The purpose of this research is to examine the theme of paralysis - spiritual, social and economic - in James Joyce's collection of short stories entitled Dubliners. It will compare and contrast this theme as it appears in three of the stories: "The Sisters," "Eveline" and "Grace."
In "The Sisters," spiritual paralysis is symbolized by the character of the old, infirm priest. A priest who has broken a chalice, gone mad and as a result died. Here is the symbol of the Catholic Church, in a devotedly Catholic country, in which the church represents the highest order of moral authority, reduced, as we discover at the end of the story, to sitting in a dark confession-box laughing out loud to himself.
We see and learn about the priest's activities through the eyes of Joyce's young male protagonist, who while he was alive, supplied the priest with his snuff and was assiduously tutored in the languages and rituals of the church. The protagonist describes him as he was living in his tiny, dark room behind an umbrella shop:
Even as he raised his large trembling hand to his
nose little clouds of smoke dribbled thru his
fingers over the front of his coat . . . which gave
his ancient priestly garments their green faded look.
. . . When he smiled he used to uncover his big dis-
closed teeth and let his tongue lie upon his lower lip.
Here then is Joyce's portrait of ecclesiastical authority who has had an ambiguous relationship with the young child; who is at the same time both attracted and repulsed by the priest and what he represents.
As the young narrator gazes up at the window in the opening page where the priest lies dying he says the word paralysis to himself and describes the affect it has on him:
. . . it sounded to me like the name of some male-
ficent and sinful being. It filled me with fear,
and yet I longed to be nearer to it and to look
And the paralytic priest appea...