The Sisters, By James Joyce (1914)
Yuna Song
Rating: 6.5/10
"The sisters" gives off an ambiguous and abstract image throughout the story.
Even if I couldn't understand exactly what the author meant to say, I felt like the death of Father Flynn and the reaction of the characters towards it has well-implied the Irish culture and problem of the Irish period of time.
Mysterious description about Father Flynn's death, paralysis of not only father Flynn but also actions after his death in church, kind of foolishness of sisters understanding Father Flynn's madness as God's punishment for him having broken the chalice, and a whole bunch of dot dot dots, representing indirect communication could all have shown the characteristic of Ireland that James Joyce wanted to reveal. And perhaps it was more meaningful in this story by setting a young boy as a narrator, allowing vague but still pure and instinctive description.
What was disappointing about this story was that the range of the interpretations possible was too broad that the theme author wanted to convey could be blurred in the process of interpretation. However, maybe the heavy, gloomy, and mysterious mood of the entire story itself may have been the message that James Joyce has concealed. (196 words)
Exacty. You nail down the elements of this strange story excellently and Ireland as a whole is being packed into the death of this strange priest who is unable to understand was never understood. The boy is representative of Joyce's relationship with Irelend and the church, and it sets up the rest of the book well. Great work and you clearly understand the nuances of Joyce already.
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