An Encounter by James Joyce
In An Encounter by James Joyce we have the theme of escape, failure, paralysis, disaffection, poverty, disappointment, loyalty, education and coming of age. Taken from his Dubliners collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed male who is looking back on an incident from his childhood and after reading the story the reader realises that Joyce may be exploring the theme of escape and failure. Despite his desire to have an adventure or to escape from the world that he knows the narrator never actually reaches his intended destination, that being Pigeon House. Rather he ends up sitting on an embankment while an old man, considered by critics to be a pervert, tells him what he would like to do to Mahony. As to why the narrator decides to ‘mich’ from school (skip school) and set out on his adventure with Mahony is also explained to the reader very early on in the story. Driven by the stories he has read about the ‘Wild West’ and from the images he has created in his mind after reading American detective stories the narrator longs to explore the world, to have his own adventure.
Though it is very natural for any young boy to seek adventure or to escape from their everyday life it is possible that Joyce, as he has done throughout Dubliners, is placing an emphasis on the sense of paralysis that existed in Dublin for many Irish people at the time the story was written and the urgency that was felt by those who lived in Dublin (or Ireland) to escape from the realities they found themselves in. Whether Joyce is accurate or whether he is persuaded by his own personal opinion of life in Dublin is left to each individual reader to decide. However there is no doubting that there were high levels of poverty in Dublin when Joyce wrote the story which may have contributed to the disaffection that was felt at the time by those who lived in Dublin.
Joyce appears to draw on this poverty when the narrator and Mahony ‘encounter’ a group of ‘ragged girls’ and ‘two ragged boys’ as they are walking along Wharf Road. Joyce’s use of the word ‘ragged’ is important and most likely deliberate, particularly as he uses the word twice which suggests that he is attempting to emphasis the word and it is by placing an emphasis on the word that the reader senses just how different life may have been for some people who lived in Dublin at the time. It may also be important that the narrator describes the two ragged boys as being ‘too small’ to chase. Though some critics may suggest that the narrator is making reference to the boys’ age it is more likely that it is Joyce’s intention to highlight to the reader that the boys are small, not because they are younger than the narrator and Mahony but because they are possibly under feed or malnourished. Which would again suggest that there were levels of poverty in Ireland that not all Irish people, like the narrator and Mahony who are seen eating food at different stages of the story, may have encountered.
This sense of difference, particularly between how the narrator lives his life in comparison to other children his own age and who also live in Dublin, is further noticeable when the two boys previously described as ‘ragged’ come to the assistance of the group of ‘ragged’ girls after Mahony chases the girls. Not only are the two boys showing an element of loyalty to the girls but they are also differentiating themselves from the narrator and Mahony by calling them ‘swaddlers.’ Though the reader is aware (from the narrator’s education with Father Butler) that both he and Mahony are not ‘swaddlers’ or Protestants and that the boys assumption that they are, is based on Mahony’s appearance there is still some obvious differences between the four boys. Though it is also important to note that there are also some similarities between all four boys which Joyce highlights at the end of the story.
Joyce may also be attempting to criticize the Catholic Church in the story, which he also attempts to do in other stories from Dubliners. When Father Butler discovers that Dillon and some of the other boys in the class are reading a comic he tells the boys ‘I could understand if you were…National Schools boys.’ By introducing this line into the story Joyce may be highlighting the perception that existed among the Irish Catholic Hierarchy when it came to the quality of education taught to Irish children by the National Schools. At the time many within the Irish Catholic Hierarchy considered a National Schools education, which was not only State run schools but they were also not controlled by the Catholic Church, to be inferior to the education that was provided by the Catholic Church. As to why this may have been is debatable. Some critics suggest that due to the lack of influence that the Church had when it came to religious teachings in National Schools rather than taking a proactive stance towards a child’s education they were more reactive, critical or viewed unfavourably the education offered to children by the National Schools. Viewing their own educational practices and methods to be superior to those of a state sponsored education system.
The end of the story is also interesting as Joyce appears to be exploring not only the theme of disappointment but he also appears to be further exploring the theme of loyalty. As mentioned previously the narrator never completes his adventure, he never reaches Pigeon House and as such he has not only failed in his task but there is also a sense that he is disappointed with how his day has turned out. He has also, rather than experienced any sense of escape, been exposed to a more negative side of real life through his encounter with the old man who again many critics suggest is a pervert or a sexual deviant. The one saving grace in the day for the narrator and which he is thankful for is the fact that when he calls ‘Murphy’ or Mahony, Mahony comes running to him. Which in many ways is similar to the two ragged boys who came to the girls’ rescue. If anything it is possible that Joyce by having Mahony show the same loyalty that the two poorer boys showed the girls is suggesting that despite a Catholic or Jesuit based education which the narrator and Mahony have received, the reality is that children regardless of how they are educated are in essence the same. Something that the narrator may also be aware of at the end of the story when he becomes ‘penitent’ towards Mahony having previously despised him a little.
To suggest, as the reviewer does by means of parenthesis, that National School equated to Protestant education is a major misreading of the story and of contemporary Irish society.
Thanks for the comment Andrei and thank you for highlighting that error. You are absolutely right, National Schools in Ireland were (and are) not Protestant schools. Not only have I updated the post (well I’ve actually rewritten it) but I’ve also sacked the reviewer. Prior to his dismissal, his line of defense for such a reprehensible error was that he thought nobody in the whole wide world would actually read anything he had written. When further pushed on the matter he also told me that he didn’t think it was necessary to fully research things or to have any sense of accuracy as he has never had to do so before.
In light of my conversation, with what can only be described as a charlatan, I have also contacted those who educated such a villain requesting to be informed as to exactly how he obtained his qualifications, a degree in English of all things from an Irish university. I regretfully assumed that academia, particularly academia in Ireland, would have some standards that would meet my expectations as an employer, as to what an individual with an English degree could do. This does not appear to be the case and I await a response as to why an individual, educated in Ireland doesn’t know their ass from their elbow.
To ensure that this type of mistake does not occur again it is my immediate intention to personally scrutinize, forensically, all of this rogue’s reviews and rectify any inaccuracies that I may find. It is quite possible that he has not only misread this story (and contemporary Irish society) as you have highlighted but he may have also misread British, American and Canadian society too in the other stories that he has reviewed for the blog.
Only last week I had suggested to him that he should read Chekhov having received numerous inquiries from visitors to the blog as to when they might see some of his stories reviewed. Thankfully I have been spared. I dread to imagine how detrimental that particular endeavour could have been. Misreading the Irish or the British or the Americans or the Canadians is one thing but Lord knows how troublesome misreading the Russians could be.
As a token of my appreciation to you, for bringing this matter to my attention, I have put two euros in St. Anthony’s box. I would also hope that your studies of Joyce have not been negatively affected by what can only be described again as a charlatan’s interpretation of a story written by one of Ireland’s finest and most revered writers. Though I suspect you’ll be okay and will ‘ace’ any exam you have. Your comment suggests you are a well-educated individual, particularly with regard to the Irish education system and contemporary Irish society. Whereas it would seem that I had the misfortune to hire an Irishman with an Irish education who hadn’t a clue what he was talking about.
Between me and you. Is it possible that all Irish graduates are as stupid as the little rotter who I entrusted with reviewing Irish, British, American and Canadian literature or do you suggest that the problem lies with the Irish education system, or Irish academia itself? The reason I ask is because unlike yourself, I wouldn’t be too ‘à jour’ as the French might say, with contemporary Irish society.
I’m now wiping warm tea and spittle off my bifold windows. Jolly good response was that.
Thanks Tom.
I’ve always been so moved by the end of the story and puzzled by it. I thought that when the narrator sees Mahony coming back towards him, he’s relieved but also for the first time realizes that he resents and despises him. The great epiphany found in almost every ‘Dubliners’ story. I thought the ending was also about the strange ambivalence children carry with them in the school friendships. Your analysis on loyalty helps make this clearer.
I would agree with you. Each story in the collection appears to have an epiphany or moment of realisation.