On the surface, the most striking similarity between James Joyce’s “The Dead” (1914) and Ann Patchett’s Run (2007) is the prevalence of snow. The continually falling snow is central to both stories and even reminds Patchett’s Teddy, adept at quoting from various political speeches, of James Joyce’s “The Dead,” a story he “likes” and the only literary work from which he quotes: “Yes, the newspaper was right: snow was falling general all over Ireland.It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the trees, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, further westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves.”
This reference to Joyce’s “The Dead” in Patchett’s Run illuminates not only the universality of snow as central to the plots in both works but also introduces numerous parallels in theme: issues of identity; nationality, particularly Irish roots; loyalty; politics; religion; race; and sacrifice are paramount in both works.
Though both stories take place within a mere 24 hour time span, these themes are timeless. Tip, Teddy, and Gabriel, surrounded by perpetually falling snow, struggle with the same societal pulls and performances across different centuries and countries. But ultimately it is the sacrifice of Tennessee Moser, who dies for her son in Run, and Michael Furey, who braves the elements for love in “The Dead,” that teaches characters and readers alike the enduring lessons of commitment, activism, and altruism.
About the presenterKristin Bryant Rajan
Kristin Bryant Rajan is a PhD in English, with a focus on Virginia Woolf, and an interest in the nature of identity in modernist literature. She currently teaches at Kennesaw State University and enjoys writing literary criticism, fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. Her writing can be found in various literary and creative writing journals as well as anthologies. She was chosen as a 2016 Pushcart and 2016 “Best of the Net” nominee in creative nonfiction.