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Star of the Sea : A Postcolonial/Postmodern Voyage into the Irish Famine

Pius Mulvey (Spoiler)

Pius Mulvey, an Irishman, is one of the central characters in Star of the Sea. He begins life as a tenant farmer in Galway, a character who could embody any of the thousands of Irishmen from the time. His traditional farming lifestyle is challenged by adversities raised by both the influence of the potato blight and of the oppressive English rule of Ireland. Pius lives with his brother who is named Nicholas. Pius adapts to the variety of situations he finds himself in while pursuing his ensured well-being by whatever means necessary. Pius becomes very fond of Mary Duane, and they have a child together. Rather than staying and raising the child, Pius abandons Mary while she is pregnant, and heads to England. The road to England is a long one that draws Pius in many different directions.  As a result of Mulvey’s difficult path to survival, he collects an assortment of labels. To name a few: composer, monster, murderer, assassin, thief, prisoner, schoolteacher, father, wanderer. He even fakes his own death at one point. While this list provides testimony for the nature of his troubled past and uncertain future, the label that arguably carries the most significance for his characterization is composer. Mulvey loves words and the power they can carry when carefully employed. Mulvey had an undeniably precise understanding of the power of composition: "In his frayed, spineless dictionary Mulvey looked up the English verb ‘to compose’ – to calm, to produce, to set up printer’s type, to decide what is printed, to write or create, to adjust or settle, to put together.  The man who put together could also take apart.  There was nothing such a wizard could not do" (O’Connor 93). Mulvey found himself being empowered by his craft, and was able to express his experiences through his artistic voice as a result. That’s important to consider when reflecting on the events of Pius’s life. While the book comes to an end, it is revealed that Pius is believed to have been murdered, slashed beyond recognition, and is buried in America. The reader is left to wonder if it actually is Pius Mulvey, the Irishman, lying in the grave, or if he has somehow faked his own death for a second time and lives on beyond the time frame in the novel. Mulvey's life could be placed in a broader context of symbolically standing in for Ireland. Mulvey's character is crafted in a way that encourages a feeling of ambiguity in origin- he could be any countryside farmer twisted by the realities of life in Ireland at the time. Erin Conley described this as Pius being "a man whose descent into personal hell seems to mirror Ireland’s disintegration" (8). To entirely understand the importance of Pius Mulvey and his growth in Star of the Sea, it's important to keep this broader context in the back of one's mind.

Works Cited​
Conley, Erin B. "Famine as a Function of Empire in Arrow of God and Star of the Sea." KU Scholar Works. University of Kansas, 22 May 2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
O'Connor, Joseph. Star of the Sea. Orlando: Harcourt, 2002. Print.
Researcher/Writer: Ben Deetz
Web Designers: Madison Luke and Andrew Olsen

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