James Joyce's 'An Encounter'

Typical of the youth of early twentieth century Ireland, the boy in this story lacks the independence and the freedom needed to find adventure. His life is basically constructed for him and if ever he steps off track he would have to answer to not only his parents, but also his school and community. In this sense the young boy symbolizes this Irish community who all fear doing the things they want because of their community’s reaction. Fearful of the consequences,

The young boy of “An Encounter” ends they day he had hoped to be adventurous and reassuring, in disappointment for he had sadly found that the reality of Dublin was like the old man, unsafe, perverted, and cruel. The young boy’s failed expectations relate to the expectations of the Dubliners who at that point in time still believed that Dublin is a nice Catholic community, loyal to England without problems of alcoholism and poverty. Joyce uses this parable to inform Dubliners that unlike their false illusions, there are many problems with Dublin, as the young boy finds in “An Encounter” and no matter how much they would like to deny these problems, they are unable to, just as the young boy would not be able to deny that the man’s eyes were green.

The Pigionhouse Fort is religiously symbolic, “…the house of the Dove, the house of the father” (218, Magalaner and Kain), which Joyce most likely used to show the holiness which could not be attained. In another aspect, the boys could be traveling to the Pigeonhouse Fort as refuge from there constricting lives. This structure, before it was a fort, was a “watch house and a place of refuge for such as were forced to land by stress of weather” (217 Magalaner and Kain). The stress of weather could symbolize the stress of Dublin’s situation and society. The hope of seeing green eyed sailors in this story are symbolic of finding Irishmen who are cultured and could tell him of traveling around the around the world, a thing of which the boy is highly envious. His hopeful dreams of adventure mislead him to believe that all of Dublin is just like Joe Dillon’s back garden, a place where he could have fun, worrying only about who will become the hero and win the Indian battle. The young boy, unaware of what the world away from his home is capable of, believes that he will take part in a harmless adventure and return home with having been to the Pigeonhouse Fort and having seen the men of Ireland, who live adventurous lives.

he has no real experience with the world around him, no real experience in his city of Dublin. Craving adventure, the boy creates a fictitious Apache life with his friend Leo Dillon. This is an escape from his weary routine, in which it seems religion is something he is merely born with and school is like a job he is forced to do. This highly relates to the society of Dublin at this point in history. To escape the blan

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