Dubliners Family Quotes
How we cite our quotes: (Story.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The children—two girls and a boy, conscious of their father's helplessness and of their mother's absence, began some horseplay with him. He was surprised at their manners and at their accents and his brow grew thoughtful. (Grace.49)
Mr Cunningham seems like one of the only people in Dubliners who thinks about helping the children. He's certainly the only one in "Grace" who pays any attention to them.
Quote #2
Mr Holohan pointed desperately towards the hall where the audience was clapping and stamping. He appealed to Mr Kearney and to Kathleen. But Mr Kearney continued to stroke his beard and Kathleen looked down, moving the point of her new shoe: it was not her fault. Mrs Kearney repeated:
"She won't go on without her money." (A Mother.52-53)
Just like the narrators of "An Encounter" and "Araby," here's another child whose experience of shame makes it into Dubliners. It's amazing just how much poor Kathleen's life is impacted by her mother's crappy decisions.
Quote #3
"Only I'm an old man now I'd change his tune for him. I'd take the stick to his back and beat him while I could stand over him—as I done many a time before. The mother, you know, she cocks him up with this and that." (Ivy Day in the Committee Room.13)
This is a pretty dysfunctional dynamic, as far as we're concerned. The father wishes he could still beat his (drunkard of a) son, and blames his mother for giving him ideas.
Quote #4
His arms trembled with anger and suddenly bending to the child's face he shouted:
"Stop!"
The child stopped for an instant, had a spasm of fright and began to scream. (A Little Cloud.113-15)
It's a significant irony of Dubliners that a character as paralyzed in his life as Little Chandler also tries to make his infant son "stop" doing what is normal for a child. This is one more piece of evidence that paralysis is contagious. Oh, and it's really bad parenting to boot.
Quote #5
"I'll teach you to let the fire out!" he said rolling up his sleeve in order to give his arm free play.
[…]
The boy uttered a squeal of pain as the stick cut his thigh. He clasped his hands together in the air and his voice shook with fright. (Counterparts.76, 79)
Besides Mr Kearney's injury at the beginning of "Grace," which technically happens just before the story starts, this is the only act of violence in Dubliners. And it's hard to read, isn't it? It would be easy to write Farrington off as the villain of the collection, but he's not the only one with abusive tendencies. In his case, we get to see what leads to them—namely, alcohol.
Quote #6
The man sat down heavily on one of the chairs while the little boy lit the lamp. He began to mimic his son's flat accent, saying half to himself: At the chapel. At the chapel, if you please! When the lamp was lit he banged his fist on the table and shouted:
"What's for my dinner?" (Counterparts.70-71)
The role reversal shows just how messed up this is: insults and whining from the father, and cooking and housework for the little boy.
Quote #7
But the family would look down on her. First of all there was her disreputable father and then her mother's boarding house was beginning to get a certain fame. (The Boarding House.12)
Mr Doran says this is one reason that he shouldn't marry Polly, but maybe her broken home played a role in making her so eager to have an affair with him in the first place. Mr Doran is Polly's way out. But Polly's a trap for Mr Doran.
Quote #8
At nine o'clock I heard my uncle's latchkey in the halldoor. I heard him talking to himself and heard the hallstand rocking when it had received the weight of his overcoat. I could interpret these signs. When he was midway through his dinner I asked him to give me the money to go to the bazaar. He had forgotten. (Araby.19)
This is the Dublin equivalent of Dad forgetting to take Junior to his little league all-star game. It's unacceptable. And totally heartbreaking for the reader to watch.
Quote #9
"It's bad for children," said old Cotter, because their minds are so impressionable. When children see things like that, you know, it has an effect […]"
I crammed my mouth with stirabout for fear I might give utterance to my anger. Tiresome old red-nosed imbecile! (The Sisters.24-25).
Gotta love it when the annoying family friend butts in to your business. Good thing there's all-you-can-eat stirabout, so you can pretend to chew while you actually stew.