Richard’s Fixation To Betrayal In Exiles

James Joyce,a key figure in Western Literary Modernism,is well-known for his four novels including Ulysses and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.The studies on Joyce focus on his four novels.As his only existing play,Exiles receives only a little attention from critics.This thesis applies the trauma theory to the interpretation of the protagonist Richard’s fixation to Betrayal,especially that of the causes and fits,and the way of recovery.In Exiles,Richard’s fixation to betrayal originates from the traumatic experience of Irish national leader Parnell’s death.He identifies himself with Parnell and believes that he will be betrayed by others.Meanwhile,He realizes that it is the overwhelming power of Catholic morality that makes Parnell deserted by Irish people,so he shows hatred to Catholic Morality.Because of his fixation to betrayal,he is obsessed with betrayal by identifying himself with victim in the relationships with others,and by manipulating others’ betrayal of him.Meanwhile,he avoids any stimulus that will make him think about betrayal by living in self-exposed exile and disconnecting with others.Through the repetition of the traumatic scene,he masters his experiences psychically and achieves compromising peace in his fixation to betrayal.And through his return to the family role,he gets security and peace.Through the analysis of Richard’s fixation to betrayal,this thesis demonstrates the conflicts in the protagonist’s psychological world.By exposing Richard’s fixation to betrayal,Joyce displays his speculations and worries about himself and his country.