In "The Dead" Gabriel rejects the Irish nationalism that has spread throughout the country, including his close friend Miss Ivors. When Gabriel claims that he is "sick of [his] own country" (165, line 480), he is left unable to explain why and is left felling defeated by Miss Ivors. How do you think Gabriel's physical discomfort with Miss Ivors, and earlier with giving Lily the coin, defines who Gabriel is? Why do you think he becomes weak when challenged? Does this make him similar to the "flabby devils"in Heart of Darkness?
In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Europe is living with the illusion that bringing the light of society and progress to a savage people is for the best. The same idea of oppression is placed upon Ireland, yet when those close to him hold onto their nationalism, Gabriel rejects his own country. Does this rejection make him a "hollow man" in T.S. Elliot's opinion? In your opinion? What characters from other texts are similar to Gabriel and why? What about his morals and principles(or lack of)?
“when those close to him hold onto their nationalism, Gabriel rejects his own country. Does this rejection make him a "hollow man" in T.S. Elliot's opinion? In your opinion?”
ReplyDeleteI think that Gabriel's rejection of and discomfort with his national heritage, identity, history etc. do not show him to be a hollow man, nor do I think that Eliot would think so. Gabriel IS a hollow man in the beginning of the novella; however, his hollowness emanates not from his rejection of Irish nationalism but from his insecurity in judging it. After Miss Ivors grills him during their dance, Gabriel does expose his true beliefs, saying “O, to tell you the truth, I’m sick of my own country, sick of it!” (165). However, he is “heated” at his outburst (165) and fails to follow up, as he is speechless and she says “Of course, you’ve no answer”. Again, in his speech, he fails to assert his belief that “his aunts were only two ignorant old women” (167), embarking instead upon a complimentary monologue in glaring opposition to his true feelings. In other words, Gabriel fails to truly judge the nationalism and the older generation, opting instead to praise the older generation and give no response to nationalists, like the hollow men in Eliot’s poem who “...wear/Such deliberate disguises/Rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves”. These men, unlike Kurtz, shy away from judgment, and are the hollow men of Eliot’s poem and the flabby, rapacious devils of Heart of Darkness. Despite his initial condition, I think that Gabriel finishes the story not as a hollow man. I base this off a line from Eliot’s poem and a sentence from The Dead: “Not with a bang but a whimper” and “Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age” (194). By the end of the novella, the ending of Gabriel's world is like the end of Kurtz's world, rather than like the end of Marlow's; he is no longer a hollow man.
Gabriel's weakness is driven by his lack of self confidence. As Louis said, Gabriel is hesitant when it comes to expressing his judgement of the irish nationalism that surrounds him and finds himself lying about his true feelings towards it. On page 163, line 437, Gabriel states his true beliefs regarding his conversation with Miss Ivors, "He wanted to say that literature was above politics..." but then succumbs to the social pressure and says, "Of course, I was only joking." Gabriel might be similar to the "flabby devils" in Heart of Darkness in a sense that they too were living a life without discernment. I feel as if they were lacking moral discernment while Gabriel is lacking the ability to reveal his true self and opinions. This may be because he does not feel comfortable in such a nationalistic community or because he actually does not have a developed self understanding. At the end of The Dead Gabriel still struggles to grasp onto the past. "His soul has approached that region where dwell the vast hosts of the dead. He was conscious of, but could not apprehend, their wayward and flickering existence." (page 194, line 1595) I think Gabriel is struggling to accept the past and the irish nationalism. Throughout the Dead the character of Gabriel reflects the "hollow men" without an understanding of himself, but he finally realizes that he is conscious of his rejection and that he will never be able to appreciate traditional Ireland. Therefore at the end of the story, Gabriel has judged himself as Kurtz did and accepted the fact that the existing nationalism will always follow him yet he will not be able to adopt it. The only way to fully refuse it would be death.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Louis that Gabriel's dislike of his country does not make him a hollow man by Elliot's standards. I do feel however that Gabriel's exchange with Gretta at the end of the novella shows that he is a hollow man. Gabriel does not have an understanding of himself until the end of the novella when he learns that his lust does not hold a candle to her past love. His self judgement compares to Kurtz's right before his death in Heart of Darkness. Both men were hollow men and their judgement opened a new door to them. Kurtz's door was to death but Gabriel has a chance to embrace things that would not make him a hollow man. The likelihood that Gabriel will accept these things is as unlikely as him embracing the Irish nationalism movement. Like Ellen said, the only way he can fully refuse the nationalism movement would be his death. Gabriel is inhabited by the flabby devils of the Heart of Darkness and is very unlikely to release them becoming a man who is not hollow.
ReplyDeleteGabriel, being the uncomfortable person that he is, after feeling defeated by Miss Ivors in the debate of Irish nationalism is seen as a figure of power and class, but in social standards, falls far short. His first encounter at the party with Lily defines Gabriel as an embarrassed, awkward man, trying desperately to find the right way to socialize. Gabriel, being so self aware, finds himself constantly “blushing” and trying to “cover his agitation” (164-165). These clashing of social standards and class rank define Gabriel as inept and lacking self confidence.
ReplyDeleteBecause of Gabriel’s absence of discernment, like Louis said, Gabriel began as a hollow man, and it is not because of these traits. Gabriel, not a true party-goer believes “how much more pleasant it would be there [the park] than at the supper table!” (167), because, after all, the hollowness that defines Gabriel shows even when “the time had come for him to set out on his journey westward” (194). Gabriel, unlike Kurtz, does just at T.S. Eliot said in The Hollow Men “not with a bang but a whimper” which is exactly how Gabriel ends, clumsy and forgotten.
Gabriel is a walking contradiction. Most likely the man with the most at the part- the most money, the most prestige, the most status-Gabriel is the least fulfilled, he is hollow. I think the harshest criticism of Gabriel is the one he makes of himself on page 191 when he says, "A shameful consciousness of his own person assailed him. He saw himself as a ludicrous figure, acting as a pennyboy for his aunts, a nervous wellmeaning sentimentalist, orating vulgarians and idealising his own clownish lusts, the pitiable fatuous fellow he had caught a glimpse of in the mirror." In this way, I completely agree with Colleen's connection to Kurtz, for, although throughout their respective stories they both seem to be the greatest representations of the 'hollow men' both Kurtz and Gabriel are able to accomplish something the other characters aren't. Gabriel sees himself and and has the dignity to feel "shame" while Kurtz sees himself and has the ability to see the "horror."
ReplyDeleteI think that while Gabriel is definitely uncomfortable with interactions, I wouldn't necessarily call him a "hollow man". While his inner life is atrophied as we said in class, he discovers things about himself by the end of the novella. In the beginning, and throughout the party, we see Gabriel attempting to shield himself from uncontrolled interactions with his friends and family. When he has his encounter with Lily, she snaps at him over the topic of men and marriage, to which Gabriel responds in the only way he knows how: he tries to give her money, one of the few external things he has, and hurries away, "waving his hand to her in deprecation"(line 115). Gabriel uses external items such as his goloshes and his money to protect himself in any way that he can, and when it fails, he flounders. However by the end of the novella, he is able to realize that he has a definite emotional disconnect from everyone around him, which is presented by his conflict with his wife. "He saw himself as a ludicrous figure...idealising his own clownish lusts"(lines 1482-1484). The fact that he, like Kurtz in Heart of Darkness, had a great realization about himself points to that he may not be completely hollow, but just incapable of certain interactions. The fact that he recognizes his faults is important to his character though.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to the first question, I personally see little correlation between the “flabby devils” of The Heart of Darkness and Gabriel. I think Ellen made a good connection between Gabriel’s poor judgment and the devils’ conduct in the colonization of Africa; however, I still find it a stretch to compare Gabriel’s emotional coldness and the genuine lack of humanity shown by the European ivory traders.
ReplyDeleteGabriel is coldness personified, and he is defined by his isolation from society. After an eye-opening discussion with his wife, Gabriel finally comprehends his true nature. After hearing about how Michael Furey gave up his life for Greta, Gabriel recognizes that “he had never felt like that himself towards any woman but he knew that such a feeling must be love (194).” Prior to hearing the story, Gabriel saw Greta as the “kindling” for his one true passion, her. But when he compares his marriage to Greta’s former passion, he deems their life together as “dull” – a reflection of his own cold nature. Gabriel’s encounters with Lily and Mrs. Ivors are also a testament to his character. Gabriel is so disconnected that any expression of passion leaves him awkward, and often without speech. After Lily voices her sharp views on marriage and men in response to his question, Gabriel wants to distance himself from her. He feels releasing such emotion is “a mistake (154)” and is left “coloured.” Unable to respond to her in a human way, Gabriel attempts to tip Lily, so that he may walk away from what he considers to be a tense situation. The result of his meeting with Mrs. Ivors is even more extreme. During Miss Ivors’ passionate claims about Irish nationalism, Gabriel questions whether he dare to respond to her playful accusations of him as a “West Briton.” Rather than respond, Gabriel literally attempts to distance himself from her by avoiding “her eyes for he had seen a sour expression on her face (165).” His distance towards both people and emotion are central to the Gabriel’s cold character.
From the moment of reading Gabriel's interaction with Lily, I thought of his "inner stuff" (or rather, his lack of it). Gabriel, who we know to be socially inept, has no confidence in himself. When questioned by Miss Ivors, he is insecure and unsure of how to respond to her. We see this when, after Miss Ivors insults him for writing for The Daily Express, he "blinks his eyes and tries to smile". Gabriel's hollowness is clear- he has no "inner stuff", no snappiness which he can use to respond to Miss Ivors' jabs at him. The main difference between the "flabby devils" of Heart of Darkness and Gabriel in The Dead is that, in Africa, the white man's morals, and sense of "civilization" disappear. The white man in H.o.D. has no "inner stuff" because it was stripped from him when he left "civilization". On the other hand, Gabriel's "inner stuff" is not contributed to by a disappearance of society, he simply had none to begin with. There are certainly similarities to the white man in H.o.D. and Gabriel, but their circumstances are what lead to the major differences.
ReplyDeleteGabriel's uneasiness, and awkwardness in his interactions with Miss Ivors and Lily is indicative of his inability to interpret social cues. His interaction with Miss. Ivors is soured by her references to her strong belief in the necessity of the Irish Revival, and the article he wrote criticizing the movement. A witty response to Miss Ivor's question, "Now aren't you ashamed of yourself?" (163, line 417) would have ended her cross examination. Instead of the conversation being a forgettable moment, it sticks with him, lasting the duration of the dance and into dinner, coloring his experience at the party. As Isaac said, Gabriel is socially inept, his interaction with Lily proves this to be true, as Michele said in class, "You don't tip a maid". This social norm has most likely been a part of the majority of Gabriel's life, experience which goes down the drain in a moment of panic.
ReplyDeleteGabriel is like the "flabby devils" in Heart of Darkness, he has no self control. He lacks restraint, the quality by which Marlow measures the nature of a man's character. This lack of self control is not intentionally malicious, instead it takes place accidentally, undermining his relationships with those around him.