Flashcards for Dubliners

Eveline Hill

Eveline Hill is the main character in the story "Eveline," which is one of the most insightful portrayals in James Joyce's Dubliners.

character

Father Flynn

Father James Flynn is the deceased Catholic priest at the heart of "The Sisters," the opening story in Dubliners.

character

Gabriel Conroy

Gabriel Conroy is the main character in "The Dead," the last and most renowned story in James Joyce's Dubliners.

character

Gretta Conroy

Gretta Conroy is featured solely in "The Dead," the last and most renowned story of Dubliners, yet her brief, radiant presence drives the emotional climax of the narrative.

character

Little Chandler

Little Chandler is the main character in "A Little Cloud," one of the most psychologically insightful stories in Dubliners.

character

Mr. James Duffy

Mr. James Duffy is the central character in "A Painful Case," which stands out as one of the most psychologically complex tales in Dubliners.

character

Mrs. Emily Sinico

Mrs. Emily Sinico is the tragic heart of "A Painful Case," one of the most heart-wrenching stories in Dubliners.

character

Mrs. Mooney

Mrs. Mooney is the central figure of "The Boarding House," recognized as one of the most calculating and socially savvy characters in Dubliners.

character

Polly Mooney

Polly Mooney is the main character in "The Boarding House," one of the most incisive explorations of social entrapment and strategic femininity in Dubliners.

character

The Boy Narrator (The Sisters / Araby)

The Boy Narrator is the unnamed first-person protagonist in the opening stories of Dubliners, "The Sisters" and "Araby."

character

“North Richmond Street, being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brothers' School set the boys free.”

This celebrated opening line of "Araby," the third story in James Joyce's Dubliners (1914), is delivered by an unnamed young boy who narrates from his childhood home on North Richmond Street in Dublin.

unnamed first-person narrator · Araby

“His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.”

This closing sentence of "The Dead," the longest story in James Joyce's Dubliners (1914), comes from Gabriel Conroy, the protagonist, as he lies awake in a Dublin hotel room while his wife, Gretta, sleeps.

Gabriel Conroy (narrative free indirect discourse) · The Dead

“One by one, they were all becoming shades. Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.”

This haunting passage is reflected upon internally by Gabriel Conroy, the protagonist of "The Dead," the final and most celebrated story in James Joyce's Dubliners (1914).

Gabriel Conroy (internal monologue) · The Dead

“She was tired. Her head was ached and she had a pain in her back. She felt tired and confused. She could not think of anything to do.”

This passage is from James Joyce's Dubliners (1914), specifically the story "Eveline," and it captures the inner turmoil of the main character, Eveline Hill, during the story's tense moment at the docks.

Eveline Hill (narrative voice / free indirect discourse) · Eveline

“She was fast losing patience with him and, when she glanced up at the clock on the mantelpiece, she decided she would wait no longer.”

This line is from "A Little Cloud," one of the key stories in James Joyce's Dubliners (1914).

Narrator (free indirect discourse reflecting Annie Chandler) · A Little Cloud

“I have no money but if you will lend me your umbrella I will return it to you tomorrow.”

This line is from "Two Gallants," one of the stories in James Joyce's Dubliners (1914).

Corley · Two Gallants

“Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.”

This closing line is part of the interior monologue of the unnamed young narrator in "Araby," the third story in James Joyce's Dubliners (1914).

Unnamed boy narrator (interior monologue) · Araby

“He lived at a little distance from his body, regarding his own acts with doubtful side-glances.”

This introspective line is from "A Painful Case," one of the later stories in James Joyce's Dubliners (1914), depicting Mr. James Duffy, a solitary and emotionally repressed bank cashier in Dublin.

Narrator (describing Mr. James Duffy) · A Painful Case

“Generous tears filled Gabriel's eyes. He had never felt like that himself towards any woman, but he knew that such a feeling must be love.”

This passage comes toward the end of "The Dead," the final and most renowned story in James Joyce's Dubliners (1914).

Narrator (free indirect discourse reflecting Gabriel Conroy) · The Dead

“The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there and, falling, lit up the hand upon the railing.”

This lyrical passage is from "Araby," a standout piece in James Joyce's Dubliners (1914).

unnamed narrator (adolescent boy) · Araby

“The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward.”

This closing line is delivered by the narrator in "The Dead," the last and most acclaimed story in James Joyce's Dubliners (1914).

Narrator (focalized through Gabriel Conroy) · The Dead

“Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.”

This line comes from "The Dead," the final and most acclaimed story in James Joyce's Dubliners (1914).

Gabriel Conroy (interior monologue) · The Dead

Food and Drink

In James Joyce's Dubliners, food and drink symbolize paralysis, social rituals, and moral compromise.

Light and Darkness

In James Joyce's Dubliners, light and darkness reflect the struggle between awareness and stagnation, as well as between hope and feeling trapped.

Snow

In James Joyce's Dubliners, snow symbolizes paralysis, mortality, and the way human experiences can feel uniformly similar.

The City of Dublin

In Dubliners, Dublin itself serves as a powerful symbol of paralysis and unfulfilled dreams.

The Dead

In James Joyce's Dubliners, the snow in "The Dead" — the last story of the collection — reflects the emotional paralysis, numbness, and unavoidable mortality that affect everyone in Dublin.

The East

In James Joyce's Dubliners, the East symbolizes escape, desire, and the allure of the unknown—everything that paralyzes Dublin.

Symbolism

Objects and settings in the collection carry deep symbolic significance.

Motif

Three recurring themes—paralysis, decay, and escape—connect the fifteen stories into a cohesive exploration of life in Dublin.

Narrative Poem

Dubliners is a collection of short stories, and Joyce's storytelling is as intentional as that found in any novel.

Irony

Irony serves as Joyce's main tool for social critique.

Free Verse

Though Dubliners is prose fiction, the closing paragraphs of 'The Dead' shift into a rhythmically rich and image-filled style that feels like prose poetry.

Imagery

Sensory imagery in Dubliners is sharp and intentionally plain, emphasizing the tangible reality of a city Joyce had left behind but couldn't forget.

Personification

Joyce sometimes gives Dublin a sort of human quality, portraying the city as an active force of entrapment instead of just a passive background.

Allusion

Literary and historical allusions add depth to "Dubliners" without feeling decorative.

Pathetic Fallacy

Weather and the environment reflect—and at times mock—inner emotions throughout the collection.

Juxtaposition

Joyce creates meaning through juxtaposition at every level — within individual stories, between different stories, and throughout the four-part structure of the collection.

Sibilance

Sibilance stands out as Joyce's most prominent sonic device, creating a hushed, sliding, or sinister mood at crucial moments.