Joyce, James - Analysis "Dubliners"

Plot and comment:”Dubliners"

Plot: “The Dubliners” is a novel based on fifteen stories, written by James Joyce.
The first story is called “The Sisters”, it describes a young man, whose name is not clear, that during a dinner, listening to a man called Old Cotter, discovers that his mentor anda friend, James Flynn, is dead, after a period of illness. During the meal people start talking about priest Flynn negatively, but the boy has no reaction to these comments and continue to eat. The next day he decided to go to the priest’s house, to give him his last goodbye. When he arrived he found the priest’s old sisters, Nannie and Eliza and they started to pray all together. Then Nannie offered them some sherry and cream biscuits and started to talk about Fynn’s last days. Suddenly Eliza remembered a past episode of priest Flynn, when he was found alone, laughing into the confessional of his church, so they understood he had got mad.
The second story is called “An Encounter”, there is a boy and his friend Mahony, that wanted to search adventures, so decided not to go to school for one day. During their trip they have some strange encounters, like some local children, that exchanged them for protestants and insulted them. Then they met an old man, that started to talk about his youth and about some books, arriving to “sweethearts”, asking to the boys if they have had any girlfriend. Gradually, the reader is able to understand how is physically the old man, that had yellow teeth, gaped smile, and the way he repeats his phrases. When the old man is not listening, the main character said to his friend, to change their names, for safety. When the old man returned, Mahony run away and the man continue to talk with the other boy, saying that boys that talk with girls have to be whipped and he would do this if he could. With a excuse they run away.

The third story is called “Araby”, in this episode, the main character is in love with his neighbour sister. One day the young man found the courage to talk to her and said that he would go to the bazar “araby” and bring to her something, in fact the woman couldn’t go to the bazar because of a spiritual reason. The boy’s uncle forgot to take him to the bazar anda when he arrived there it is almost closed and he can’t buy anything.
The forth story is called “Eveline”, it is about a girl that looking out of the window and listening to a song remembered her mother, her father that had mistreated her and remembered about her brother Ernest, that has been lost. Thinking of her life decided to leave with her boyfriend Frank, to Buenos Aires. She decided to write two letters, one for his brother Harry and her father. When she is almost leaving she reflects on what she promise to her mother, that was to maintain the family unified, so decided to stay. His boyfriend that has already got in the ship is forced to leave aloen.
The fifth story is called “After the race”. When a race is just finished, some men of different nationalities met at Jimmy’s house to have dinner, then to the yacht of the American one. They got drunk and started to play poker. The irish man playing lose much money, instead the English one won the game
The sixth story is called “Two Gallants”, described two friends that are walking talking about a woman that one of the two has seduced. He is called Corley and he said that he wants to marry this woman to take advantage of her. The other man went away to go to his woman the two men met each other after some time, Corley said that he has reached his aim.
The seventh story is called “The boarding house” is about a girl, Polly that works in the house of his mother, where there are often artists. Polly fell in love with a client and became pregnant of him. Her mother discovered everything and to save his daughter’s reputation decide tha the client has to marry her. Doran, the client doesn’t want to marry her, but he knows that if he doesn’t marry her he had to go out of Dublin. The story ends with miss Mooney that called Polly so that Doran can talk to her.
The eighth story is called “A little cloud” , it describes a boy called Chandler, that decides to meet his friend, Ignatius Gallaher. When Chandler knew about his career, abroad, he seems to be inspired, but he also feel inferior. At the end of the story Chandler understood that his reluctance is the only thing that makes him feel incompleteness.
The ninth story is called “Counterparts”, the main character is Farrington, a man that work on rewriting documents. He has a difficult relationship with his supervisor, that is scolding him for not finishing a work for client. The man decided to go out and go for a drink in a pub. When he came back he found the client and his boss is really angry with Farrington, that is forced to apologize. He decided to collect some money to go to drink and during the night offering to people drinks, lose much of his money and come back home. At home his five children are all sleeping save Tom, and considering that his wife has gone to the chapel, he said to his child to prepare him the dinner. Suddenly he became hungry with him and starts hurting him, Tom tried to stop him promising to say a prayer if he stops.
The tenth story is “Clay”, the name of the main character is Mary, an old woman that decided to start a trip to meet a boy, who she nursed when he was a child. During the trip she decided to buy a cake for Halloween, but the shop assistant insulted her for not be married. In the tram a drunk man started to talk with her, when she arrives is really happy, but then she remembers to have forgotten the cake she bought into the tram. After the meal they decided to play a game, taking some strange emblematic objects and Mary takes a piece of clay, that means death. The next object she takes is a book of prayers, that means convent. After that she started to sing and Joe is really touched, bit in the performance is clear the sadness of the woman.

The eleventh story is “A painful case”, the episode is about James Duffy, a man that is addicted with cleaning. He is not so sociable, but one day he met a married woman, that has a daughter and thinks that she is so sensitive and clever. They start to meet often, because her husband seems not be interested. Duffy starts to confide to her, but when she confess that is attracted by him, he doen’t want to meet her again. After four years Mr. Duffy discovered that Mrs. Sinco dead with an accident with a train or suicide. Duffy discovered that after left her she became alcoholic and he at the beginning is angry, but then realizes that it was his fault. Reflecting on himself, he realizes that his life is so sad and he is alone.
The twelfth story is called “Ivy Day in the Committee Room”, started when two men, that work together on the election of their country decided to protect themselves from the rain, staying into a committee room. At the beginning there are only two of them, then arrived also the others. The colleagues, started to drink beer and talk about policy. Some of them are worried about the arrive of Edward VII to England. At the end one of them, acts a poetry celebrate Parnell an hero for Ireland.
The thirteenth story is “A mother”, describes a mother called Mrs Kearney, that has decided to make her daughter attend all the best schools and play the piano. The girl has the opportunity to start a musical career, but her mother would let the girl play only if they have given the money before. They give to her half of the money and say that the other would have come in three days, but Mrs Kearney refused, making her daughter lose a big opportunity.
The fourteenth story is called “Grace”, it is about a drunk man, that feel down after drinking too much, a friend of him decides to take him home. HIS name is Kernan, he is a good person, but sometimes he feel into the alcohol, his friends decided to take him to a spiritual retreat. It is clear that there is some irony on the role of the church and on its superficiality.
The last story is called “The death” talks about a man called Gabriel, who is a teacher and writer, who lives a difficult period. One night he and his wife decided to go out to dance and after that he seems to discover again his love for his wife, but she told him about a boy that was in love with her. He is so desperate that decides that is better to die now instead of become old. At the end of the story it is said that "His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling…”.