Dubliners
The Sisters

The Sisters: Summary

"The Sisters" is the opening story in Joyce's  "Dubliners," published in 1914.

The story is about the death of a catholic priest named Father Flynn. The narrating child observes the reactions and discussion surrounding his death, and remembers his interactions with the deceased priest. The priest's decline and death are seemingly associated with a broken chalice event.

Below is a curated list of books and introductory articles on "The Sisters" for further reading and deeper understanding.

Overview

"The Sisters" is a coming-of-age story set in Dublin, which revolves around mortality, corruption, and a loss of innocence.

The main character is an unnamed boy who is trying to come to terms with the death of his mentor, Father Flynn. The boy grapples with the information about Father Flynn's loneliness and declining mental health before his demise. Old Cotter, a family friend, insinuates that the dead priest's behaviours were supposedly 'uncanny', while Flynn's sisters believed that his paranoia stemmed from an accident with a chalice.

The boy finds himself conflicted between Old Cotter's suspicions, the sisters' faith in the late priest, and his experiences with Flynn.

The story is wrought with allusions to paralysis and death symbolizing a moral and spiritual stagnation, a common theme in James Joyce's "Dubliners" collection. Characters skirt around discussing the implications of these subjects, thus exhibiting their inability to clearly express harsh realities and truths. The resolution arrives subtly, leaving readers with an unnerving perspective on the characters' denial and avoidance.

Characters

Character Description
Unnamed Boy (Narrator) The protagonist of the story, whose name is never revealed. He is a thoughtful and introspective young boy who reflects on his relationship with Father Flynn and the meaning of death.
Father James Flynn A deceased priest who mentored the boy in religious matters. Revealed to have suffered from mental health issues. His relationship with the boy implies some moral ambiguity.
Old Cotter A family friend who suggests that Father Flynn's relationship with the boy was questionable and that Flynn was "peculiar".
Aunt and Uncle The boy's guardians, who exhibit no particular viewpoint, offering general sympathies upon news of Father Flynn's death.
Eliza and Nannie Father Flynn's sisters who paint a rosier picture of the priest, attributing his demise to his dedication to duty, while suggesting a traumatic event accelerated his decline.

Analysis

In "The Sisters," James Joyce explores themes of paralysis, death, religion, and the loss of innocence. Death is depicted beyond physical demise; it symbolizes stagnation and moral decay, an idea bolstered by the imagery of paralysis. Father Flynn's death seems to free the boy from a potentially corruptive influence, hinting at the disillusionment with the Catholic church that's central to many of Joyce's works.

The young narrator's constant grappling with Father Flynn's death and the fragmented information he receives reflects his loss of innocence. It's through these conversations, innuendos and partial reflections that we glimpse the darker undertones of Dublin society, such as secrecy, stagnation, and paralysis.

The central epiphany comes to the boy as he grapples with Flynn's death, feeling a "sensation of freedom" while struggling with guilt, apprehension, and confusion. His view on death also comes into sharper focus, as does his emerging scepticism towards the institution of the Church that Flynn represented while alive. The story thus serves as an eloquent exploration of shifts in perspective triggered by confrontations with mortality and fallibility.

Check out my essays on the  Dubliners: Essays page, where I have a closer look on the theme of paralysis and the relationship between Father Flynn and the boy.

asking me questions

What is the short story "The Sisters" about?

"The Sisters" is about a young boy's reflections on the death of a parish priest, Father Flynn, and his interactions with the priest's two sisters. It explores themes of mortality and spiritual paralysis.

What is the main theme of "The Sisters"?

James Joyce centred the story around the mysteries of life, death, and the complexities of human relationships. It examines how characters in the story are trapped in various forms of paralysis, reflecting the broader theme of stagnation in Dublin society. In particular, it also explores the theme of spiritual paralysis of the priest and the awakening of the protagonist to the realities of adulthood.

What is the epiphany in "The Sisters"?

The epiphany in "The Sisters" is the moment when the young boy, the story's narrator, begins to understand the complexities of life and death. It represents a sudden realization or awakening, a common motif in Joyce's works.

Bibliography for Dubliners —
The Sisters

Author Title Type
Albert, Leonard. "Gnomonology: Joyce's 'The Sisters'," in: JJQ 27 (Winter 1990), p. Article
Benstock, Bernard. "'The Sisters' and the Critics," in: JJQ 4.1 (Fall 1966), p.32-35 Article
Bogle, Bob R. The Secret Gnomonclature of James Joyce's 'The Sisters' Revisited. Kindle edition 2014. Amazon
Bremen, Brian A. "'He Was Too Scrupulous Always' A Re-Examination of Joyce's 'The Sisters'," in: JJQ 22.1 (Fall 1984), p.55-66 Article
Chadwick, Joseph. "Silence in 'The Sisters'," in: JJQ 21.3 (Spring 1984), p. 245-255. Article
Cronin, Edward J. "James Joyce's Trilogy and Epilogue: 'The Sisters,' 'An Encounter,' 'Araby,' and 'The Dead'," in: Renascence: Essays on Value in Literature 31 (1979), p. 229-48. Article
Doherty, Gerald. "The Art of Confessing: Silence and Secrecy in James Joyce's 'The Sisters'," in: JJQ 35.4/36.1 (Summer/Fall 1998), p.657-664. Article
Fischer, Therese. "From Reliable to Unreliable Narrator: Rhetorical Change in Joyce's 'The Sisters'," in: JJQ 9.1 (Fall 1971), p.85-92. Article
Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for James Joyce's 'The Sisters'. Farmington Hills, 2016. Amazon
Kennedy, Eileen. "'Lying Still': Another Look at 'The Sisters'," in: JJQ 12 (Summer 1975), p.363 Article
Lachtman, Howard. "The Magic-Lantern Business: James Joyce's Ecclesiastical Satire in 'Dubliners'," in: JJQ 7 (Winter 1966), p.82-92. Article
Lyons, J.B. "Animadversions on Paralysis as a Symbol in 'The Sisters'," in: JJQ 1 (Spring 1974), p.257-265. Article
McArthur, Murray. "'The Index Nothing Affirmeth': The Semiotic Formation of a Literary Mandate in James Joyce’s 'The Sisters" JJQ 45 (2008), p.245-262. Article
Morissey, L. J. "Joyce's Revision of 'The Sisters': From Epicleti to Modern Fiction," in: JJQ 24.1 (1986), p.33-54. Article
Robinson, David W. "The Narration of Reading in Joyce's 'The Sisters,' 'An Encounter,' and 'Araby'," in: Texas Studies in Literature and Language 29.4 (1987), p.377-396. Article
Senn, Fritz. "'He Was Too Scrupulous Always' Joyce's 'The Sisters,'" in: JJQ 2.2 (Winter 1965), p.66-72. Article
Spielberg, Peter. "'The Sisters': No Christ at Bethany," in: JJQ 3.3 (Spring 1966), p.192-195. Article
Suzuki, Takashi. "'Why Is 'The Sisters' Entitled 'The Sisters'?," in: Joycean Japan 10 (1999), p.77-82. Article
Torchiana, Donald T. "The Opening of 'Dubliners': A Reconsideration," in: Irish University Review 1 (Spring 1971), p.149-160. Article
Waisbren, B.A. / Walzl, F.L. "Paresis and the priest. James Joyce's symbolic use of syphilis in 'The Sisters'," in: Annals of Internal Medicine 80.6 (1974), p.758-762. Article
Walzl, Florence L. "Joyce's 'The Sisters': A Development," in: JJQ 10.4 (1973), p.375-421. Article
Walzl, Florence L. "The Life Chronolgy of 'Dubliners'," in: JJQ 14.4 (Summer 1973), p.408-415. Article
Walzl, Florence L. "The Liturgy of the Epiphany Season and the Epiphanies of Joyce," in: PMLA 90 (September 1965), p. Article
Walzl, Florence L. "'Dubliners'," in: A Companion To Joyce Studies. Ed. Zack Bowen, James F. Carens. Westport, Conneticut 1984, p.157-228. Article
West, Michael. "Old Cotter and the Enigma of Joyce's 'The Sisters'," in: Modern Philology 67.4 (1970), p.370-372. Article
Wohlpart, A. J. "Laughing in the Confession Box: Vows of Silence in Joyce's 'The Sisters'," in: JJQ 30.3 (1993), p.409. Article