The Dubliners

Plot Overview

“The Sisters”

A boy grapples with the death of a priest, Father Flynn. With his aunt, the boy views the corpse

and visits with the priest’s mourning sisters. As the boy listens, the sisters explain Father

Flynn’s death to the aunt and share thoughts about Father Flynn’s increasingly strange

behavior.

“An Encounter”

Fed up with the restraints of school and inspired by adventure stories, two boys skip their

classes to explore Dublin. After walking around the city for a while, the unnamed narrator and

his friend, Mahony, eventually rest in a field. A strange old man approaches and talks to them,

and his sexual innuendos make the narrator uncomfortable. Ultimately, the narrator and

Mahony manage to escape.

“Araby”

A young boy falls in love with his neighbor Mangan’s sister. He spends his time watching her

from his house or thinking about her. He and the girl finally talk, and she suggests that he visit

a bazaar called Araby, which she cannot attend. The boy plans to go and purchase something

for the girl, but he arrives late and buys nothing.

“Eveline”

A young woman, Eveline, sits in her house and reviews her decision to elope with her lover,

Frank, to Argentina. Eveline wonders if she has made the correct choice to leave her home and

family. As the moment of departure approaches, she reaffirms her decision, but changes her

mind at the docks and abandons Frank.

“After the Race”

Jimmy Doyle spends an evening and night with his well-connected foreign friends after

watching a car race outside of Dublin. Upon returning to the city, they meet for a fancy meal

and then spend hours drinking, dancing, and playing card games. Intoxicated and infatuated

with the wealth and prestige of his companions, Jimmy ends the celebrations broke.

“Two Gallants”

Lenehan and Corley walk through Dublin and discuss their plot to swindle a housemaid who

works at a wealthy residence. Corley meets with the girl while Lenehan drifts through the city

and eats a cheap meal. Later in the night Lenehan goes to the residence as planned and sees

the girl retrieve something from the house for Corley. Finally Corley reveals to Lenehan that

she procured a gold coin for him.

“The Boarding House”

In the boarding house that she runs, Mrs. Mooney observes the courtship between her

daughter, Polly, and a tenant, Mr. Doran. Mrs. Mooney intercedes only when she knows Mr.

Doran must propose to Polly, and she schedules a meeting with Mr. Doran to discuss his

intentions. Mr. Doran anxiously anticipates the conversation and the potential lifestyle change

that awaits him. He resolves that he must marry Polly.

“A Little Cloud”

One evening after work Little Chandler reunites with his old friend, Gallaher. Little Chandler

aspires to be a poet, and hearing about Gallaher’s career in London makes Little Chandler

envious and determined to change his life. Little Chandler imagines freedom from his wife and

child, but he feels ashamed about his thoughts and accepts his situation.

“Counterparts”

After an infuriating day at work, Farrington embarks on an evening of drinking with his

friends. Even though Farrington pawns his watch to replenish his empty wallet, he finds

himself spending all of his money on drinks for himself and his companions. Growing more

and more frustrated, Farrington almost explodes when he loses an arm-wrestling match. At

home later that night, Farrington vents his anger by beating his son.

“Clay”

On Halloween night, Maria oversees festivities at the charity where she works. Afterward, she

travels to the home of Joe Donnelly, whom she nursed when he was a boy. Along the way

Maria purchases sweets and cakes for Joe’s family. When she arrives at the house, she realizes

she has somehow lost the special plum cake she’d bought. After talking, eating, and playing

Halloween games, Maria sings a song for the Donnellys.

“A Painful Case”

Mr. Duffy develops a relationship with Mrs. Sinico at a concert in Dublin. The two meet often

for long chats and become close, but Mr. Duffy cuts off the relationship when Mrs. Sinico

makes the intimate but chaste gesture of taking Mr. Duffy’s hand and putting it against her

cheek. Four years later, Mr. Duffy reads in a newspaper that Mrs. Sinico has died in a train

accident. He feels angry, sad, and uneasy as he remembers her, and he finally realizes he lost

perhaps his only chance for love.

“Ivy Day in the Committee Room”

A group of men working as street promoters for a mayoral candidate meet to discuss their jobs

and escape from the rainy weather on Ivy Day, which commemorates the death of Charles

Stuart Parnell, the influential Irish politician. The men complain about their late paychecks

and debate politics. Conversation eventually turns to Parnell and his political endeavors, and

one of the men, Hynes, recites a poem he wrote in memory of him.

“A Mother”

An Irish cultural society organizes a concert series with the help of Mrs. Kearney, the mother of

one of the performers. Mrs. Kearney secures a contract with the society’s secretary, Mr.

Holohan, so that her daughter is ensured payment for her piano accompaniment. A series of

logistical changes and failed expectations infuriate Mrs. Kearney, and she hounds the officers

of the society for the money, making a spectacle of herself and her daughter.

“Grace”

After an embarrassing public accident, Tom Kernan is convinced by his friends to attend a

Catholic retreat