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The Boarding House, By James Joyce (1914)

The Boarding House, By James Joyce (1914)

Rating: 7.5/10

I think <The Boarding House> is a type of story that needs an in-depth analysis of 'characters'. The madame and her daughter as well as Mr.Doran, each had very unique characteristics and took different roles in the message. I believe the author also wanted to take some time with characterizing each person since Joyce writes about Mrs.Mooney's life before opening the boarding house. I could see how Mrs.Mooney herself has experienced a hapless marriage, which lead to divorce, but she is leading her daughter to the same pattern and passing on the vicious cycle. One common characteristic that these three characters share with one another is 'selfishness'. Their own goal and the way they achieve it is different for each character, however, the essential character that stimulates their life is, I believe, 'selfishness'. Overall I could clearly feel the filthiness of humans the author mingled within the story.

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Hunters in the Snow, By Tobias Wolff (1981)

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