5. The Sisters, By James Joyce (1914)

5. The Sisters, By James Joyce (1914)

Rating: 7.5/10

When I first finished this story, I was quite confused and felt like "Did I read it right? Then why can't I understand?". Since I couldn't fully understand the story alone, I searched for some more information about The Sisters. 

I could find that the story is repeating and emphasizing the word 'paralysis'. I guessed that it would symbolize something related to the background of the story. Fortunately, I was right, and it symbolizes Irish society and culture from James Joyce's perspective. He thought that Irish society was paralyzed by the Roman Catholic Church-the corrupted one, and that Father Flynn represents it. As time pass, Father Flynn got weak, coming close to death, which means the church was losing its power and began to be paralyzed. Author emphasizes it again by the scene that Flynn dropped the Chalice, which plays a important role in Catholic rituals. 

Looking further of word 'paralysis', I think it not only apply to Father Flynn, but also to the others mourning his death. So paralysis in this story can extend to diseases of Duliners as a whole. As I said earlier, Joyce criticized Dubliners for not being able to escape paralysis due to political and religious constraints from England and Roman Catholic Church. So from Joyce's view, it shows that Dubliners in the early 20th century, who were both politically and religiously bound, as well as the boy who were isolated, having difficulty interpreting their disconnected and left out conversations shared by adults, are both paralyzed. I believe that Joyce wanted to tell the readers about his view throughout Dubliners starting with The Sisters. 

I changed my rate 6.5 -> 7.5 because when I first read the book I was disappointed by the vague description, but after I understood the book, I could see the author's hidden intention. (303)

4. Gooseberries, By Anton Chekhov (1898)

 4. Gooseberries, By Anton Chekhov (1898)

Rating: 8/10

Have you ever achieved your life goals? Are you satisfied with yourself? Are you happy? If you can answer any of those questions, you can see that there are a lot of people in the world who are satisfied with themselves and enjoy happiness. Then, do you know how many people are oppressed and suffering in the world? The world is full of pain and misery, but the world around us is quiet. People that are happy can be completely happy and peaceful because those who are not, remain silent. 

I would also have hurt people around me in pursuit of my happiness. The problem is that even though I didn't even decide to hurt anyone, I did without knowing it. Happiness and misfortune are so close to each other. We must remember that there is always misfortune behind happiness and that I can be at any side. Therefore, everyone should always think that they are on the border line, should not be peaceful, and not put themselves to sleep.

“Happiness does not exist, nor should it, and if there is any meaning or purpose in life, they are not in our peddling little happiness, but in something reasonable and grand. Do good!”

3. The Lady With the Dog, By Anton Chekhov (1899)

3. The Lady With the Dog, By Anton Chekhov (1899) 

Rating: 7/10

How many people would think that cheating on their wife/husband is not immoral? Looking at stories or real-life scenes, we could see that there are not many affair couples that end in a good way. They all finally broke up or live very unfortunately. This story unfolds not focusing on the eyes of others, but by focusing on the changes in the emotions of two protagonists, Gurov and Anna. Honestly, I don’t really get the author’s intention, but I think he might want the readers to think about affairs from various angles.

At the end of the story, Gurov and Anna admit their feelings to each other and eventually step into the forbidden area. They found true love, but they will never be honorable, and they also know it too. Since it’s an open ending, we could imagine lots of versions of their future. They might rely on each other, overcome obstacles and be happy someday, but they also might doubt each other’s love and collapse.

I still think cheating on their forever-life partner is such nonsense, but this story gave me a chance to think in the view of the cheating one itself. (194) 

2. The Student, By Anton Chekhov (1894)

2. The Student, By Anton Chekhov (1894)

Rating: 7.5/10

I read this story over and over because I couldn't understand it right away. As a Christian already knowing about the story of Peter and Jesus, I always just accommodated it and didn’t try to interpret it in another way. So, this story was quite interesting to me.
Ivan feels negative and isolated at the beginning of the story but changes his view afterward through meeting with two widows. In this process, we should talk about an epiphany. I first learned this concept through ‘Araby’ in the British Literature class. To apply it to Ivan, passing on the cold wind, he thought that ignorance, misery, desolation, and feeling of oppression will always exist and it would be no better. However, after talking with the two widows, he realized that the “past is linked with the present by an unbroken chain of events flowing one out of another”. This was his epiphany. His negative feeling changed into enlightenment and positive thoughts. If we put Ivan’s life into a hero’s journey, he would be in the stage of crossing the threshold. His negative feelings and isolation would be the threshold, and since now he had overcome it, we could guess that he would soon enter the ‘special world’. (202)