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Abuse of Authority
Joyce establishes two important details early in the text: Father Flynn was not a good man, and he had an intimate relationship with the young boy who narrates the text. The former piece of information complicates the latter. It is normal for older figures of authority to instruct and take interest in the young. However, this dynamic can shift from benevolent to sinister if there are ulterior motives at play. As “The Sisters” progresses, it becomes increasingly apparent that Father Flynn’s relationship with the narrator was inappropriate—even though the reader never fully learns the extent of their mysterious dynamic. At the very least, Father Flynn asserted his religious and intellectual control over the narrator with no other adults present to intervene or regulate the situation. Through the relationship between Father Flynn and the narrator, Joyce comments on people in positions of power who abuse their authority by taking advantage of the vulnerable. This theme is solidified towards the beginning of the text when Old Cotter says that he would never allow his own children to have such an intimate relationship with Father Flynn. He thinks that such a relationship is not healthy because children’s minds are “impressionable” which causes them to internalize improper conduct.
Religious Corruption
References to priests, religious beliefs, and spiritual experiences appear throughout the stories in Dubliners which ultimately paints an unflattering portrait of Catholicism and religion in general—a trend that begins with Dubliners’ first short story. “The Sisters” centers around a recently deceased priest whose deteriorating mental state and grotesque, paralyzed body can be interpreted as physical manifestations of his corrupt nature. “The Sisters” is littered with references to religious corruption. Father Flynn drops the chalice, he stains his clerical robes with snuff, it is implied that he allows people to pay him to absolve their sins, and his sisters attribute his mental and physical demise to the strains of clerical life. Most revealingly, Father Flynn went mad within the confines of the church itself. “The Sisters” ends with Eliza Flynn saying that two other priests discovered her brother laughing to himself alone in a confession booth and it was then that they all realized that he was truly sick. All of these instances link religion with malfeasance. “The Sisters” marks religion’s first appearance as a haunting but incompetent and dangerous component of Dublin life, a theme that will persist throughout Dubliners as well as Joyce’s other works.
Religious Education vs. Life Experience
Towards the beginning of the text, the narrator’s aunt and uncle and Old Cotter have an extended discussion on whether it is better to have a formal education or real life experiences. In more colloquial terms, they are debating the merits of book smarts vs. street smarts. The narrator’s aunt is in favor of the former whereas the two men are in favor of the latter. The aunt is pleased that Father Flynn had taken such an interest in her nephew’s education. The men, however, think that young boys really need exercise and to “learn to box [their] corner.” While not fully committing one way or the other, Joyce appears to side with the men for one key reason: the narrator’s formal education is of a religious nature and Dubliners is highly critical of the church. Joyce highlights his opinion towards the middle of the text when the narrator reflects on the many lessons that Father Flynn gave him. The young narrator characterizes these lessons as interesting but confusing. For example, the narrator says that Father Flynn taught him how “complex and mysterious” certain institutions of the Church were which “[he] had always regarded as the simplest acts.” Father Flynn’s teaching style appears to complicate issues rather than clarify them. As a result, Joyce implies that a formal religious education is ineffectual and does not assist people during their coming-of-age journeys.
