Claudine

She looked around the room in which she had inhabited her whole life. How could she leave this? How could she stay? She picked up a picture, the yellowing page depicting a time when she was happy, a time when her mother was still alive. A time when her father came home for longer periods of time than an hour and her brother acted his age. She sighed. Moving on to a recent picture of her and her elder brother. Alexander's features were worn now. He was 23, but you wouldn't have guessed he was a day younger than 30. His bright blue eyes, which had once been as blue as the Mediterranean Sea, were dulled and had acquired a grey tint. His once short, flame red hair was now shaven, which only added to his haggard appearance. His expression of stone was present as always. She sighed. Ambitious, loving, responsible, driven, hardworking, dedicated, serious, unhappy. All words that now accurately described her once happy go lucky elder brother. All words that would describe her if she stayed. She sighed. If it wasn't for Alexander she wouldn't even be considering staying, but he needed her. Ever since their mother had died, he'd been different. It was like a little piece of him went with the woman that had given birth to him. He was vulnerable now, could he survive staying here without her? Could she take him with her? No. That probably wasn't a good idea. She closed her eyes.

The sun was beating down on her back; she was on the edge of a cliff looking out over the clear blue waters of Malta. Sheltered under an orange tree. With the sea breeze blowing her long auburn hair out behind her. The only sound was the waves lapping at the shore and birds soaring overhead. Freedom.

Her eyelids fluttered open and she was back. What should she do? She felt like she was participating in an extremely aggressive game of tug of war, only she was participating as the rope. Timothy was pulling her away, to a new life. Alexander was pulling her back, to her safe, mediocre life. Her head and heart were commanders of great armies, determined to win the battle, and she was just the battlefield.

She remembered when she first met Timothy; she had been out with a girl friend from school when she saw him. He had just been standing there in front of the Odeon cinema on Magdalen Street, while she was waiting at the Kidlington bound bus stop. They'd got talking. He'd told her he came from a little Island called Malta, where the air smelled like oranges and you could swim in the sun-heated oceans from dawn till dusk. He told her about the simplistic life she could lead if she went with him. He told her about how the Maltese people were an extended family. She had become entranced with him. The way his deep midnight blue eyes became wistful as he spoke of him home. She loved the way he made her feel special. The fact that this beautiful, exotic boy chose her, when he could have had anyone, enthralled her. They had met several times after this day, and each time they met he made her feel like she wasn't just little Laurie, but she was Claudine.

In hindsight it was a mistake to tell her brother. Alexander had not been happy. He had said that Timothy was taking advantage. That he was only after one thing. That just wasn't true! Tim wasn't like that. He wasn't like all the other boys. He was different, special, hers. She remembered the argument they'd had. She had said some terrible things, things that were to be the last thing she would ever say to her brother.

The door creaked open. She winced. She couldn't afford for Alexander to catch her right now. It was 11:30, over two hours after curfew. She crept like a shadow towards the stairs, and the safety of her bedroom. "You're two and a half hours late, Laurie." a smooth, cool, in-control voice stated, carrying across the dark room. She flinched, he was angry. He flipped the switch and the living room was suddenly bathed in the amber glow of artificial light. "I set you a nine o'clock curfew for a reason, it's not safe for you to be wandering the streets at this hour, you're still only fifteen for Christ's sake!"

"I wasn't wandering the streets, I was with Tim."

" I don't like you seeing him. Since you started hanging around with that guy your grades have got progressively worse! You're defiant! You're skipping school, giving your teachers attitude. He's a bad influence on you-"

"That's not true, it's not-"

"Oh so it's not true? Your head teacher rang me today. Seems to think there are problems at home! Your irresponsibility is getting us both into trouble! Carry on like this and we'll have the social on our backs!"

"GOOD! You're a crap guardian! I hate you! I wish Mum was still here! I hope the social DO take me away! I'd rather be dead than have to live with you! You're not my Dad, you can't tell me what to do! I hate you! I wish you'd just DIE! I love Tim and he loves me too and you're not going to stop me from seeing him 'coz we're gunna get married and we'll have a good life and you'll still be stuck here and I wont even write you'll never see me again! I HATE YOU, LEX! I WISH YOU'D BEEN IN THE CAR WITH MUM!" She ran. Straight out the door, straight to Tim.

Tim had welcomed the sobbing mess with open arms. She had told him everything. About her mother's death, her father's 'business' trips, the argument with her brother. That was when he'd said it. "Come away with me." His sweet voice had carried above the constant sound of her sobbing; it had penetrated he mind like a voice from the past. "What, did ya say?"

"I said: Come away with me. Come to Malta with me."

"What? I can't"

"Why? Huh? What can't you? Seems to me Lex isn't a very reasonable person, if he can't see how much we belong together. Come away from me. You're always sayin how much you wanna escape this place. Here's your chance. I'll look after you, I swear. What do ya say?"

She had been silent for several minutes before she gave him a watery smile, "Yes" and that's all it had taken. They were booked on the next flight to Malta.

She had been naive to think that Alexander wouldn't find out. He had stormed round to Timothy's while she was supposed to be at school. Upon finding her there he had lost it. He had hit Timothy, which had sparked a fight. She had ended up having to call an ambulance. It wasn't Tim's fault. It was self-defence. He couldn't be expected to just stand there and take it. But he didn't have to break Lex's nose. Did he?

She had not realised she was at the airport until she was dragged from her musings by a shout which came from the figure that was currently running towards her. "Claudine!" It was Timothy. He was one of the few people who used her full name instead of the childish nickname. She smiled and waved. "Hey Tim." He smiled back affectionately, "Ready to go, Hun?" He smiled back. "Yeap."

They had checked in and were going through the standard security checks when she saw him. His lost expression. He looked like he had when their father had told them that Mummy wasn't coming back. She looked at Timothy. Then back at Alexander. Could she leave him? He looked so vulnerable. It struck her then. She took the side of the conveyer belt into a death grip. Why hadn't she seen this before! He was afraid. Deep down he was always afraid. Of losing her, just like they had lost their parents. A tear ran down her cheek. The only warning she had before the waterfall hit. She pulled Timothy into a tight embrace. They shared one last kiss before she whispered a broken apology.

She was walking away now. Hand in hand with her big brother. She never looked back. Refused to turn around and see the love of her life board the 'plane. Wouldn't watch her chance of escape fly away. She just gripped Alexander's hand tighter, and allowed him to lead her. Like she always would.

Commentary

'Claudine' incorporates many themes and techniques used by James Joyce in 'Dubliners' and is a modern day version of 'Eveline'.

Joyce's style of writing is oblique, which serves to get the reader thinking about the story more thoroughly, I have really tried to use this style in 'Claudine'.

In almost all of the stories in 'Dubliners' Joyce introduces imagery associated with paralysis; an example of this is in 'The Boarding House' where he uses the sentence 'a mist gathered on his glasses'. I have tried to incorporate this aspect of Joyce's writing into 'Claudine' with phrases such as 'Like she always would'. Joyce also incorporates an epiphany into some of his stories, an example of this is in 'Araby' when the boy gets to the bazaar when its closing and realises how obsessed he has been 'Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger'. In 'Claudine' her epiphany was the sudden realisation that her brother was afraid 'It struck her then. She took the side of the conveyer belt into a death grip. Why hadn't she seen this before! He was afraid. Deep down he was always afraid. Of losing her, just like they had lost their parents.'.

I have used a tri-part structure similar to the one Joyce uses in 'Eveline'. Like 'Eveline', 'Claudine' starts off mentally searching for a solution to her dilemma. I have tried to show this buy using a lot of free indirect discourse in Claudine's internal-monologue, much like the style Joyce uses in Eveline. In the second part she's looking back at how she got into the dilemma, this is were I used more informal language in the conversations as Joyce does in a number of his stories to give the reader a real sense of the setting and situation. In the final paragraph she solves the dilemma, I used hypotactic sentences, which Joyce use a lot through out the book, to show how erratic 'Claudine's' thoughts are.

Joyce uses a lot of free indirect discourse to characterise the main characters in some of his stories. A good example of this is in Eveline where sentences are often broke up with exclamations such as 'No!' I have incorporated this technique into 'Claudine' by breaking up sentences with rhetorical questions such as 'What should she do?' and exclamations, such as 'That just wasn't true!' I have used a mixture of long and short sentences to create affect much like the way in which free indirect discourse is used. An example of this from 'Claudine' is 'A time when her father came home for longer periods of time than an hour and her brother acted his age. She sighed. Moving on to a recent picture of her and her elder brother. Alexander's features were worn now.' a direct comparison of this in Joyce's work is at the start of 'Eveline'; 'She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue. Her head was leaned against the window curtains and in her nostrils was the odour of dusty cretonne. She was tired. Few people passed. The man out of the last house passed on his way home; she heard his footsteps clacking along the concrete pavement and afterwards crunching on the cinder path before the new red houses.'

'Claudine' is set in Oxford, where I live, so I have used topographical references such as 'Magdalen Street' to add to the realism of the situation. Joyce uses this technique in 'Two Gallants' where he referred to a public house in 'Dorset Street'.

Joyce uses many literary techniques to create an image of a situation, place or person. The techniques I have tried to incorporate into my story are alliterations, metaphors, extended metaphors, similes, lexicon vocabulary, ellipses and colloquialisms.

Joyce uses alliterations in descriptions quite frequently, an example of this is in 'Two Gallants' when he says 'The streets, shuttered for the response of Sunday, swarmed with a gaily coloured crowd' I have tried to incorporate this techniques with sentences like 'She crept like a shadow towards the stairs, and the safety of her bedroom'.

In the story 'Two Gallants' Joyce uses a harp as a metaphor as it is symbolic for Ireland and the exploitation within it. I have used a battlefield, as it is symbolic for the decision 'Claudine' is trying to make, in a sense the battle between her head and her heart.

In 'Two Gallants' Joyce uses nautical references as an extended metaphor and so frequent references to water. In 'Claudine' I have used the same general idea but instead of just water I have expanded it other elements of nature, such as earth, air, fire and water.

Joyce often uses similes to set scenes such as in 'Counterparts' when Joyce describes Mr Alleyne's head as 'so pink and hairless that it seemed like a large egg' in 'Claudine I used the simile 'as blue as the Mediterranean Sea' to describe Alexander's eyes.

Joyce uses lexicon vocabulary in his descriptions for example in 'The Boarding House' when Joyce describes Polly as having 'light soft hair' I used this techniques in 'Claudine' when I described Alexander as having 'flame red hair'.

Joyce uses ellipses to authenticate speech in Dubliners. For example in 'An Encounter' where Father Butler says 'get at your work or…' I used this techniques in 'Claudine' during the argument between her and her brother when they keep interrupting each other for example 'he's a bad influence on you-'.

Joyce uses colloquialisms to give you a sense of place, this includes informal language, idiolects and elisions. This is shown in 'Counterparts' in a conversation between Farrington and a spectator '-Ah! That's the knack! -What the hell do you know about it? Said Farrington fiercely turning on the man -What do you put in your gab for? –Sh, sh! said O'Halloran, observing the violent expression of Farrington's face. Pony up, boys. We'll have just one little smahan more and then we'll be off.

I used this technique in this same way during the argument between 'Claudine' and 'Alexander' 'GOOD! You're a crap guardian! I hate you! I wish Mum was still here! I hope the social DO take me away! I'd rather be dead than have to live with you! You're not my Dad, you can't tell me what to do! I hate you! I wish you'd just DIE! I love Tim and he loves me too and you're not going to stop me from seeing him 'coz we're gunna get married and we'll have a good life and you'll still be stuck here and I wont even write you'll never see me again! I HATE YOU, LEX! I WISH YOU'D BEEN IN THE CAR WITH MUM!'

Dubliners revolves around an escapism ideal. Joyce often uses an exotic semantic field to show this, such as in Araby where objects of a different origin are dropped into descriptions such as 'harp' I have tried to use this by describing Alexander's eyes as being 'as blue as the Mediterranean Sea' in the first paragraph.

Joyce's stories' titles are an important part of his work and so have significance to the story. I chose to name my story after the main character to mimic Joyce but I chose the name 'Claudine' as if you took it to be from a French origin it would mean lame, which is how my character views herself. This is similar to Eveline in the respect that the name 'Eveline' means 'Little Eve' and one could argue that being little can be directly linked to being lame.