JOYCE – Changes and expectations as a reader of the story

How does Joyce change your expectations as a reader throughout the story? e.g. your idea of what the story is about and what kind of story you are reading might have changed at a few points throughout the story.

As a reader, I have to say I was surprised and confused at the same time. Joyce seemingly weaved out a plot twist throughout the entirety of this story. The author began the story with Lily, a side character, instead of introducing the protagonist first. The author mentioned the protagonist: Gabriel, about a quarter way into the story, which made it confusing to determine who was actually the intended protagonist of her story. While reading the story, my initial thought was that Gabriel must have been an intelligent man and he lived a happy married life. However, the events that followed turned out to be almost the complete opposite of my original thought. Quite frankly, Gabriel was not a sociable person and he seldom cares about others’ feelings. To some extent, he has trouble comforting others because he feels that if he continues the conversation it would only worsened the situation. Gretta, Gabriel’s wife, was not an innocent and caring wife like she seems to be. Toward the end of the story, she unfold her unfortunate past to Gabriel. This part of the story was shocking to both Gabriel and the readers because Joyce depicted Gretta as a loyal and devoted wife. However, this event lead to the downfall of the couple. Gretta had always love Michael, a man who passed away due to a tragic event. Gabriel was more or less a replacement of Michael, but he wasn’t aware of that until the end of the story. I was expecting a more well-rounded or joyful ending; it didn’t turn out like I hoped for. Lastly, Joyce added different turning points within the story, which made the overall community seem like a dystopia society.

~ Neo