Dubliners Essay

2. The crystallizing event of each story is the epiphany. How is each character's epiphany related to the others'? What causes these epiphanies to occur? Why does Joyce tend to end his stories with an epiphany?

Introduction

In this essay I will discuss the different epiphanies that occur to a certain number of characters in the stories in the book; 'Dubliners', by James Joyce. I will discuss the following four short stories, 'The Sisters', 'An Encounter', 'Eveline' and 'The Boarding House'. I will then mention why he tends to use epiphanies at the end of his stories.

The Sisters

The parish priest in this story, Father Flynn has recently passed away. A boy (the narrator) and his aunt attend the funeral greeted by the priest's sisters. The epiphany in this story is when we learn from the sister's dialogue that the ordeal regarding his illness and later death started when he broke a chalice. No details are given as to the importance of the chalice yet it is what caused the downfall of Flynn.

An Encounter

The narrator, a young boy(not the same one) and his friend Mahony attend the shore in an attempt to take the dullness out of their day. While sitting on a bench the are encountered with an unkempt old man who starts talking about arbitrary subjects such as the works of a Scottish scholar and keeping girlfriends. The epiphany of the story is when he appears to be 'touching himself' in a very promiscuous way. The two boys naturally become more and more uncomfortable with this and the narrator grabs his friend in nervousness.

Eveline

A young 19-year-old lady who the title is named after works in a job that pays her seven shillings a week while her brother Harry, contributes to paying the bills at home too. She seems to be in constant fear of the possibility of her father beating her. Hence she dislikes her life. A man called Frank has asked her to come with him to Buenos Aires and be his wife. Thus she would leave her unlikable life behind her and join him. The epiphany of the story is at the end when, at the harbor, she ultimately decides not to go away with Frank despite him calling out to her. There is no reason given as to why she refused, but it is told that she is extremely saddened for not doing so.

The Boarding House

Mrs. Mooney is the wife of a butcher that descended into violent, abusive alcoholism. After obtaining a separation, she has set up a boarding house in Hardwicke Street. Her son, Jack is the clerk and her daughter Polly entertains the guests by singing. When she learns that Polly is having an intimate relationship with a guest called Mr Doran, who is in his mid-thirties, she contemplates intervening or not to his comfortable job working for a wine merchant. In other words, a marriage to her daughter is seemly at the fore-front of her mind. When Doran deciphers Mrs Mooney's intention for him and Polly, he scorns Polly in his room due to her lower class back-round and her family's dysfunctional history. After he leaves and she remains crying at the end of the bed she gets up, walks over to the mirror and dries her eyes but she instantly stops showing any sign of being upset or perturbed in any way. This is the epiphany in the story. This leads to possibilities like, did Polly instigate the affair and for him to act that way; did she aim to have her mother coerce or were they working together. It is also worth wondering whether she is talented as an