제임스 조이스의 『더블린 사람들』과 『젊은 예술가의 초상』 속 음식 갈구와 거부로 드러나는 더블린 여성들의 가부장제 공모와 저항

Abstract

In Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce depicts the contrasting behaviors of Dublin women toward food, displaying their varied desires for food and refusal of food. Through the comparison of their divergent conducts, this study argues that the determinant of such polarized behaviors toward food exemplifies the patriarchal Irish society of the early twentieth century. For this, this study uses Joyce’s awareness of the suffering of Dublin women paralyzed by patriarchal structures. Moreover, this study attempts to divulge the male narrator’s distorted narration toward the women who challenge the male authority. As Margot Norris claims, Joyce's male narrator often colludes with patriarchal structures, attempting to subordinate women. In early 20th century Ireland, women were not only largely excluded from education but also were given limited employment opportunities. For this reason, socioeconomic independence was nearly impossible for them when they faced crises; the absence of a patriarch resulted in women’s socioeconomic crisis. In this condition, food plays a crucial role in the process of finding a new patriarch for Eveline, Maria, Mrs. Mooney, and Polly in Dubliners. Their desire for food can be understood as their desire for survival. To survive, they actively seek male patriarchs, either through marriage or through alternative family relations. In contrast, socioeconomically independent women such as Miss Ivors in “The Dead” and Dante in Portrait undermine the authority of patriarchs through the women’s refusal of food. Judith Butler claims gender identity as a performative accomplishment compelled by social sanction and taboo. She describes gender identity as the stylized repetition of acts through time and suggests the possibilities of gender transformation being found in the breaking or subversive repetition of gender performance. Dublin women's refusal of food can be a symbolic rejection of expected gender performances. The traditional gender role by Dante and Miss Ivors can also represent a subversive act that disrupts what Butler calls the stylized repetition of acts(519). The departure from their conventional submissive roles as women is remarkably significant in the possibilities of gender identity transformation. Engaging in these acts, they not only show their acute awareness of patriarchal constraints but also express strong resistance to them.