Although money cannot buy happiness, lack of money is usually the cause of sadness. Poverty is, in fact, a widespread problem that can sometimes limit and even imprison a person to the point that fighting seems useless. In James Joyce's Dubliners, the author reveals how financial problems, family responsibilities, and other social pressures can paralyze characters and prevent them from realizing their dreams. In fact, the harsh conditions in which they live make them incapable of escaping, even if escaping simply means leaving the country, not getting married, writing poetry or getting drunk. The entrapment caused by paralysis is shown in "Eveline", "The Boarding House", "A Little Cloud", and "Counterparts". Through symbolism and imagery, Joyce reveals the realistic meanness of Dubliners' lives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Dubliners stories are arranged chronologically based on human life, moving from the perspective of childhood to an awareness of adult life. Therefore, the protagonist of Eveline, being the fourth story, is somewhere between a child and an adult, struggling with poverty and the difficulties of supporting her family. For much of the story, this 19-year-old girl sits at the window looking out at the avenue as she reflects on her life and future. Her mother has died and she now takes care of her less than grateful father and younger siblings alone. Eveline is burdened by the promise she made to her mother to keep the family together for as long as possible. Her mother's dying wish prevents Eveline from seeking a better life, so she is trapped by her family responsibilities. In fact, the window from which he looks out symbolizes freedom and his house symbolizes imprisonment. Even though Eveline works hard inside and outside the house there always seems to be a shortage of money. So, in a way, poverty cripples Eveline, forcing her to live a miserable life in Dublin. Escape for Eveline comes in the form of a physical escape with her lover Frank. He is the only one who treats her like a person. Yet, as she hesitates on the topic of escape, Eveline remembers her mother who lived a life "of banal sacrifices that ended in final madness." Her mother is basically a symbol for all women who are forced by family constraints to live a meaningless life and ultimately achieve nothing but madness. Realizing this truth increases his determination to escape. However, when the time comes to let go of life in Dublin, Eveline is physically paralyzed and unable to carry on. He also feels a sort of numbness at the station, with the freedom boat ready to depart. Eveline therefore does not have the courage and strength to take that leap that will free her from her oppressive future and even accuses her lover of trying to drown her. Uncertainty and fear of the unknown are also a form of paralysis. He would rather suffer a miserable life than live an uncertain and hopeful future. Ultimately, she realizes that there is no hope for her. Although marriage in "Eveline" offers the possibility of escape, in "The Boarding House" marriage is presented as a social convention and a trap. In this story, Mr. Doran, a respectable Christian, is forced to marry due to social pressure, mainly out of fear of losing his job. He was having an affair with a 19-year-old girl, named Polly, while he was at his mother's boarding house. Although his mother, Mrs. Mooney, had always been aware of this relationship, she did not immediately intervene so that their relationship could deepen to the point of forcingMr. Doran to marry his daughter. Surprisingly, the least of his concerns was his daughter's honor. Like all mothers, she simply wanted to see Polly get married. Yet at that time, marriage was difficult because men did not like the idea of ​​tying themselves to a woman. Thus, Mrs. Mooney used deception to achieve her goal. When it comes time to confront Mr. Doran, she manipulates him into proposing to her daughter using his concern about his job and fear of scandal. Although it is clear that Mr. Doran is not in favor of this marriage, his job, his reputation, and his Catholic guilt paralyzes him from taking any action to try to stop it. When Mr. Doran is introduced into the story, he is found shaving, which is a symbol for purifying or eliminating the unwanted. However, it turns out that he is experiencing great difficulty because it is not easy to cleanse himself from this sinful relationship. He also works at a large Catholic winemaking company and if his relationship were made public it would mean losing his job. While he may not be a very poor man, the process of making money certainly influences his decisions. Therefore, the need for money also paralyzes him. The only way out of this situation is to run away. However, Mr. Doran is unable to do so due to these social pressures and ends up becoming a trapped husband. Similarly, marriage and family responsibilities also form a kind of captivity in “A Little Cloud.” Here the protagonist, Little Chandler, is a journalist who hopes to one day publish poetry. However, his family's needs, which are related to money, force him to stay in Dublin and keep his steady job as a money provider. Therefore, they prevent him from realizing his dream and living his desired life. This paralysis and inability to change also manifests itself in his physical appearance. As Gallaher, an old acquaintance of Chandler, who is a symbol of success, realizes after not seeing him for many years that he has not changed an atom, which shows that Chandler is so oppressed that he is unable to even grow up and change physically. He has also never traveled yet, whereas Gallaher left Dublin long ago and became a successful journalist in Britain. Joyce juxtaposes the paralyzed Chandler and the fortunate Gallaher to show the great contrast between their lives and the extent of Chandler's entrapment. Yet, the only reason for Gallaher's success is that he escaped from Dublin. Unlike the free Gallaher, many things prevent poor Chandler from achieving success. On the one hand, his wife is a spendthrift and one can infer that she has money problems, as she is still paying for the furniture. Once again, the need for money also traps him. In the end, little Chandler feels his imprisonment more clearly when he tries to read poetry and is even deprived of it because of the baby's crying. Chandler finds escape by examining the poem. Yet, once again, his fatherly responsibilities take away the only meaningful thing in his life. Like "Eveline", he also realizes that there is no hope for him and takes out his frustration on his child. This is a form of epiphany in which the character comes to realize an important truth, in this case that he is paralyzed and can never get better. Joyce uses the epiphanies of Dubliners to show how ordinary situations can reveal universal truths. Finally, in "Counterparts" poverty and the need for money paralyze Farrington and imprison him in a miserable job. Working as a clerk in a law firm, Farrington is constantly subjected to abuse by his,.