Dubliners
...on is that of the paralysis the people in this book face while dealing with the circumstances of their lives. Each of the main characters that I will be discussing in this paper suffers with a decision, situation or circumstance which either inhibits their well being or self esteem, their ability to move forward, or causes them the distress over deciding how to move forward.
The first story "The Sisters" is about a young boy's struggle to acknowledge and rationalize the death and insanity of an important figure in his life. The narrator arrives home to find that Father James Flynn, his educator and friend, has just passed away. This comes as no surprise to the boy, as Father Flynn had been paralyzed from a stroke for a period of a few months. Mr. Cotter, a friend of the family, and his uncle comment on the narrator's relationship with the priest. The narrator is angered by their belief that he's too young to make his own decisions about who he befriends and that he should "run about and play with young lads of his own age." Later that night, images of death haunt him and he attempts make light of the tormenting face of the deceased priest by "smiling feebly" in hopes of negating his dreadful visions. The following evening, his family visits the house of the old priest and his two caretakers, two sisters, where he lies in wake. There, the narrator must try and rationalize his death and the mystery of his preceding insanity.
Initially, the narrator represses the news of Father Flynn's passing and checks his house the next morning just to confirm the truth of his passing. He seems to be paralyzed with the idea that what he has known for so long is now gone, and unable to accept what has happened and that he will no longer have Father Flynn in his life. He finally accepts the fact of the priest's passing when he leans over his face, hoping to once again see his...
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