Class distinctions and internal struggles in the works of James JoyceIn the early 20th century, Ireland, and more particularly Dublin, was a place defined by distinctions of classes. There were the wealthy, worldly upper class who owned large, stately townhouses in the luxurious neighborhoods and the less fortunate, uneducated poor who lived in whatever shack they could afford in the middle of the city. For the most part, the wealthy class was Protestant, while the struggling workers were predominantly Catholic. These distinctions are the result of nearly a century of disparity in income, education, language, and occupation, and in turn provide the fundamental basis for the internal struggle felt by many of Joyce's characters. Torn between the life they lead and the one they dream of, these characters are a reflection of the harsh environment in which Joyce himself lived his life. Although Joyce never explicitly explains why his main characters in "A Little Cloud", "Eveline", "Counterparts" and "The Boarding House" are so deprived, it is clear that they are unfairly disadvantaged in some way or from another. He uses them to highlight and protest the hardships that so many Dublin residents have been forced to endure simply because of their religion and its effects on other aspects of their lives. Irish Catholics in Dublin at this time were overwhelmingly poverty-stricken, especially compared to the English who controlled the government and businesses. In fact, in 1914, the same year Dubliners was first published, “74,000 people in Dublin lived in one-room flats, and about 56,000 more in two-room flats; and these 130,000 people represented 42% of the citizens of Dublin” ( Cahalan 178). Even a reputable employee...... middle of paper ......Manual. Ed. James R. Baker and Thomas F. Staley. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub. Co., 1969. 120-24. Joyce, James. “The pension.” Bedford's Introduction to Literature. 332-37.---. “Counterparts”. Dubliners. New York: Viking Press, 1968. 86-98.---. “Eveline.” Bedford's Introduction to Literature. 329-31---. “A little cloud.” Bedford's Introduction to Literature. 337-45.Ledden, Patrick J. "Education and Social Class in Joyce's Dublin." Journal of Modern Literature 22.2 (1998): 329-36. Ryan, Ellen Bouchard, Howard Giles and Richard J. Sebastian. Attitudes toward linguistic variation: Social and applied contexts. London: Edward Arnold, 1982. Torchiana, Donald T. Background to Joyce's Dubliners. Boston: Allen & Unwin, 1986. Walzl, Florence L. “Patterns of Paralysis in Joyce’s Dubliners.” English College XXII. (1961): 226.