On the surface, James Joyce’s short story “The Sisters” appears the simplest and easiest of his works within the Dubliners collection. Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that Dubliners is introduced by “The Sisters” for its in-depth analysis of a darker part of Dublin life. The development of paralysis in the story is simultaneously mild enough to temper into the collection while being overt enough that no doubt could be created over the persistent theme. Paralysis permeates through “The Sisters” with the boy’s forced confrontation of his mentor’s illness and adulthood and the priest’s syphilis and career.

The young boy is forced to confront the priest’s illness and subsequent reputation several times throughout the story, leading to internal conflict the boy is not emotionally ready to handle. As the child waits for the priest to pass away, he thinks, “Every night as I gazed up at the window I said softly to myself the word paralysis… It filled me with fear, and yet I longed to be nearer to it and to look upon its deadly work” (1).  With this first indication that the boy, on some level, is hesitant and distrustful toward the priest, the text better builds the conflicting emotions the death brings up for the boy. Such emotions include the child’s instinct to defend his mentor in public while privately fearing his memory. As old Cotter shows his dislike for the amount of time the boy and priest spent together, the child fills his mouth with food to prevent him from speaking up (3). However, this adult-like will fades at night, and the boy finds himself very much a child, afraid of the priest’s image, describing, “In the dark of my room I imagined that I saw again the heavy grey face of the paralytic. I drew the blankets over my head and tried to think of Christmas. But the grey face still followed me” (3). The clear tension between the townspeople and the dead priest led the boy to become trapped between an adolescent and adult mindset, wanting to think and learn like an adult but being unable to escape his childhood. While this idea is important, it seems to lose emphasis as the story progresses, unlike the boy’s emotional conflict of the priest. As the boy builds up courage to enter the priest’s home, he thinks, “I found it strange that neither I nor the day seemed in a mourning mood, and I felt even annoyed at discovering in myself a sensation of freedom as if I had been freed from something by his death” (5). Yet after this admittance, the boy reminisces on the time the two spent together and priest’s old habits in a manner fit for someone who should be mourning. He still goes to the priest’s house, pays his respects, and stays while the adults converse. The boy is immobilized by the conflicting reports and emotions in his head, making a final opinion or any change impossible.

The priest’s syphilis not only left him paralyzed physically, but mentally, stuck remembering his life’s mistakes while being driven insane. The priest’s sister, Eliza, mentions a strange reoccurrence, saying, “Mind you, I noticed there was something queer coming over him latterly. Whenever I’d bring in his soup to him there I’d find him with his breviary fallen to the floor, lying back in the chair and his mouth open” (9). Given that it is heavily implied, through his syphilis and the disapproval some have of the young boy associating with him, the priest was not staying true to his chastity vow. This sin has made it impossible for him to recite prayer, as he feels he is unworthy and too corrupt to speak holy words. His syphilis-caused insanity appears to have manifested this subconscious thinking. When Father O’Rourke goes looking for the missing priest, he finds that, “[H]e was sitting up by himself in the dark in his confession-box, wide awake and laughing-like softly to himself” (10-11). As the priest is driven mad over his disease, the nature of its contraction leads him to confession, attempting to rid himself of the sin that his reputation is based on. The priest was paralyzed by his illness, but also by Dublin, which would have become a hindrance to his career. When the boy recalls what the priest has taught him, he remembers that he studied at the Irish college in Rome (5). Shortly after, Eliza says the priest had wanted to take a trip to his childhood home for a day with the two sisters (9). Going from living in a poorer area like Dublin to living in a wealthy city like Rome is not a common transition, but given the opportunity not one easily passed up. Despite his education at a privileged, well-off university, the priest returned to Dublin. His desire to visit his childhood home demonstrates a desire to understand life’s trajectory, and how the priest’s great promise led him from Dublin, to Rome, to excommunication, and back to Dublin.

 

James Joyce made a statement to publisher Grant Richards, connecting his book of short stories, titled Dubliners, to paralysis. One of the short stories, “Eveline”, perfectly represents Joyce’s point. This is because within “Eveline”, both mental and physical paralysis occurs. Eveline experiences the mental paralysis of being torn between duty and desire. She also experiences metal paralysis when she cannot decide whether leaving her hard and familiar life for a new, unknown one is worth it. Eveline experiences physical paralysis when she cannot bear to leave her childhood home. Another example is when she seems physically frozen on the dock between her home and a boat bound for a faraway place.

Eveline has a strong sense of responsibility to her family. She provides for them as a mother, housekeeper, and source of income. On page 28 Eveline remarks that, “Strange that it should come that very night to remind her of the promise to her mother, her promise to keep the home together as long as she could” (Joyce, “Eveline”). Eveline grew up surrounded by her family, they are all she has ever known. She takes care of them in the absence of her mother. She feels a certain obligation and responsibility to take care of them because of her promise. She thinks that if she leaves, she is breaking her last promise with her mother. However, on page 28, Eveline also said that “She must escape! Frank would save her. He would give her life, perhaps love too. But she wanted to live. Why should she be unhappy? She had a right to happiness” (Joyce, “Eveline”).  Eveline desires nothing more than to leave her current life behind. She wants to escape from her father and the possibility of living out her mother’s life. She wants to discover something more for her life. Eveline is stuck between these two strong emotions. She can’t decide which is the right way to go, to live out her duty or pursue her desires. The equal pull of both prevents her from moving forward with her life.

A second crossroads that paralyzes Eveline from making the decision to go or stay, was the choice between a difficult life she always knew, or a new life full of good and bad possibilities. Her yearning to stay in illustrated on page 25, which says,

“She looked round the room, reviewing all its familiar objects which she had dusted once a week for so many years … Perhaps she would never see again those familiar objects from which she had never dreamed of being divided” (Joyce, “Eveline”).

She explains that her life is extremely difficult in many ways: they have little money, she is the caretaker over two young children, and her father is abusive. However, she has found a way to survive despite her unpleasant circumstances. It may not be perfect, but it is something she knows she could handle. Frank wants her to follow him back to Buenos Ayres. A distant place in a country she has never been to. To live out a life she has never experienced before. She believes that leaving would give her a chance at a better life, but nothing is guaranteed. Eveline is caught between the known and unknown. She can’t decide whether it is worth it for her to leave her old life behind for the possibility of a better one.

Most of the story takes place within Eveline’s house and her memories that emerge there. Even though she and Frank have a boat to catch that afternoon, she lingers in her house, reliving the memories of her childhood. It is almost like she is stalling and does not want to leave. On page 28, Eveline remarks,

“Her time was running out but she continued to sit by the window, leaning her head out against the window curtain, inhaling the odour of dusty cretonne. Down far in the avenue she could hear a street organ playing … she remembered the last night of her mother’s illness; she was again in the close dark room at the other side of the hall and outside she heard a melancholy air of Italy” (Joyce, “Eveline”)

The thought of leaving behind her old life to start a new one hurt her in a way. The thought of leaving behind her childhood, family, and familiarity of the place gives her pause. She can not seem to move from her position within the house. She continuously allows memories to engulf her mind and inhibit her from leaving for the docks. As she remembers her old life and both the good and bad memories in Dublin, she starts to question whether she can really leave the life she knows.

The second and most obvious time Eveline demonstrates physical paralysis is when she is on the docks about to board the night boat to Buenos Ayres. As Frank leads her to the boat by hand, the weight of Eveline’s decision starts baring down on her. Her mind to flips between her two paths she can take. According to page 29,

“She answered nothing. She felt her cheek pale and cold and, out of a maze of distress, she prayed to God … It was impossible. Her hands clutched the iron [railing] in a frenzy. Amid the seas she sent a cry of anguish” (Joyce, “Eveline”).

Even in the final moments, Eveline has yet to make her decision. She thought she chose to live a new life, but when it is time to leave, she freezes. Her life has such a strong pull on her that she is unable to leave it behind forever.

Despite everything, Eveline can not decide what she wants. She loves her family but hates her life. She wants to be free of everything, while also caring for her responsibilities. Paralysis overtakes her mind as she weighs her duties and desires, and reflects on a familiar life in the face of unknown territory. Her body gives into paralysis as she allows her memories of the past to occupy her mind. She also lets her panic freeze her body in the final moments before the decision is made. If her memories and responsibilities hold enough power to paralyze her, I do believe that it resulted in Eveline staying in Dublin.

“My intention was to write a chapter of the moral history of my country and I chose Dublin for the scene because that city seemed to me the centre of paralysis.”

James Joyce discussed impulses of human nature, disdain for the Roman Catholic Church, and Dublin’s power structure. Dublin embodies paralysis and despair due to the corruption and immoral actions of its inhabitants. Joyce’s statement of paralysis in Dublin applies to A Painful Case because of the fall of man, internal conflict, and alcoholism in Dublin. The story of Mr. Duffy and Mrs. Sinico represents fear and limited conditions of love. After meeting at a Mozart concert and arranging appointments to meet, they eventually occupied Mrs. Sinico’s empty home for Mr. Duffy to share his ideas with her.  He “entangled” his thoughts with hers and lent her books thinking he would help enlighten her but in reality, she was not very interested in talking. With one daughter and an absent husband, Mrs. Sinico sought out a passionate relationship with Mr. Duffy. Mrs. Sinicio’s loveless marriage is a state of paralysis because spouses are supposed to cherish and support one another, and instead, her husband was cherishing other “arts”. Mr. Duffy intended to spend time with Mrs. Sinico in a strictly educational manner, where intelligent ideas were discussed(only by him). Mr. Duffy viewed her advances towards him as rude and disrespectful because heaven forbid a relationship to become romantic and not academic, the world would end! The characters of this story are not living grand, so I think to make their lives meaningful, they have to take action. As we know, Mr. Duffy lived a carefully constructed life, conflicted with impulses and living a monotonous life. Being conflicted and organized to suppress human desires is one way to express a fear of making mistakes. He needs to understand the meaning of YOLO, (you only live once). Mr. Duffy faces the consequences of his actions by regretting what could have happened, and he is not remembered for having a valuable or meaningful life.

Women in A Painful Case were seen as inferior and lusting to men, containing no morals or intelligence. There were more opportunities for men than women in Dublin, and the lack of opportunities and status of women ultimately determined their livelihood and happiness. Mrs. Sinico’s only daughter Mary Sinico, reveals her mother’s dwelling and addiction to spirits before her death, which suggests Mrs Sinico’s derailment and unhinged immorality. 

“…the inane expressions of sympathy, the cautious words of a reporter won over to conceal the details of a commonplace vulgar death attacked his stomach. Not merely had she degraded herself; she had degraded him. He saw the squalid tract of her vice, miserable and malodorous.” Joyce 82-83. Mrs. Sinico faced judgment even after death and Mr. Duffy views her as disgusting and a disgrace. Desperate conditions and indulgence of sin in Dublin expressed the desire for freedom. 

“He told her that for where he had felt himself a unique figure amidst a score of sober workmen in a garret lit by an inefficient oil-lamp. When the party had divided into three sections, each under its own leader garret, he had discontinued his attendances. The workmen’s discussions, he said were too timorous; the interest they took in the question of wages was inordinate. He felt that they were hard-featured realists and that they resented an exactitude which was the produce of a leisure not within their reach. No social revolution, he told her, would be likely to strike Dublin for some centuries.” Joyce 79. Mr. Duffey felt confident around uncivilized workmen who feared for the wages they earned because he felt that they were beneath him. Also, a sober man in Dublin must be a figment of Mr. Duffey’s imagination because that is a rare species. The most important part of this text was the static condition of Dublin; it would remain unchanging which would negatively impact anyone who lived there.

Mr. James Duffey’s character is an often disappointed man who lived by the actions he did not make and remorsing of habits.  “He lived at a little distance from his body, regarding his own acts with doubtful side glances.” Joyce 77.  I believe Mr. Duffy, as well as the men of Dublin, faced traumatic experiences as children and had mother issues resulting in their revolting character.  Living outside of Dublin where he could escape the modern suburbs, Mr. Duffy was ruled by fear and paralyzed within his isolated existence. He did not interact as a human but, operated through ideas and opinions. The only time he could be “human” in a controlled setting was when attending Mozart concerts. Allowing intimacy would only allow a man to become miserable, so Mr. Duffy lived his life without indulging in pleasures or expressing imagination (aside from his romance novels naturally).

“He gnawed the rectitude of his life; he felt that he had been outcast from life’s feast. One human being had seemed to love him and he had denied her life and happiness: he had sentenced her to ignominy, a death of shame.” Joyce 84. Mr. Duffy’s view of Mrs. Sinico’s death changed because, at first, he had no regret in his decision to abandon their relationship but then he blamed her death on himself. The engine which ensured Mrs. Sinico’s death, roared until it drove Mr. Duffy mad and only when it was silent, he was finally alone. Perhaps he suppressed acting upon ideas for pleasure because he knew it would hurt him to be without it.

The city of Dublin posing as the scene of paralysis in Dubliners by James Joyce is extremely relevant when discussing the story “The Boarding House.” Paralysis takes the form of many different monsters throughout the compiled stories in this book. The definition of paralysis can be seen as the inability to move in part or most of the body. However, Joyce allows this faction to occur in many different forms. For example, while Mr. Doran is not in a physical state of paralysis he is trapped due to the decisions he made and the possible consequences. Joyce depicts the internal conflict of 

In “The Boarding House,” there are many forms of paralysis present. First and foremost, Mrs. Mooney was an ultimate schemer with a poor life. Mrs. Mooney was disappointed in Polly’s decision to marry lesser than her, parallel to the life that Mrs. Mooney lived. Due to the societal implications of the period, it was illegal to divorce. Therefore, Polly was paralyzed in her decision to marry a man who could not provide, ultimately causing her to start making poor decisions. She was stuck in the sense that she would not be able to attain the love and financial wealth of her current husband, so she is “stuck” with deciding to stay around the boarding house. However, this is not as much of Polly’s true emotions as much as her mother’s. The text states, “Besides, young men like to feel that there is a young man not very far away,” (48). The connotation of this piece of text suggests that Mrs. Mooney understands that it is not the morally correct option but she is not opposed to it due to her personal relation to the issue at hand. 

Mr. Doran and Polly end up having an affair and Mrs. Mooney is adamant that they must get married. Eventually, Mr. Doran understands the mistakes that he made. He realizes that he has no other choice but to marry her when he takes into account that Polly’s brother has physical power over him, that his family will not approve of Polly, her reputation in the town, her age, her father, and many more aspects that make her unsuitable as Mr. Doran’s wife. However, Mrs. Mooney finds it a vital point that Polly and Mr. Doran get married. To illustrate this idea further, “She wanted to relight her candle at his for hers had been blown out by a gust,” (52). Both Polly and Mr. Dorian understand that the decisions they had made were to be punished. However, Mr. Dorian was unaware of what his current actions would mean long term. Perhaps Polly was more longing for this feeling than is accused. As the story progresses, inevitably, Mrs. Mooney does not want her mistakes to reflect upon the course of events for her daughter. Therefore, she essentially forces Mr. Doran to marry Polly, and if he said no Jack would go bonkers. 

Now, I just have to bring my girl Emily into this because one of my favorite poems that she has ever written is about paralysis. Which I thought might be fitting due to the entire prompt of this assignment being… paralysis.

In poem 1046, “I’ve Dropped My Brain – my soul is numb-,” she addresses a feeling of paralysis due to an outside emotion. In this poem, Emily states, “My Nerve in Marble Lies- / A Breathing woman / Yesterday – Endowed with Paradise.” This quote shows that every action she once did in the flesh is not engraved in stone, an irreplaceable and unchangeable action. In one moment she is independent and free, and the next moment she is chained down by the consequences of her actions. While in the moment of action, she is breathing her air, “endowed with paradise.” It is not until she is forced to consider the outcome of the actions that she realizes her freedom is cut short. 

This relates directly back to the dilemma Mr. Doran must face. At the moment he was unaware of just how drastically these actions would change the course of his life. Yet post affair, Mrs. Mooney causes him to understand just what he must do to make it right. Not just by her, but by the societal implications as well as the church. Joyce states, “Come on down, dear. Mr. Doran wants to speak to you. Then she remembered what she had been waiting for,” (54). This quote demonstrates that Mr. Doran has finally come to terms with the marriage he must commit to. After all of the pining and difficult emotions he must deal with, he realizes that he is paralyzed in a state in which he truly has no choice in his further actions. Dickinson relates to this emotion when she depicts that she was once a free woman and then she was paralyzed. 

Ultimately, paralysis is depicted in many different ways within Dubliners, however, in “The Boarding House,” it is prevalent that paralysis can be an outcome of one’s own actions.

In an interview conducted in 1906, James Joyce said, “‘I left the Catholic Church, hating it most fervently. I found it impossible for me to remain in it on account of the impulses of my nature…Now I make war upon it by what I write and say and do. I cannot enter the social order except as a vagabond.’” 

In commentary to Joyce’s quote, a scholar from the University of Chicago wrote, “Joyce’s early critique of the Church was…illustrated by [his] ascription of ‘paralysis’ to an Irish culture and society permeated by Catholicism” (Kanter 381). 

James Joyce’s Dubliners is a collection of short stories that share a common thread: paralysis. I personally am quite attached to Joyce’s work because of this reappearing idea for reasons I cannot exactly explain. The human draw to that which is sinister, perhaps? I am specifically attracted to “The Sisters” for reasons unknown as well other than the fact that I found it a slightly creepy yet interesting tale. I also must say that I wonder at Joyce’s title choice for this story, as the sisters were not at all the primary focus of the text. I honestly love James Joyce for this seeming randomness- I can’t predict what’s going to happen next, and nothing is ever so obvious as it seems when he’s writing the story. He reminds me of Dante in that regard, only Dante was never random and used every possible detail to prove his points in the story.

Paralysis in “The Sisters,” at least in comparison to some other stories, is more obviously physical. 

Brief pause, I just found out that my cat is going to be put down tomorrow. The rest of this may not be so coherent as previous writing. 

The paralysis in this short story is more clearly, and essentially stated literally. The protagonist’s mentor (if the protagonist was ever named, I could not remember it) is Father Flynn, a leader in the Catholic Church that has unfortunately suffered a third stroke, leaving him immobile. This is a critical point made by Joyce through his own unique style; I believe that he is stating or indicating a paralyzed nature of society most specifically within the church. I cannot say I came up with this idea on my own, because who am I kidding – Joyce’s writing has so much embedded within it that I, with my redundant brain in comparison to his, understand it in its full glory. I was only given this idea from the lovely scholar I mention previously at the University of Chicago (Em, if you’re reading this, I hope to read a scholarly article from you during your time at the school). According to Kanter, Joyce ‘ascripts’ paralysis to the Irish culture and the Catholic Church. I personally cannot speak on his commentary on Irish culture, as I am not exactly super knowledgeable in that regard (if only I had Grace here) but I do want to discuss the church. I speak on this purely in a general religious sense, not in a Catholic sense, as I am not Catholic and know nothing of the sort. I think Joyce was really onto something here in discussing the church as being in paralysis through his use of his Father Flynn character. 

Paralysis…being stuck…frozen. Do teachings in church, especially in those which are corrupt, hold us in place? Are the corrupt ideologies so many believe confining? Joyce would say yes. And this is what he is talking about in this short story. The young narrator spends all of his time with Father Flynn as he admires and tries to learn his way of life from him. He is very openly criticized by the lovely old Cotter and is encouraged to act more like other kids, who live more lightheartedly. I don’t sense any judgment or distaste for the narrator throughout the story, but perhaps Joyce is watching him spin his own demise as he lives in proximity with the corrupt figurehead of paralysis.

Another side note- the narrator is said to make the ‘snuff’ ready for Father Flynn, who physically cannot do it himself, but I see another meaning to this. The church, so often praising themselves for doing only the good and the clean, most often get their hands dirty under the table. Was this perhaps symbolism for corrupted people not necessarily wanting to get their own hands dirty and preferring to subject an innocent to doing it for them? Interesting things to think about.

Anyway, I love James Joyce and his writing. My highest compliment ever received is having my own writing compared to his (thank you Mr. Nigro) and I will never forget it. If I could choose anyone dead or alive to have lunch with, James is an honest contender with beloved Dante. I would love to see what goes on in his silly little head.

I leave you now to eat a tub of ice cream in my bed. Good night.

Paralysis can be defined as “complete or partial loss of function, especially when involving the motion or sensation in a part of the body”. However, in Joyce’s writing, it can be defined as “a state of powerlessness or incapacity to act.” This definition of paralysis is very prevalent in “A Painful Case.”  Mr. James Duffy is quite an average man who has a routine and sticks to it. He lives on the outskirts of Dublin purposely to be away from the people and dreadfulness of the city.  He keeps the same job as a cashier for a private bank for years. Each day he wakes up and takes the tram out of the place he lives called Chapelizoid to work.  In the afternoon, he takes up his same routine: “he went to Dan Burke’s and took his lunch- a bottle of lager beer and a small trayful of arrowroot biscuits,” (Joyce 104). Then he goes home at the end of the day.  This occurs every day until he meets Mrs, Sinico. She changed him; he started living his life and escaped the paralysis of his routine. It’s not something he  ever thought he would do. His life is described  as “an adventureless tale” (Joyce 105), but this is turned upside down with the entrance of Mrs. Sinico. Not only did this change the life of Mr. Duffy but also the paralysis that Mrs. Sinico was living in. Her husband was always gone and “he had dismissed his wife so sincerely from his gallery of pleasures” (Joyce 106) and she has been stuck at home with only her child. They both moved and shaped each other’s lives. Joyce writes, “Neither he nor she had had any such adventure before, and neither was conscious of any incongruity” (106). One is only living life when there is constant change. One can’t be stuck in something that is always adapting. For years the two shared their intelligence with each other; gathering books and sharing music; becoming intimate even. However, Mrs. Sincio  wanted this more than Mr. Duffy: “Mrs. Sinico caught up his hand passionately and pressed it to her cheek. Mr. Duffy was very much surprised. Her interpretation of his words disillusioned him. He did not visit her  for a week” (Joyce 107).  Mr. Duffy was content that he had found someone to share his thoughts and his knowledge with. Mrs. Sinico has a depravity about her. She has been dismissed  by her husband and Mr. Duffy is giving her the attention she longs for. She feels free from her paralysis but it’s misinterpreted. They had one last meeting where Mr. Duffy broke things off between them. He goes back into his paralysis. Joyce writes, “Four years passed. Mr. Duffy returned to his even way of life” (108).  Mr. Duffy becomes suconsciously stuck in his life again. While the lives of Mr.  Duffy and Mrs. Sinico are examples of paralysis in this story, there is another example. The death of Mrs. Sinico: “One evening as he [Mr. Duffy] was about to put a morsel of corned beef and cabbage into his mouth his hand stopped. His eyes fixed themselves on a paragraph in the evening paper,” (Joyce 108).  At this moment, Mr.  Duffy becomes stuck in the death of Mrs. Sinico; paralysis. He reads the paragraph  over and over again as if there is going to be something different on the page each time. The repetition of it  all shows how he is stuck in the thought of her death. Someone who gave him purpose and someone who he confided in, who he shared his knowledge and heart with was gone. He gets stuck in the  memory of her: “As the light failed an,d his memory began to wander he thought her hand touched his,” (Joyce 112).  He starts to think it is his fault she is dead and gets caught up in these self-accusations. He starts to realize  what a paralyzed life looks like: “Now that she was gone he understood how lonely her life must have been, sitting night after night alone in that room. His life would be lonely too until he, too died, ceased to exist, became a memory- if anyone remembered him,” (Joyce 113). He couldn’t escape his  thoughts and questions about her. He was stuck; paralysis.  All of the characters throughout this novel experience some type of paralysis. The city of Dublin has this cloud of stillness that rains down on the lives of the people who live in the city, especially at this time. Joyce captures  this state of powerlessness in Mr. Duffy and Mrs. Sinico. Her paralysis comes alive in the depiction of death. Mr. Duffy’s paralysis comes alive in the perspective of the city’s quietness, the river’s stillness, and the loneliness he’s now aware of. Paralysis infects the lives of these characters, but they can’t escape it until they are already stuck.

       Dubliners is a novel that showcases the numbing nature of the city of Dublin. Each chapter centers around the paralyzing nature of the city, whether it is physical paralysis, emotional paralysis, or even social paralysis. Joyce intentionally writes each story to highlight one aspect of Dublin he feels hinders the social construct of the city. In “The Sisters,” Joyce depicts the priest’s physical paralysis and the numbing nature it has on his life. In “Eveline,” Joyce describes the emotional paralysis Eveline felt, causing her to stay in Dublin. These two stories play a prominent role in bringing paralysis to the forefront of Dublin, but it is in “Araby” that Joyce emphasizes paralysis in Dublin. 

       The story of Araby touches on social, emotional, and physical paralysis. A young boy becomes love-struck with his neighbor’s sister and loses all sense. He promises to go to Arbay, a bazaar that comes into town rarely, just to buy her something. Prior to this interaction, Joyce reveals aspects of the little boy’s life. Joyce states, “North Richmond Street, being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brothers’ School set the boys free” (Joyce, 22). The word blind in this sentence correlates to a figurative and literal meaning. It refers to the street as a cul-de-sac or a dead-end street. Figuratively, it refers to the nature of the boy and his nativity. Later on, Joyce personifies the various houses on the street, describing them as being conscious of the lives within them. In this sense, the homes are more aware than those living there. This idea correlates with the detached feeling of those who lived in Dublin. Socially, the boy and the Irish people are paralyzed and detached because of the current nature of Dublin. 

          Emotionally, the young boy is paralyzed. He spends his time in school thinking of the young girl, daydreaming about her, and playing their encounters repeatedly in his mind. Essentially, he loses all sense about him. He is driven by vanity, not by love, causing him to be stuck in a never-ending “love time loop.” This can be connected to the disillusionment and escapism used by those in Dublin to escape the realities of their city. During Joyce’s time, Dublin was a dying organism. It was in the midst of the First World War, and there was an increase in the use of alcohol as a means to escape. This causes Dublin to be a city stuck in a paralyzing environment. Joyce is using Araby as a place for people to escape their reality and fantasize they are in a different place. 

         Furthermore, the young boy has no means or money to travel to Araby for this young girl, so he asks his uncle to borrow money for a train ride to the bazaar. His uncle agrees but is late getting home to the young boy, causing him to fret and worry about retrieving an item for the girl. This is an aspect of physical paralysis. The young boy is stuck waiting for his uncle rather than being able to go to the bazaar freely. In a sense, this correlates with the feelings of people living in Dublin, who feel like they cannot escape the city. When the young boy arrives at the bazaar, he quickly realizes that his nativity has blocked him from being able to purchase anything. Walking into the bazaar, he gives half of his money away. He enters one of the stores, hoping to find something for the young girl, but is met with rude remarks from the lady running the store. He is frozen, watching her as she counts money and conversates with the two young guys keeping her company. He completely loses focus and ends up leaving the store without anything. In this scene, the young boy is physically paralyzed because he does not fully think through finding something for the girl before promising her he would go. Joyce uses the boy’s physical paralysis to symbolize the debilitating nature of Dublin. Even though the young boy was outside of the city, he was still affected by the paralysis of Dublin. 

      Ultimately, Joyce created Dubliners to highlight the harsh reality of Dublin. Joyce viewed the city as morally corrupt and led by disillusion. The people in Dublin used means such as drinking and escapism to get away from their realities, which is symbolized throughout the stories of Dubliners. “Araby” is a perfect example of the paralysis Joyce wanted depicted in his chapters. The trifecta of paralysis!