Saturday, January 3, 2015

In James Joyce’s anthology, Dubliners (specifically, ‘The Sisters’), what are at least two important quotes?Dubliners by James Joyce

Interestingly, the image of a window opens Joyce's first
story, "The Sisters," and the third and fourth stories, "Araby" and
"Eveline," suggesting the detachment of the narrators who, perhaps, look through "a
glass darkly" as St Paul wrote.  Religion, specifically the Roman Catholic, plays a
significant role as well; namely, the rituals of religion lead to a certain paralysis
because of the effeteness of them for Father Flynn, "a disappointed man" whose tongue
lay upon his lower lip in a lurid parody of the
Eucharist.  


Throughout this short story, there is a
certain ambiguity as the young narrator expresses affection for the priest who
has taught him Latin, stories about the catacombs, Napoleon Bonaparte, and the
various vestments of the liturgy. But, when the priest is ill at the beginning of the
narrative, the boys ponders the word paralysis and he word fills
hims with both fear and a desire to look upon its "deadly work."  So, when Father Flynn
does die, the boy 


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seemed in a mourning mood” and that
he felt “a sensation of freedom as if . . . freed from something by his
death.



Old
Cotter hints at something strange about the priest, saying that he would not have his
children around the priest too much.  Certainly, he has used copious amounts of snuff;
but, there has been "something strange" about Father Flynn as he seems to have a duality
to his nature. As he lies in his coffin, for instance, he is "solemn and copious, vested
as for the altar," with his face "truculent, gray and massive with black cavernous
nostrils." Yet, the narrator's aunt says that she thinks he looks "resigned." 
Nonetheless, his sister Eliza says,


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"The duties of the priesthood was
too much for him. And then his life was, you might say,
crossed."



It is
the breaking of the chalice that marks a critical point in the life of Father Flynn;
some say the boy has been at fault.  After this incident, Father Flynn's mind has
been affected--perhaps, from guilt.  At any rate he is found on an evening in the
confessional, laughing softly to himself.


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Wide-awake and laughing-like to
himself....So then, of course, when they was that, that made them think that there was
something gone wrong with
him....



Here
it is a spiritual paralysis that characterizes Father Flynn, perhaps from guilt. 
However, just as in the rest of the story, there is an ambiguity even at the end
of James Joyce's "The Sisters."

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