Dubliners Lesson Plan

Does Joyce pathologize any of the behaviors in these stories? If so, how does he create a distinction between pathological and non-pathological behavior?

There are some cases in these stories where characters' behaviors are clearly in line with our contemporary understanding of mental illness, most notably the Farrington's alcoholism and subsequent physical abuse of his son in "Counterparts." Students can address when and whether it becomes clear to them that Farrington's behavior is indicative of addiction or other mental illness. They can also think about other cases which may be less clear in these stories. On the spectrum of abuse, students can consider whether Little...