The dictionary defines "epiphany" as "A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization; a sudden realization." In Dubliners by James Joyce, the author examines the lives of various people across the seemingly dark and emotionally oppressive city of Dublin, Ireland. In three of the stories, The Dead, An Encounter, and Clay, three main characters experience a revelation, or epiphany at some point in their lives, which makes them realize something they had never seen before, all the while the city of Dublin itself creates a bleak background for the stories to take place.
The city of Dublin in each story is seen as a sort of oppressive element to the characters lives, therefore casting a dark and gloomy tone on each of the stories except for perhaps, The Dead which portrays a Dublin home as not prosperous, but comfortable nonetheless, but a few people create uneasiness in the main character's life and stability. In An Encounter, however, a priest in a Dublin school is horrified when a boy is found reading a western story of adventure, which portrays Dublin as oppressive to imagination. The young men who ignored Maria in the tram on her way to Joe's show Dublin as unappreciative, and downright cruel to people who are different, and the lady behind the counter who pushed Maria into buying something quickly showed the impatience of the city. Dublin itself created a dreary and oppressive tone for the book, which gives each story something to feel uneasy about.
The use of epiphanies in Joyce's stories in Dubliners is apparent, and is the driving element in each story. In The Dead, the main character, Gabriel sees himself as a successful and happily married family man, who can seem a little smug at times. During a dinner party at his Aunt Julia and Aunt Kate's home in Dublin, he is in a cheerful mood to begin with, but as soon as he speaks with Lily, his mood is shaken.
