Upon reading James Joyce's first few stories this week, I was some drawn into the dark, troubled times of Ireland that he seemed to cleverly incorporate into all of his works. The slight nod to a seemingly trying time period gave it a distinctive jolt to my attention. The first story, "The Sisters," consisted of a predominant theme involving the death of a priest, with a twist of mystery. What were the intentions of this crooked priest? Nothing in Joyce's works are unintentional, I can't help but wonder the reason behind this queer character. The second story, "The Encounter", was a showcase of Ireland's dire need of change, and we as human beings, to this day, are stuck in our unwavering routines. In the third story, "Araby", the symbols used to represent "coming of age" were unique. At the end, the boy goes through a discrete, but very life-altering experience. The story was very dark, as is all of these short stories in the collection. In "Eveline", she had a gateway to freedom, and she turned it down with no excuse but unfinished business. In conclusion, each individual short story by James Joyce has a dark, twisted storyline with a clear cut point.