The Sisters, By James Joyce (1914) - Paralysis and Abuse

The Sisters, By James Joyce (1914)

Rating: 6.5/10

At the first time, I couldn't understand the story well because the descriptions and lines of the characters seemed unclear. So I searched about The Sisters on google, and I could get diverse analyses in many different aspects. One of the analyses I liked the most is that the death of Father Flynn represents the death of Ireland’s politics, economy, culture, and education. I thought this makes sense because James Joyce describes Dublin very negatively in Dubliners and uses the word ‘paralysis’ repeatably through The Sisters, which can represent Ireland’s paralyzed religious community. Another analysis is that Father Flynn abused the boy. Old Cotter comments cryptically about Flynn but he does not say the clear reason for his comment. Also, despite the fact that the boy and Flynn were very close, the boy didn't look so sad and he seemed to feel a sense of liberation. Thus, the death of Flynn seems to be the end of the boy's tragic life and the start of a new life for him.

I gave a low rate because of the unclearness of the story, but after I read the analyses of this story, I could find a new aspect of the story. (200 words)