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Evelyn Acosta
Mrs. Pierce
AP English IV
25 May 2016
Paralysis In Literature
Paralysis is a popular theme present in Literature. Moral, mental, and physical paralysis
are used as tools to convey a variety of messages to readers and develop complexity. These forms
of paralysis can be seen in writings such as, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, 1984 by
George Orwell, and The Dubliners by James Joyce. Paralysis plays a significant role in all three
works, specifically in the portrayal of the mental states of the characters. In The Kite Runner, the
protagonist, Amir, is paralyzed in most of his actions for a majority of the book. Amirs mental
and emotional paralysis is referenced several times in the book. He experiences so much anxiety
and guilt that he is unable to process situations and act in them. In 1984, the protagonist Winston
Smith also experiences a paralysis of his actions, because he is forced to follow government
protocol every day, making him paralyzed within. Paralysis is portrayed here through the actions
of the Big Brother, who stops the social progression of the fictional society. Those that rebel are
against the Big Brother are removed. As for The Dubliners, every single short story in this
collection uses paralysis as a main theme, the most illustrative of which being; The Dead.
Gabriel Conroy is the protagonist of this narrative and he suffers from a moral paralysis which he
can never fully recover from, because there is nothing he can do to redeem himself. This is
mainly showed through the comparison of himself as a cold and unpassionate person to a man

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that is long dead but was full of life and warmth. Because Gabriel Conroy is frozen emotionally
and believes he cannot change, he is a physical portrayal of paralysis.
The term paralysis is derived from a Greek word that means, the disabling of the
nerves (What Is Paralysis). There are different forms of paralysis, two of them being physical
and emotional. Physical and emotional paralysis are similar granted and are both used to portray
a persons state of mind. The physical paralysis in these works of literature is not an actual
physical effect, but a mental one where the individual is unable to move forward or to
psychologically prevent their anxiety from occurring. However, anxiety can also be literally
physically paralyzing, a side effect being a feeling of physical immobility. Everyone with anxiety
deals with emotional paralysis, possibly leading to physical paralysis. It is for this reason that
anxiety is often considered as another form of paralysis. Anxiety itself is the activation of the
fight or flight response which is simply a response that ones body uses to react to danger.
Anxiety is caused by ones body reacting to fear, even though fear or a real threat in general may
not be present. A person does not even need to have frightful thoughts to be overcome with
anxiety. There are many people that experience these symptoms every day, despite no irrational
fears causing the anxiety to occur (Anxiety and Paralysis). Amir from The Kite Runner is
extremely influenced by the anxiety that he experiences and it guides his inability to react in
certain situations. His anxiety comes from the guilt he feels from the choices that he made where
his childhood friend was concerned. It affects him for the rest of his life and he is unable to move
on from that moment. The mental battles that the characters in these stories experience leave
some of them with feelings of feelings of hopelessness, loss of ambition, and some experience
loss of the ability to focus on tasks and on life itself. These are all symptoms of clinical
depression, which like anxiety can be considered a form of mental paralysis (Mental and

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Emotional Paralysis: Depression). Another common form of paralysis in literature is moral

paralysis which has to do with a characters inner battles. Moral paralysis can mostly be seen in
The Dubliners since it is a major theme for all the short stories in that collection.
The Dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories that all base around the theme of
paralysis. All the major characters are shown as going through a struggle in life that they cannot
move on from. Until one day they have an epiphany and are given the opportunity to change,
only too unfortunately let the opportunity pass. Joyce often recorded his own epiphanies, then
later used the idea of epiphany in The Dubliners as a symbolic literary technique to reveal the
paralysis of the city as well as the faults and shortcomings of its inhabitants ("NATIONALISM
IN JAMES JOYCE."). As a young boy growing up in Dublin, Ireland, James Joyce experienced
paralysis in his home country. He experienced paralysis in the city which had the potential to
change, but never did. He believed that Irish society and culture had been frozen in place for
centuries. He believed that the condition of slavery had produced a "slavish mentality" in
Ireland" ("NATIONALISM IN JAMES JOYCE."). The truth that Joyce hits on in The Dubliners
is that no matter what someone does, sometimes they are just stuck.
One of the longer stories of The Dubliners is The Dead. This short story is set in
Dublin, Ireland on a cold winter afternoon. It starts off with the main character, Gabriel Conroy,
and his wife, Gretta, arriving at a dinner party hosted by the Morkans. Upon arrival, Gabriel
Conroy and Gretta are both covered in snow. The cold nature of the setting mirrors the coldness
felt within the characters hearts. From the very beginning, a sense of restriction and paralysis
can be felt. The Morkans party event occurs every year, at the same place, with the same people,
with the same dances to the same music. It is through all this repetition that the reader suspects

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Joyce is suggesting that Ireland too, remains paralyzed and dying as the title of the story may
suggest.
In any of the stories in The Dubliners, all the main characters are suffering from moral
paralysis. No matter what they do, they are just stuck. They are all trapped in their own mindsets
despite the fact that they all desperately want to change and even if characters do have the
chance to change, they will only end up going back to their old ways.
For instance in The Dead - the main character, Gabriel Conroy, realizes that he is
paralyzed in trying to win his wifes heart. True feelings between Gabriel Conroy and his wife,
Gretta, end up being revealed and Gabriel realizes his relationship is not going as great as he
once thought. It all begins when a familiar song has Gretta reminiscing about her past and her
former lover, Michael Furey, who had an unexpected death. Michael Furey sadly froze to death
waiting for her outside. This short story has many different types of paralysis; Gabriel Conroy is
a really good example of moral paralysis and paralysis within. He is competing for the love of
his wife with a man whose passion he will never be able to match. He realizes that he is
incapable of real passion and emotion. However, the man he is competing with is long gone, and
so there is no real way he can succeed in this battle - hence, he's paralyzed. In the whole short
narrative that is The Dead, the environment is snowy and cold. This setting being cold can be
related to death which is equivalent to complete paralysis. The final scenes of The Dead reveal
its cataclysmic conclusion: in an island haunted by the ghosts of the past, the dead are more alive
to many than the living ("Paralysis in Dubliners.").
Another work of literature that shows the dead being more alive than the living is the
novel, 1984 by George Orwell. While living under a strict government, a man named Winston

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Smith must choose between his own wants or staying alive. Along this journey between life and
death, Winston meets a woman named Julia who makes him reconsider his choices. Everyone
living in the world that is Oceania is paralyzed, in a sense. They are all being watched at their
every move by the government head, Big Brother. Along with Winston and Julia, there are those
who refuse to conform, but once they are caught they are easily put back in their place. Whether
it be death or vaporization, they will be forced to conform one way or another. The whole society
in this book is literally forced to be in a paralysis state by the government. There cannot be
anything that disagrees with Big Brother which is basically anything that is new and not bland
making it impossible for society to progress. Leaving them at a standstill, or feeling of paralysis.
Much like in The Dead where the characters do what they have done to time and time again,
everyone in the 1984 society does the exact same thing every single day. It is a bland and boring
state of living. There are those who choose to live among the rest and then there are those who
choose to rise above. Those who rise above the rest do not do so for a long time if they are
caught which is a factor in why most do nothing but stand by in paralysis.
In the process of writing 1984, George Orwell suffered from severe tuberculosis; terrible
coughing fits were a side effect. This could have been a reason Orwell had Winston Smith, the
main character of 1984, had coughing fits as well that left Winston paralyzed at times. Much of
the life in Oceania, the fictional country of 1984, reflected British life in 1948. Much like James
Joyce, author of The Dubliners, George Orwell incorporated parts of his own life into his work.
Along with James Joyce and George Orwell, the author of The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
incorporated a bit of his own life into his work. Although he did not necessarily base his book
off a true story, the events that took place were not far off from actual history. The book is rooted
in real political and historical events ranging from the last days of the Afghan monarchy in the

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1970s to the post-Taliban near present. Afghanistan has always been known for its kite running.
For Afghan boys and men, kite flying is a way of life and a great recreational escape. All the
events that happened in The Kite Runner could have perhaps happened in real life and it is a
large possibility that they did.
This novel The Kite Runner starts off with the main character, Amir, reminiscing about
his past with his old friend, Rahim Khan. He talks about his life with his father, Baba, and their
two Hazara servants, Hassan and Ali. Amir and Hassan were rather close, but Amir did not like
to show it. Amir talks about how he was faced with many different challenges that made him into
the person he is currently. Amir is shown to be extremely paralyzed throughout his whole life,
more so in his younger years. He does not do much at all when it comes to anything besides
himself. He is mentally and emotionally stunted.
For instance when Hassan, Amirs servant, goes through a tragedy that Amir could have
easily stopped, he stood there as if he were paralyzed. This kind of incident occurs in the book
numerous amounts of times, leaving others to pay the price. When Amir is overflowing with
jealousy over his father Baba showing more affection to his servant Hassan than his own son,
Amir takes action. The only time Amir takes action is when he is going to do something for
himself. Otherwise, he acts as if he were paralyzed and unable to take any form of movement. He
does absolutely nothing.
In conclusion, paralysis is a common theme in many works of literature. It plays a
significant role in The Kite Runner, 1984, and The Dubliners. Amir in The Kite Runner is
mentally and emotionally paralyzed throughout his whole life, and is not able to move passed his
jealousy for his fathers approval. Winston in 1984, is physically paralyzed living in a world that

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is strictly controlled by Big Brother. Lastly, Gabriel from The Dead experiences physical and
emotional paralysis as he is incapable of becoming a passionate and loving man and will never
be able to win the unconditional love of his wife. In The Dead the landscape is also described
as being in a stasis because of the snow and ice: This final image of white, deathly cold snow,
seemingly implacable yet needing only the rising/rebirth of the sun from the East to melt it and
reveal its insubstantiality is Joyce's, and my, final word on paralysis("Paralysis in Dubliners.").
Because paralysis has several different forms, it is a useful and powerful literary tool. Paralysis
as a theme adds a layer of complexity when used and is extremely useful in portraying
depression, anxiety, apathy, a sense of personal and/or environmental stasis, and as a visual tool.

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Orwell, George. 1984. Paris: Gallimard, 1950. Print

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