JOYCE IN BLACKFACE: GOLOSHES, GOLLYWOGGS AND CHRISTY MINSTRELS IN “THE DEAD”

Why does the word "goloshes" appear eight times in The Dead? Jackson and McGinley propose that Gretta connects "goloshes" with the Christy Minstrels because she hears the word as "golly shoes." Golly shoes connect with the Golliwogg, a children's storybook character based on a black rag doll in minstrel attire. Joyce was well acquainted with minstrel shows: repeated allusions to this form of entertainment occur in The Dead and the historical antecedents of minstrelsy in Irish/African music inform the story. In addition, the structure of the story is broken into three main segments, echoing the three parts of a classic minstrel show.