Cultural Study on Ray Bradbury's "The Beggar on O'Connell Bridge"

Paper I wrote for my Methods of Literary Analysis class.

Literature like cartoons, TV shows, music, etc. can be analyzed through cultural studies. Culture is defined as a particular society's beliefs, habits, values, etc. that distinguishes them from one group of people to another. This study includes any cultural phenomena such as body piercing and tattooing (Lynn, 145). While there is no set way to write a cultural studies paper, the main idea is to show that the "products of a culture are shaped by underlying assumptions and values; and a variety of strategies from psychoanalysis to feminist criticism" can be used to explain this criticism (Lynn, 158). Thus, cultural studies has "brought attention to neglected and suppressed writers, providing a richer understanding of the cultural contributions of minorities, the excluded and oppressed" (Lynn, 146).     

The culture of the homeless is something to take note of in Ray Bradbury's "The Beggar on O'Connell Bridge". In this story, a middle class couple was constantly in contact with the homeless. The first homeless man lied to get money and even took advantage of the character's "kindness" by repeatedly asking for more and more money. The story begins with the main character calling himself a fool because he believed a man asking for money for train fare, food, to bring his wife, and to stay at a hotel, all in the name of getting a job (Bradbury, 59). It all turned out to be a lie as the man saw the same guy outside his hotel window in Dublin. His wife confirmed that the same man asked her for money for train fare to Galway, but unlike her husband, she didn't give any. In the end, the little homeless man managed to get five pounds and ran off!

In addition to lying, some homeless people tell stories to gain sympathy and put pressure on people, which in turn will get them some sort of donation. While on his way to show his wife the beggar on the bridge, his wife showed him how to overlook the beggars without feeling pressured to give money. But a woman with a bundled baby also managed to get some money from the same man. Not totally convinced if the baby was real or a prop, he calls himself a coward for giving in yet again (62). Another woman came up to the couple and even though the man didn't mention that he thought it was the same woman who just stashed the baby somewhere and put on a green instead of gray shawl, she came minutes later asking for money, claiming her sister had cancer. Split between the decision to give some money or overpaying, the woman got into his pocket and ran off with his money (Bradbury, 63-64). The actions of the woman shows that some homeless people stalk others for money and even steal if they are desperate.

Reaching the beggar on O'Connell bridge with no hat, the man and his wife found him playing the concertina and he soon began to sing. To their surprise, he sang really well like "he could be on the stage…. too good to be standing here" (Bradbury, 67). Some homeless people find ways to make money by providing services, in this case music. While the man usually gave money to other beggars, for some reason when his wife opened her purse to give money, he took her elbow and led her down the bridge. Coming back a few days later to see the singing beggar and give him a cap, the man found an old man and woman instead. They too were playing music, or at least attempted to, "cranking a great piano box which racheted and coughed like a coffee grinder eating glass and stone, giving forth no melody but a grand and melancholy sort of iron indigestion" (Bradbury, 69). While the old couple didn’t say anything, there pale face and red eyes seemed to be begging for money from anyone who would listen to their "music".      

Unfortunately, the beggar on the bridge would sing for people but didn’t get any money, especially from the man and his wife. Tired of living his life this way, the beggar "ended" his misery by jumping over into the River Liffey (Bradbury, 71). While this may seem extreme, some homeless people feel they have no choice and rather than live at the mercy of others, hoping to get some sort of donation, they too may end their life in a similar way. After finding out from the manager, the man felt bad that he never gave him even a penny. It seems that people thought the beggar was "overdoing" it, using his bare head to trick people into feeling sorry for him. In other words, sometimes it is hard to tell the honest, legitimate needy from the cons, the ones who have been homeless for a long time vs. the new homeless.

At the end of the story, the man went outside in the snowy night coatless, in his shirtsleeves. To make himself feel better, he gave the cap he had bought for his "capless singing friend" to the first man who came by, soon giving away all the money in his pocket too. He looked up at the high hotel windows, just like the beggars did in the beginning, thinking to himself "What's it like up there? Are fires lit? Is it warm as breath? Are they happy? Do they even know I'm here?" (Bradbury, 73). The man puts himself in the situation of the homeless, finally understanding what it feels like to be out in the cold, wondering if people notice them or even care. Bradbury's "The Beggar on O'Connell Bridge" give readers a glimpse of the life of the homeless, where lying, telling stories, stalking, stealing, entertaining the public, and even ending their life, may be the norm.

Works Cited

Bradbury, Ray. "The Beggar on O'Connell Bridge." Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most           Celebrated Tales. 1st ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. 59-73. Print.

Lynn, Steven. "Connecting the Text: Varieties of Historical Criticism." Texts and Contexts: Writing About Literature with Critical Theory. 6th ed. Glenview: Pearson, 2011. 139+. Print.