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The Ragged Boys and Girls
Father Butler is one of the teachers at the narrator’s Catholic school. Mahony calls Father Butler “Bunsen Burner” because he is so quick to anger. Indeed, when he catches Leo Dillon with a copy of The Halfpenny Marvel one day during Latin translation, he confiscates the magazine and admonishes Leo for reading it instead of his Roman History. He then tells the boys that the author probably just writes to support his drinking habit and that the story is better suited for boys at National Schools—schools established by the British to educate Irish children, Catholic and Protestant, that was widely thought to have been the driving force behind the near-extinction of the Irish language and the overall Anglicization of the Irish people. Father Butler represents a certain kind of man and Catholic Irishness, with a focus on strict authority and rigorous intellectualism that is at the same time connected to a lack of mercy or caring.
Father Butler Quotes in An Encounter
The An Encounter quotes below are all either spoken by Father Butler or refer to Father Butler. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
An Encounter
Quotes
Everyone’s heart palpitated as Leo Dillon handed up the paper and everyone assumed an innocent face. Father Butler turned over the pages, frowning.
“What is this rubbish?” he said. “The Apache Chief! Is this what you read instead of studying your Roman History? Let me not find any more of this wretched stuff in this college. The man who wrote it, I suppose, was some wretched scribbler that writes these things for a drink. I’m surprised at boys like you, educated, reading such stuff. I could understand it if you were… National School boys. Now, Dillon, I advise you strongly, get at your work or…”
This rebuke during the sober hours of school paled much of the glory of the Wild West for me and the confused puffy face of Leo Dillon awakened one of my consciences.
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With Leo Dillon and a boy named Mahony I planned a day’s miching. Each of us saved up sixpence. We were to meet at ten in the morning on the Canal Bridge…We arranged to go along the Wharf Road until we came to the ships, then to cross in the ferryboat and walk out to see the Pigeon House. Leo Dillon was afraid we might meet Father Butler or someone out of the college; but Mahony asked, very sensibly, what would Father Butler be doing out at the Pigeon House.
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Father Butler Quotes in An Encounter
The An Encounter quotes below are all either spoken by Father Butler or refer to Father Butler. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
An Encounter
Quotes
Everyone’s heart palpitated as Leo Dillon handed up the paper and everyone assumed an innocent face. Father Butler turned over the pages, frowning.
“What is this rubbish?” he said. “The Apache Chief! Is this what you read instead of studying your Roman History? Let me not find any more of this wretched stuff in this college. The man who wrote it, I suppose, was some wretched scribbler that writes these things for a drink. I’m surprised at boys like you, educated, reading such stuff. I could understand it if you were… National School boys. Now, Dillon, I advise you strongly, get at your work or…”
This rebuke during the sober hours of school paled much of the glory of the Wild West for me and the confused puffy face of Leo Dillon awakened one of my consciences.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
With Leo Dillon and a boy named Mahony I planned a day’s miching. Each of us saved up sixpence. We were to meet at ten in the morning on the Canal Bridge…We arranged to go along the Wharf Road until we came to the ships, then to cross in the ferryboat and walk out to see the Pigeon House. Leo Dillon was afraid we might meet Father Butler or someone out of the college; but Mahony asked, very sensibly, what would Father Butler be doing out at the Pigeon House.
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