Joyce’s use voyeurism is what most identifies the erotic scenes in “The Dead,”” “The Boarding House,” and “Araby.” Eroticism has strong roots in mystery and suspense. Joyce can use all of an individual’s perspective to create the ideal charged moment by creating a passive experience of sexuality. The voyeur watches and waits, with the desire growing as they avoid consummation. The four stories emphasize eroticism through the use of imagery, language, tones and circumstances. The reader is not privy to the actual interaction. This creates a separate world that is not told. The ability to imagine, remember or describe erotic activity is what we see. The erotic acts are strengthened when there is no interaction or realization. The rhythmic motifs of Joyce’s visual images and the sensuality they convey create the ideal environment for recognition and desire, but without consummation.
Joyce’s narrative weaves can be woven from multiple perspectives (Fisher, lecture 10/4/99). These stories are characterized by waiting and watching. The Boarding House is a story about action that relies on observation. Mrs. Mooney “[notices] a relationship between Polly’s husband and one of the young guys,” (Signet Classics, 60). This is due to her close observation. These two people are all she can see and what drives her emotion. As the reader, she becomes a voyeur and switches peepholes almost continuously, catching three different people during a period of waiting. The use of watching is clearly evident in “Two Gallants” as the encounter between two lovers can only be seen through the eyes a spy on them. Lenahan “observe[s]” them for a few moments and then becomes affected by their sexual exchange. Both Lenahan as well the reader must wait until the lovers are gone. The protagonist is the principal voyeur in both “Araby” as well as “The Dead,” with strikingly similar images. Gabriel stares at his wife, “…his figure, from the top of a flight staircase (220), just like in “Araby.” (24) These early erotic scenes drive both stories forward, providing untouched images that can be pursued. Both appear in both stories as motifs.
Joyce’s use metaphors to set the scene is rich with sensory details, reminding us that erotic observation communicates through all our senses. The scene in “The Boarding House” is described as follows:
“It was early summer’s bright sun, with heat and a breeze blowing. The lace curtains swelled towards the street, extending out from the windows. The constant calls of George’s Church’s Belfry were heard. Breakfast was served in the boardinghouse and the table was covered with yellow strips of eggs and bacon-fat morsels. (60)
These images are tantalizing and delicious, and they can be found all over Dubliners. These images make the reader a voyeur and get more excited about the vision in front of them.
Joyce emphasizes Joyce’s voyeurism with complementing details. Joyce describes people’s bodies with specific details, including their body parts and what clothes are worn. This creates a sense of mystery and tension in sexual tension. In stories, we often refer to each part of our faces and our hands in great detail. We will be more interested in the details the author allows us to see. This is the beauty of “Two Gallants”, a passage that focuses on the body.
“The belt of leather black held her blue serge skirt at her waist. The great buckle of silver seemed to depress her center, catching light from her white blouse like an ear…Lenehan looked at her muscular and stout body with admiration. Frank rude health sparkled in her face.
This segment is not the only one that uses “her” as a name. Joyce uses namesless women to create less attraction and reciprocity during these erotic encounters. The girls in “Two Gallants,” “Araby” and “Two Gallants,” don’t seem to even have names. In “Araby”, a boy claimed that “her named was like a summons [his] foolish veins” and that “her name rose to his lips in moments of strange prayer,” (25). This adds to the sense of mystery and keeps us from being too close. Even in “The Dead,” Gretta’s exuberant observation is not dominated by Gabriel. It is here that pronouns are used most prominently as a stylistic decision. Gabriel should not be attracted to Gretta, but his attraction to Gretta is more personal. Gretta is an unfamiliar, distant woman still waiting to conquer.
The imagery can also include symbolic objects or events. Two stories feature a harp. The reference to a Harp is made in two stories. In “Araby,” it is clear, the young boy envisions his body as a harp. His words and gestures remind him of a harpist. (25) This image is further complicated in “Two Gallants”, when Lenahan & Corley pass a street harpist. Joyce, using personification, describes a harpist who is referred to in this sensual passage “he” and the instruments as “she.” Joyce concludes the moment by saying “[t]he air throbbed deep, full” (50). Joyce is referring to the rhythmic nature of eroticism. This rhythm is also seen in “The Dead’s falling snow. It gives quiet time to these sensual encounters. They become more real when they have heartbeats and communicate sexuality more subconsciously. Joyce’s words are not the only thing Joyce fails to tell us. It is important that encounters fail at the point when there is no boundary between having and watching. This is evident in “Araby”, and is marked by a sudden awakening of reality. The sensation of seeing the subject disappears suddenly from the mind of the watcher. All the fun and gleeful sexuality that “Araby” offers is ended when the observer experiences self-realization. (30) Self-consciousness occurs when an observer realizes that he is pursuing his object. Gabriel fantasized about “when” they would be together, but this dream was only realized when she turned and looked at him 225. Gretta becomes an object when Gretta approaches Gretta. Gabriel’s erotic moment of sexual pleasure ends with “a shameful conscious of his own body assail[s]him.” (231)
This voyeuristic use, by Dubliners, of the eroticism is linked to the whole book. Joyce opens up his Dublin to us, allowing us to look into his mind and let him see all of it. This method doesn’t mean that you can’t fall in love with someone. This type of watching is a great way to create the perfect environment for romance. In this space, self-consciousness is not allowed, fantasies become reality, and traditional roles of conquering man and submissive woman work well. Joyce approaches human sexuality tenderly, but with modern reality. He reminds us that we are the ones who cloud the eroticism that is present in the daily world. You will experience disappointment and failure if you look for the wrong things in order to feel fulfilled.
