difficult to sense how far the young boy truly travels. It was also very interesting just being able to look in street view and follow the route that he took to get to the train and eventually go to the bazaar. ''Araby'' was the easiest of the three stories to map simply because the story uses street names and train stations to describe the route the boy took on his journey. The only difficulty in mapping Araby was mapping the actual location of the bazaar. The mapping of Araby was fairly simple and enable the reader to both appreciate the distance the protagonist traveled and connect with the protagonist's self-reflection at the end of the narrative. |
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| − | The mapping process for Eveline was by far the most difficult story to map, but the size of the map helps put into scope the world that Eveline is facing.Although the physical journey of Eveline is not possible to map being able to | + | The mapping process for "Eveline" was by far the most difficult story to map, but the size of the map helps put into scope the world that "Eveline" is facing.Although the physical journey of "Eveline" is not possible to map, being able to use the street view feature of google maps in order to see the dock that the story tragically ends at really adds to the story. The visualization attainable by utilizing google street view helps flesh out the story and may encourage the reader to reflect on the differences between modern-day Dublin and the Dublin Seen in "Eveline". The mapping of the story was very difficult, however I think that being able to actually see the setting of the story makes the story more emotionally charged because it is easier to visualize. |
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| − | The mapping of Clay proved to be very challenging, but it | + | The mapping of Clay proved to be very challenging, but it produced similar rewards and insights to mapping "Araby" and "Eveline". The biggest addition the map added to the narrative was clarity about the physical journey that Maria took as she was a very mobile character. Being able to see the route she took made the story easier to visualize after reading it again. The mapping process did present a few challenges though; namely the fact that Maria took the tram on her journey. Because she took the tram I did my best to trace her tram route via the train tracks in Dublin. Another difficulty that I encountered while mapping her Journey was her stop at the Pillar. The stop was impossible to map because the Pillar was destroyed in 1966; I opted for using the James Joyce memorial on the same street as its replacement. Despite these obstacles, overall, mapping Clay was a rewarding process that produced a visual tool through which the story can be better understood. |
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=Conclusion= | =Conclusion= | ||
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| + | Looking at all of the maps helps the reader to draw conclusions that otherwise may have gone unnoticed. First of all, all of the stories follow a linear path, none of them circle back to the place where they began. This linear pathway parallels the linear growth that each character experiences as a failure to find the love that they desire. This linear path shows that the transformation that each character goes through is irreversible. The young boy in "Araby" realization that his search for love was in vain, the inability of Eveline to leave her "not so bad" life, and Maria's perpetual loneliness are all significant events that the characters must come to terms with. Also, every story begins and ends in the greater Dublin area. Though this is detailed in the story's respective narratives, the maps offer a better view of how Dublin bookends each narrative. Further, the fact that the stories all begin and end in Dublin shows an inability of the characters to leave their home despite their best efforts, with some exception for the young boy in "Araby". The closest any character gets to leaving Dublin would be Eveline until her fear of the world paralyzes her and she consequently watches her love leave without her. Maria's only escape from Dublin would be her foreshadowed death by her placing her hand in the clay when she plays the Halloween game. The significance of these patterns of movement is that they may symbolize James Joyce's own beliefs that because Ireland, at the time, was being oppressed by both Britain and the Catholic Church, Ireland was like an inescapable prison. Overall, having the ability to look at all three maps together helps to draw some in depth conclusions that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. | ||
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| + | Going into this project I was uncertain of what I would find, but I think the project produced were interesting and insightful. The mapping process although challenging proved to be very rewarding. I would be interested to see all of the stories from "Dubliners" mapped in order to see if the maps supported my conclusions or revealed a different pattern that was no observed in these three maps. | ||
