Noor Ul Ain

Roll no. 13

An Encounter by James Joyce

MCQs
1) In "An Encounter," what do the boys surreptitiously bring to school to share with
each other?
a) Liquor
b) Adventure magazines
c) Inappropriate things
d) Tabaco
2) In “An Encounter” what is the pigeon house?
a) A bird sanctuary
b) A power station
c) A pub
d) A brothel
3) When the narrator of “An Encounter” walks through North Dublin, he and Mahony
are insulted by boys who think they are
a) Protestants
b) Catholics
c) Thieves
d) Sinners
4) In “An Encounter” the old man who approaches the narrator and his friend
surprises them by asking if they have
a) A match
b) A dollar
c) A map
d) Girlfriends
5) What fake name does the narrator of “An Encounter” use to call his friend at the
end of the story?
a) McFadden
b) Mahoney
c) Murphy
d) McCann
6) Mahony speak of Father Butler as
a) Old Fella
b) Old Bunser
c) Old Retard
d) Old Basterd
7) What was the thing which the narrator looking in the foreign sailors?
a) Outfits
b) Green eyes
c) Ridiculous Mustache
d) Hair
8) According to the old man what is the happiest time of one’s life?
a) As a toddler
b) As a school boy
c) As a college student
d) As a job holder
9) Which of the following author is not asked by the old man?
a) Shakespeare
b) Thomas Moore
c) Walter Scott
d) Lord Lytton
10) What was the fake name which the narrator decided for himself?
a) Charles
b) Edward
c) Smith
d) Jacob
11) By the talk of the old man, which thing does the old man seem to be obsessed by?
a) Sweethearts
b) Whipping boys
c) Vulgar talk
d) Literature
12) The narrator of “An Encounter” plays hooky from school in hopes of traveling
where?
a) The Dublin market
b) The pigeon house
c) The race track
d) The shore of the river Liffey
13) Joe Dillon introduces the boys to
a) The Wild West
b) Buddhism
c) Necrophilia
d) Drugs
14) The boy narrator could best be described as
a) Intelligent and Malicious
b) Dumb and Gentle
 c) Intelligent and Gentle
d) Dumb and Malicious
15) The skipping of school done by boys represents
a) Escape from monotonous Routine
b) Escape from the hard work
c) Discovering the world
d) To become rebellious
16) What was the amount of money did each boy decide to give?
a) 6 euros
b) 6 dollars
c) 6 pence
d) 6 pounds

Short Qs
1) Why does the child narrator of "An Encounter" in Dubliners decide to skip school?
The child narrator of "An Encounter" is driven by a number of seemingly contradictory
motivating factors. He has been impressed by an older boy, Joe Dillon, who had "a little library"
of Wild West books, but he is also intimidated by the rough way in which he plays. He admits
that he, like some of the other boys, is motivated largely by a fear of what others will think of
him if he does not participate in such games. These fears are confirmed when their school
teacher, Father Butler, catches Joe's little brother, Leo, with some reading material from Joe's
library. Everyone is shamed by Leo's berating, but over time, the narrator "began to hunger
again for wild sensations."
2) How does their day out meet the boys' hopes, and how does it disappoint them in "An
Encounter" in Dubliners?
They are free of rules and move about unimpeded through the city. They get to see interesting
things, such as a Norwegian ship and its crew, but the narrator is disappointed that the men do
not conform to type which is to be tall and blond with green eyes; instead, they have a variety
of eye colors. They meet people from other cultures on the ferry ride across the river. The boys
also get to eat the things they want. The day reads like a young boy's fantasy come true.
Unfortunately, they also discover that their plan was too ambitious; the Pigeon House is too far
for them to reach on a hot day. Leo does not even bother to show. These minor
disappointments culminate in the encounter with the old man, of course, because this
encounter is not at all the type of adventure they had in mind.
3) What does the child narrator find most threatening about the old man in "An Encounter"
in Dubliners?
When the old man first sits down with the child narrator and Mahony, they think he is a bit
strange, even creepy. The narrator only becomes nervous when Mahony leaves him alone with
the man. At this point, the man also talks at length about whipping young boys, which is
threatening on two levels. It expresses thoughts the boys might take as perverse, because the
man seems to find some pleasure in the idea of punishing boys. On a practical level, it also
means these boys in the field might receive a beating; as truants, they are precisely the kind of
boys the man thinks deserve a whipping. Only when the man's words represent a direct and
present threat to them do they feel threatened enough to make them want to leave.
4) In “An Encounter” how the author develops the theme?
In the story, Joyce develops the theme in the form of an inner monologue – the thoughts of the
protagonist dictating how his “Wild West'” adventures “opened doors of escape”. The thought
processes of the boy (relating to escape) are ultimately what drive the tale, quietly conveyed by
Joyce through subtle details.
5) What does the title “An Encounter” refer to?
Joyce’s title, ‘An Encounter’, obviously refers to the conversation the two boys have with the
older man towards the end of the story. It can also be seen as a meet between childhood and
maturity where the purity and expectations of the young boys encounter a world less pure, safe
and harmonious. It is a stage in which they face the true meanings of a mature world and begin
to understand the maturity.
6) What are some hints about the old man which seem to be unpleasant?
First, the fact that when he mentions the books of Lytton which boys couldn’t read.’ Not
because they are too difficult for a boy to understand, but because they address more adult
themes. Second, that the old man seems very interested in the love lives of the two boys. Third,
and most damningly, there is the behavior of the man when he leaves the boys for a few
moments and do what is not clearly mentioned. 
7) How can “An Encounter” be called a coming-of-age story?
The fantasy of being Wild West-type figures draws the boys out into the larger world, but then
they become disappointed when greater Dublin is merely itself: a bustling city that by its nature
will not allow the boys to the center of attention, a bastion of real, everyday life where the Wild
West ambitions of two kids about the grounded reality of everyday adult life. In this sense, it’s a
coming-of-age story.
8) What are the possible themes of the story “An Encounter”?
Some of the visible themes of the story are
Paralysis: Present in the thoughts of the protagonist dictating how his “Wild West'”
adventures “opened doors of escape”. 
Commitment: Visible in the character of Mahony who comes to escape with the narrator
and also when the narrator runs away from the old man Mahony does not leave him alone.
Escape: Boys’ escape from a monotonous routine of going to school by miching the school
and wander in the city.
Disappointment: Faced by the narrator that the world he thinks about is not same and the
adventure he dreamt about cannot be fulfilled in this harsh world.
Religion & Education: Father Butler’s emphasis on religion and education. Insult of narrator
and Mahony by other boys who think they are Protestants.
Poverty: It is visible by the mention of “ragged boys”.