A Priest’s Death: An Examination Of Uncanny Elements In James Joyce’s "The Sisters"

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as if the news had not interested me…I felt that his [Cotter’s] little black beady eyes were examining me, but I would not satisfy him by looking up from my plate (10).
Seemingly unwilling to accept the news on face value, he goes to see the for himself the following day. After seeing the death notice on the door, the narrator is "persuaded that he was dead" (12).
The boy’s apparent relief at the news of the priest’s death lends to an interpretation that their relationship may have been more than just that of mentor and student. It is hard not to feel that there was a current of sexual interest on the part of the old priest toward the boy and that the boy is, at least subliminally, aware of this. Reflecting on his relationship with the man, the narrator says "[he] let his tongue lie upon his lower lip – a habit which had made me feel uneasy in the beginning of our acquaintance" (13). The boy clearly recognizes Father Flynn’s advancements and is frightened by them. This ...

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