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The unnamed narrator of “The Sisters” is the first protagonist in Dubliners and one of only three narrators who speak in first person. Joyce’s use of first-person narration in “The Sisters” is curious. First-person narration situates the reader in the protagonist’s mind. As a result, one would assume that the reader would have access to all of the narrator’s memories and opinions. Instead, the narrator keeps the reader at a distance and we end the story with less information than one would typically expect. The narrator likely keeps the reader at arm’s length because he does not understand the unfolding events any more than we do. He simply does not know what to think about Father Flynn or his passing and he is unable to find his footing in this new uncharted territory. Instead of giving us facts, the narrator gives us feelings. The reader does not understand the full nature of the narrator and Father Flynn’s relationship but they can feel both the narrator’s unease when he thinks of Father Flynn and his sense of freedom after Father Flynn’s death. As a result, the narrator forces the reader to draw their own conclusions for him because he is unable to do it himself.
