Loneliness: A failure to Achieve Perfection in Life as represented in James Joyce’s A Painful Case

By: Mustika Nur Amalia
Comparative Literature Studies

This paper is written in order to fulfill the task from ‘Development of Literature Division’ at Balai Bahasa Yogyakarta. The aim of the paper is to seek local wisdom in certain literary work then relate it to the Javanese tradition. Literary work that would be analyzed in this paper is James Joyce’s short story entitled ‘A Painful Case’. I choose this work because this story is highlighted the painfulness of the main character when Duffy chose to live in isolation far away from the society’s feast. Aristotle, a philosopher stated that human is zoon politicon means that human as social beings. Social life cannot be separated from human nature. We can learn from Aristotle’s theory that human beings have tendency to live with others in order to achieve perfection in life. Human cannot live individually so that they need others to survive. In short, by having good social life, the perfection in life will be fulfilled and they will be experienced good life. Therefore, as human being we tend to live in group. However, in the story told that the main character named Duffy choose to live individually. The tone of the story is dominated by sorrowfulness, painfulness, loneliness, and how frightened being isolated that experienced by Duffy. The story try to picture how dreadful when the human avoid to be social being through Duffy’s life experience. I have two reasons why being isolated is dreadful that will be discussed in the next paragraphs.

First, Duffy chose to live in remote area Chapelizod far away from Dublin city, yet he does not have better life even though he thought that it would be better to live far away from society. The reason why he chose to live isolate because he hates the city life in Dublin which is modern and pretentious. In the first paragraph of the story, the narrator tried to picture Duffy’s house, from the way how Duffy put his book neatly shows that he is perfectionist. Neat is identical with perfection. In addition, the way how the narrator mentions Duffy’s books is the work of famous writer. It indicates that Duffy enjoy to read literary work. The fact that living far away from the society make him lonely cannot be denied. In order to conquer his loneliness, he enjoyed music, opera, concert, and compose music, but these things is not cheer him up completely until he met Emily Sinico in a concert. After meet her, Duffy’s life is change a little, he become more open in sharing his life, he has a friend to talk about book and music, and he has a place share his thought and express his idea. For a moment, he felt the beauty of life by having someone he loved and willing to hear his story. But this happiness is no longer survived; he has to realize that the woman who he loved has been married. And their companionship cannot be continued. From inside, Duffy always hears his own voice that forces him to keep living in loneliness. No matter how hard Duffy tries to keep his good relationship with that woman as a friend, but he cannot deny the voice from his heart that forced him to stop everything. This whisper showing that he has inner conflict with himself, make him escape from the society. This inner conflict is caused by his spiritual life which is problematic. From the narrator description, Duffy assumes that everything that related to the spiritual things such as religion and church is only for dignity’s sake. He does not belong to any religion. He also lived his spiritual life without connected to others, never visiting his relatives at Christmas. From this description, we could say that his soul is empty. This emptiness makes him to choose life alone and isolated. Lastly, their relationship is ended.

In addition, Duffy also has a conflict between his and the environment. This conflict create the gap between his and the society around him. He felt that he is different from them in the term of ideology, thought, and lifestyle. He ever once attend the Irish Socialist Party but he felt that he is the most unique and not belong to those groups so that he never attend the party again and keep to live far away. This case shows that Duffy cannot place himself in the society. He sees everything just from his point of view, and when he found that the people not in the same line, he will ignore them and choose to live alone. Actually, the aim to live in group basically is to learn the people life and share people experience so that we can live in harmony. When people failed to learn and to place themselves in the society, the case will similar to Duffy’s life which is being isolated.

Second, Duffy experiences life which more painful after he decided to break off his relationship with Emily Sinico. At first, he thought that his decision to break is the best way for him and her. In fact, he becomes more desperate than before. He no longer composed music anymore; go to concert, nor opera. He felt emptier than before. He just keep living as usual until the day he found the news in a paper about Sinico’s death. He realizes that he have done unforgivable stupidity. He is not only broke his own life but also her life. Once he found his love, he should be struggle for it. But what have he done? Now, he lost everything, except this loneliness that always attach to his life. The emptiness which is never be fulfilled. He has far away from the society life. When the story reaches the ending, the narrator emphasized the term of painful by dramatizing the moment when Duffy stand beside the river and hear the sound of the train engine in silently night. This scene indicates that how tragic his life ended. We can imagine that the sound of train engine is so loud, especially when it listened in silently night. But Duffy could hear nothing, his life ended with perfectly silent and castaway. He failed to reach perfection in life by being ignored. He continues to live with that loneliness and emptiness, nothing happiness in there.

Compare to Java tradition, in order to reach perfection in life, java society still believe mystical value. Javanese people believe that in order to reach life perfection, they have to be united with god. Purwadi (2003) stated that in Ronggowarsito’s work, there are two kinds of human, chosen people and ordinary people. Chosen people could reach ‘makrifat’, the moment when human try to reach highest degree so that they become unite with god. He continues mention one of Ronggowarsito’s works entitled Suluk Suksma Lelana. This work tells about Suksma Lelana journey in order to learn theology from Seh Iman Suci in Sinai hill. This story symbolizes the journey of human soul in reaching ‘makrifat’ and become unite with god. Perfect life could be completed when human could reach makrifat. This people placed in the degree of nawungkridha, everything that they wanted will be completed without doing mediate first or pray. These people could control three worlds: afterlife world, under world, and in the world.

In conclusion, in the story entitled ‘A Painful case by James Joyce emphasizes the failure of Duffy in achieving the perfection in life due to he cannot place himself in the society. Therefore, he is being isolated. This is happen because he has inner conflict which is make he felt emptiness in his soul. In addition, he also has a conflict between his and the environment. Duffy thought that he is different with other in the terms of ideology, thought, and lifestyle therefore he assumes that he does not belong to the society. He hates city life in Dublin which is modern and pretentious so that he chooses to live in the remote area that is far away from city life. However, his life would not be better. He felt how painful of being alone. He ever experienced the happiness for a while when he met Emily Sinico because he has someone to talk and share. He is happy for being loved. But after he left her and heard the news that she have died, he realizes life alone is extremely dreadful. He felt the great loneliness in his soul. And this loneliness proves that he failed to reach perfection in life by having good life. As human being we cannot be deny the nature of human as social being which is need each other. Basically, the goal by living in group and having good relationship with the society are to reach that perfection. Compared to the Javanese culture, the perfection in life could be completed when the chosen people could reach ‘makrifat’, the highest degree when human can unite with god so that people placed in the degree nawungkridha that is could control three worlds: afterlife world, underworld, and in the world. From these, we can draw conclusion that basically human live in the world is to reach perfection in life. Even though the way how people try to reach perfection is different, but in the end, they have the same goal.

Referencess:

Purwadi. 2003. Membaca Sasmita Jaman Edan: Sosiologi Mistik of R.NG. Ronggowarsito  (Reading the Prediction of Insane Era: Mistical Sociology R.NG. Ronggowarsito). Jogjakarta: Persada.

______. 2010. Manusia Sebagai Makhluk Sosial dan Individu (Human as Individual and Sosial beings). (online). Avaliable at www.azenismail.wordpress.com, accessen on July 13, 2012.