In the short story “Grace” from the anthology “Dubliners”, James Joyce tells the story of Tom Kernan, a former businessman who has fallen from his graces, winding up unconscious in a pub. Joyce employs Tom, his fall, and his proposed redemption to exemplify the moral stagnancy of society in Dublin.
Grace begins with a fall. A tumble down a flight of stairs which leaves Kernan face-first in the “filth and ooze of the floor” at the base of the stairs (Joyce 169). Later in the story, it becomes apparent that this fall is representative of more than just a bad night out on the town, but an overall trend in Kernan’s life. Where he had once been a “jovial well-fed man who was dressed smartly” (Joyce 175), he is now left in the filth and ooze, suffering …show more content…
This hostility shared even amidst laughter over drinks, though a moment shared between a small group of men, “stands as a bad sign [for the community]” (Foster 11). It perfectly showcases the results of church conflicts in ireland, and their effects on the general public. The men, ironically enough, make peace after enough drinks. They are then able to convince Kernan to join them for their retreat. The Jesuit church is an oppressive environment, laden with sombre dress and sober tone, though as Kernan looks around, he spies familiar faces, which bring him comfort. One such face is that of Mr Harford, one of the men that had been drinking with Kernan on the night of the fall, a man who was by no accounts holy. The preacher dissuaded such thoughts with not with a sermon of repentance and righteous correction, but of grace and forgiveness, stating “Jesus Christ was not a hard taskmaster. He understood our little failings, understood the weaknesses of our poor fallen nature, understood the temptations of this life.” (Joyce 196).
“Grace” serves as an example for the overarching theme of paralysis that persists throughout Dubliners. It tells of a man, fallen into sin, and his journey towards “redemption.” It tells of a lax church and a society which had inherited lax morals for the permission of immoral
Grace begins with a fall. A tumble down a flight of stairs which leaves Kernan face-first in the “filth and ooze of the floor” at the base of the stairs (Joyce 169). Later in the story, it becomes apparent that this fall is representative of more than just a bad night out on the town, but an overall trend in Kernan’s life. Where he had once been a “jovial well-fed man who was dressed smartly” (Joyce 175), he is now left in the filth and ooze, suffering …show more content…
This hostility shared even amidst laughter over drinks, though a moment shared between a small group of men, “stands as a bad sign [for the community]” (Foster 11). It perfectly showcases the results of church conflicts in ireland, and their effects on the general public. The men, ironically enough, make peace after enough drinks. They are then able to convince Kernan to join them for their retreat. The Jesuit church is an oppressive environment, laden with sombre dress and sober tone, though as Kernan looks around, he spies familiar faces, which bring him comfort. One such face is that of Mr Harford, one of the men that had been drinking with Kernan on the night of the fall, a man who was by no accounts holy. The preacher dissuaded such thoughts with not with a sermon of repentance and righteous correction, but of grace and forgiveness, stating “Jesus Christ was not a hard taskmaster. He understood our little failings, understood the weaknesses of our poor fallen nature, understood the temptations of this life.” (Joyce 196).
“Grace” serves as an example for the overarching theme of paralysis that persists throughout Dubliners. It tells of a man, fallen into sin, and his journey towards “redemption.” It tells of a lax church and a society which had inherited lax morals for the permission of immoral