The Intellectual as an Alien: A Study of Henry James's The Beast in the Jungle and James Joyce's "A Painful Case"

Abstract

This research paper studies the alienation of the intellectuals in the modern novel through the study of two alienated characters, John Marcher in Henry James's The Beast in the Jungle, and Mr. Duffy in James's Joyce's "A Painful Case." As a result of the complexity of life in the industrial societies, the individuals, especially the intellectual ones, feel themselves unable to integrate into social life; they fear society and feel that it endangers their individuality and independence. Thus, these characters live on the fringe of the society in fear or in loneliness. These characters are offered a chance to reintegrate into social life through love, but they reject it, and cause the death of the beloved. At the end of each novella, the protagonist realizes the hollowness of his life, but this realization is too late to help the protagonist change.