James Joyce Alcoholism Essay
James Joyce?s hardship-plagued history shapes his writings, often writing about the troubles of an alcoholic father. Joyce?s scholarly endeavors stand in the shadow of his father?s alcoholism. Born in Ireland, his face and name is scattered throughout Irish pubs, serving as a warning against alcoholism. In an excerpt of Joyce?s debut book, comprised of shorter stories, Joyce writes of the troubles of alcoholism.?? ??The barometer of his emotional nature was set for a spell of riot.? ?[1]? this excerpt is from ??Counterparts,? ?a short story about an alcoholic coworker and his short temper, resulting in his exile after he lashes out. Joyce is the icon for anti-alcoholism. His writing is a prime deterrent of alcoholism. The focal point of Joyce?s …show more content…
He can?t back out now and come out, but he also cannot go on in this relationship a happy man, true to himself, so he turns to alcohol. Joyce?s fiercely erotic letters to his wife raise the question of their authenticity due to their pure outrageousness. Perhaps to silence all question of his homosexuality, he boldly put his heterosexual desires in the limelight. In a letter to Nora, Joyce writes ?My prick is still hot and stiff and quivering from the last brutal drive it has given you?? ?[3]?As you can see, Joyce was quite the lascivious individual. The sheer absurdity of his comments lead me to believe it isn?t genuine. This is a perfect ruse to hide the fact that his sexual desires aren?t for females at all. Joyce?s troubles only furthered when he became more committed in his false relationship. He began to turn to alcohol to drown out his problems. He was very prone to alcoholism to begin with, as his father was an alcoholic himself. Joyce?s situation proved to be a tough one, but drinking helped him get through it until he died of a perforated stomach ulcer at age 59. Stomach ulcers are caused by poor diet, i.e. excessive drinking. In the end, alcohol killed him.
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