Critic Bradbury states that "With light taxation, no inflation, cheap food, cheap labor, plentiful supply of servants , many ordinary middle-class families with modest incomes lived fully. and a comfortable life. It is no wonder that so many people from such families who survived the war, looking back, felt that there was then a grace, an ease, a security of life which has since been lost to never” (62). This statement clarifies the difference between the individual free from modernist influence and the individual negatively affected by modernist influence. This speaks to the idea that the extreme physical and mental anguish suffered in the battles of World War I was not the only burden faced by those under the modernist guise, those experiencing despair, l ambivalence and loss of the meaning of existence, among other feelings. These newly established financial burdens were also a source of discord and despair for families who survived the First World War. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Among the Dubliners, James Joyce conveys this message in two ways. He does so first from a third-person perspective, describing the financial woes of the lower classes in "Two Gallants" through Lenehan's characterization. Joyce also depicts middle-class jealousy of the financial comfort afforded to the upper class in "The Dead" from a third-person perspective. In Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf conveys the message of financial heartbreak in several passages, primarily emphasizing the differences between the "haves" and the "have-nots" using characterization, irony, and symbolism. Security is directly linked to the modernist movement and is an issue that can be interpreted both financially and emotionally. According to Bradbury and McFarlane, "...the middle and upper classes of England and Western Europe enjoyed a freedom and security that is almost impossible to regain today. " (62) As noted earlier, this security and freedom came from "light taxation, no inflation, cheap food, cheap labor" and “an abundant supply of servants” (62), so many economic concerns. Of course, it is not just these increasing monetary burdens that have diminished notions of security. The severe mental and physical consequences of World War I on several countries surely caused emotional insecurity. That said, the tangible monetary insecurity, manifested among Dubliners and Ms Dalloway, certainly played a role, particularly for the middle class. In “Two Gallants” from Dubliners, Joyce fully describes this economic insecurity. He uses Lenehan, the seemingly average foil to the extraordinary and adventurous Corley, to express financial conflicts. Seeing Corley speaking sincerely to a woman, Joyce uses a third-person narrative to objectively delve into Lenehan's economic problems: "This vision made him feel deeply his own poverty of purse and spirit. He had had enough of the blows, of pulling the devil by the tail, of the detours and the intrigues. He would be thirty-one in November. Would he never get a good job? Would he never have his own house? (51) We see here a strictly economic nostalgia. He expresses his despair at remaining a member of the middle class. Notes on historyteach us that “pulling the devil by the tail” is slang for “living on the brink of financial catastrophe.” (264) Joyce's diction is carefully crafted in the passage above. The slang that Lenehan uses, or in this case conceptualizes internally, reflects his lower social status and the relatively small chance he has of overcoming the barriers between the upper and lower classes. Lenehan is unable to identify ways to independently free herself from the lower-class position that is the main source of her despair. Joyce does not allow Lenehan to feel personally responsible for the resolution of his fate, as this would suggest personal apprehension on Lenehan's part. Rather, the financial crisis is one that the third-person narrator suggests Lenehan might be able to resolve by marrying a rich woman: "He could still settle down in a comfortable corner and live happily if he could only meet a good simple-minded. girl with a little loan. (52) Once again, Lenehan is only able to mentally construct his situation using lower-class terminology. “A bit of a loan” is a slang term meaning “with immediate access to significant funds.” wealth. He doesn't even consider taking it upon himself to earn a good living, or simply make the most of his current situation. Lenehan's exclusive concern in this passage is his future financial arrangement. Marriage, a supposedly well-considered and irreversible decision, is reduced in his mind to a mere means to a higher financial goal. He doesn't even consider the personal, emotional, social or other implications of bringing a woman into his life. Joyce thus shows that security can sometimes be motivated solely by financial reasons. This case demonstrates that other factors are detached and for the sake of financial well-being. It has been suggested thus far that the dark tenets of modernism, namely ambivalence, loss of meaning and despair, were not caused solely by physical and emotional battles. of war, but were also caused by darker economic conditions. These economic conditions affected some classes more than others. It can be said that the middle class lost the most during the financial crisis following the First World War. The poor did not have enough to lose, and the rich did not feel the effects as much since they had more to lose. The middle class, however, was forced to give up some comfort. That being said, it is interesting to consider what determines social status as this will be imperative in interpreting Woolf. There are surely stories of "rage to riches" throughout history, but in the early 1900s, birth was the primary determinant of social class, as Bradbury and McFarlane identify in this passage : “If this image of Europe before 1914 seems unattractive, it is because by concentrating the main characteristics in a few paragraphs, we distort the cultural context. Much has been written nostalgically about the belle époque and Edwardian peace, much of it exaggerated in reminiscence. But there is truth in that, especially if one is born into the right class” (62). Satisfaction was therefore much harder to come by after World War I, largely due to the increasing economic sanctions mentioned at the beginning. Although Bradbury and McFarlane admit that some of the magnificence described before World War I may be hyperbole, the upper and middle classes certainly experienced less regulationfinancial support from the government and lower prices on goods from private companies, which also increased their financial position. like their quality of life. In Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf also depicts the financial situation of a secondary character, who is not the protagonist. However, the social scene is reversed from Joyce's and the narrative is in the first person. Clarissa Dalloway, the narrator of this passage, enjoys a high social status. As such, she criticizes Miss Kilman for not being confident about her personal finances: “…she was never in the room five minutes without making you feel her superiority, your inferiority; how poor she was; how rich you were; how she lived in a slum without a cushion, bed, carpet or anything, her whole soul rusted with this grievance that had remained there, her expulsion from school during the war, a bitter and embittered wretch! (11) Virginia Woolf uses irony in this passage to describe the perspectives of both the “haves” and the “have-nots.” Clarissa Dalloway characterizes Miss Kilman's financial insecurity as personal apprehension. Although it could be argued that Miss Kilman's conversations and social nuances are empathetic and selfless in that they seem to compliment others at her own expense, Clarissa Dalloway clearly does not see Miss Kilman in this light. Clarissa's characterization of Miss Kilman as a "poor unhappy and embittered creature" is highly ironic; From Clarissa's point of view, the conditions Miss Kilman faces, namely "being expelled from school" and "living in a slum", do not warrant the sympathy Miss Kilman seeks. However, Miss Kilman's aspirations are also primarily financial. She describes the source of all her distress as being among the “have-nots.” As a result, Clarissa expresses her disdain: “For it was not her that was hated but the idea of ​​her, which had undoubtedly gathered into herself many things that were not Miss Kilman; he had become one of those specters against which we fight at night; one of those specters who ride over us and suck half our blood, dominating and tyrants; for without a doubt, with another throw of the dice, if black had been in the foreground and not white, she would have loved Miss Kilman! But not in this world. No." (12) The dice in this passage seem to represent the life luck that humans face. For Mrs. Dalloway, life luck is the difference between being a "have" or a "have-not", the difference “if black had been in the foreground and not white,” or, as Bradbury calls it, “been born in the right class” (62) Clarissa hates Miss Kilman’s “idea” because she does. represents someone financially consumed, but someone who is not wealthy In the same way that Joyce expressed Lenehan's dissatisfaction with his position in the world as an aging, poor man, Woolf expresses the insecurity of. Miss Kilman in relation to Clarissa However, the tone used by each author suggests a discrepancy in how each message is received In "Two Gallants", the reader can somewhat sympathize with Lenehan as he seems trapped in a thwarting society. social mobility. In Mrs. Dalloway, the tone is critical, pushing the reader to give up on the “have-nots” who complain about financial constraints. Whether or not one should deplore or sympathize with financial worries, they clearly permeate both of these works as sources of insecurity for lower-class characters who cannot achieve middle-class success, and for citizens of the middle class who cannot afford the comforts of the upper class. . The comfort of life has beenconsiderably reduced by the financial worries of the modernist era. Recall that before the First World War, economic conditions guaranteed "light taxation, no inflation, cheap food, cheap labor and an abundant supply of servants" (62), which allowed “many ordinary middle-class families with modest incomes” to lead “full and complete lives”. a comfortable life. » (Bradbury, 62) After the war, the emotional loss was not just the toll of losing friends and family in combat; the financial toll also eliminated those economic amenities that previously existed. So while the lower class faced insecurity, the middle class faced inconvenience. The insurance that people enjoyed before the war was replaced by stressful financial situations in the modernist era. In “The Dead” from James Joyce's Dubliners, this clash between the middle classes and the upper classes creates jealousies. "'Sure,' said Aunt Kate, 'what a comfort it is to have a daughter like that, who you can count on!' There's this Lily, I'm sure I don't know what's been happening to her lately. She is no longer at all the girl she used to be. ” (181) In some ways, this passage resembles Miss Kilman unhappy with her “have-not” position, but not quite to the same extent. While Woolf's tone presents Miss Kilman as a stalker or pest to Clarissa Dalloway, Joyce's characterization of Aunt Kate is less critical. She is described as being vivacious and healthy, and it does not appear that she continually berates her social position and touts a higher social position as a means to self-advancement, complaining about financial burdens as Miss Kilman did. This single instance of Aunt Kate expressing approval for Mrs. Conroy having Bessie, "a girl like that, who can be counted on," highlights a middle-class disadvantage. This is different from the way Ms. Kilman emphasizes her financial apprehensions. While Miss Kilman laments the gap between “the haves” and the “have-nots,” Aunt Kate mentions in passing the convenience that Mrs. Conroy offers in the hands of a respectful and servile daughter. Although the source of contention for Aunt Kate's daughter Lily is not revealed in this passage, some of it can surely be attested to as jealousy of the upper class. While Bessie enjoys the comfort of the Conroy family, Lily's family is not as well off financially. I repeat, the dispute within the middle class regarding the upper class is not an issue that many people faced before the modernist era. After the war, taxation, inflation, higher spending, and fewer available servants all triggered inconveniences for the middle class that often resulted in jealousy of the upper class due to their ability to maintain “the comfort of life”. (62) Woolf presents many symbols of grandeur that separate the middle and upper classes equally. The rich seem able, in almost all circumstances, to afford the most precious goods, while the middle class does not enjoy the same comfort of life. A symbol that Woolf uses to describe upper-class comfort is the practice of feeding babies. First, Woolf suggests that breastfeeding is a sign of lower social status with this image: “The mothers of Pimlico nursed their young. » (7) In the notes accompanying the story, it is revealed that Pimlico "is home to people of lower income than the Dalloways". (193) Thus, the prevalence of breastfeeding,, 2005.