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Ruth on Hi Roopesh, thanks for the intro to An Encounter. I agree with you, this story seems more complex than the first two, and it seems difficult to know what Joyce is focussing on...I'm afraid to say that yet again I read it 'sexually-textually': it seemed to me a description of adolescent sexual awakening, and confusion. Firstly, though, I thought that there were elements that linked it to the other two stories we've discussed so far. In playing at 'Indians', we can see alienation and Orientalism slipping in (even though these aren't by name the same as 'East' Indians); I wonder if it is a reflection of Irish/British hostility, which is something that I saw at the end Araby, with the inclusion of the English accents so unwelcoming to the protagonist. In this story, I wondered if 'The Union Jack' (British flag) was symbolic of such tensions? Later, Joyce mentions Mahoney's dark complexion, and the fact that they are believed to be Protestants. But, whilst playing at the Wild West, the protagonist of this story prefers the American detective story in which beautiful girls make an appearance. But sexual satisfaction is a long way off, and the build up of tension which the boy feels can only lead to masturbation...The summer holidays, he says, were near at hand, and yet he can't wait for that. An Encounter is itself a tale of deferred pleasure - they never reach the pigeon house. Roopesh, you wrote that the man's sexuality was disturbing, and that his actions disturb the boy: I think that this is a representation of the boy's own sexuality, as yet not resolute. In the background, Mahoney attacks the cat: female, apart from the more vulgar sexual symbolism, which I for once will not go into;) So, possibly, the protagonist fears his own possible homosexuality (I'm not suggesting that he is; just that it is a confusing part of his sexual development): he dislikes the words in the man's mouth when he suggests that all boys have sweethearts; maybe he resents his own lack of 'tottie'...finally, he is 'surprised' by his own arousal, something vaguely hinted at, as the man's masturbation is, in: 'I stood up abruptly. Lest I should betray my agitation I delayed a few moments, pretending to fix my shoe properly'. So, that is my initial reading. As someone mentioned I think during Araby, Joyce seems to build up through a whole tale to a profound last line; hence, I think much hinges on that in this case. The question is, 'what'?? |
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