Bye Bye Braverman called him "The Joyce of Brighton Beach," suggesting by analogy a comparison between Markfield and this quintessentially Jewish neighborhood and the essential literary synergy between James Joyce and his native Dublin, but also suggesting other connections. The structure of Markfield's "To an Early Grave", and therefore of the movie based upon it, is to some extent a comic parallel of Joyce's novel "Ulysses", specifically "Episode 6" (which is commonly known as the "Hades" chapter) where protagonist Leopold Bloom and three friends travel in a carriage to attend the funeral of Patrick "Paddy" Dignam who has died in a drunken stupor.
Rocky Road to Dublin Rocky Road to Dublin "Rocky Road to Dublin" is a 19th-century Irish song about a man's experiences as he travels to Liverpool in England from his home in Tuam in Ireland. It is often performed instrumentally. The words were written by D.K. Gavan, "The Galway Poet", for the English music hall performer Harry Clifton (1824–1872), who popularised the song. The song describes the adventures, troubles and travails that the protagonist encounters on his travels. At the beginning of the songs, the protagonist of the story states that he is "off to reap the corn" meaning he is off to seek