An Encounter

by

James Joyce

Mr and Mrs Dillon Character Analysis

Mr and Mrs Dillon are Joe and Leo Dillon’s parents. The narrator notes that Mr and Mrs Dillon piously attend eight o’clock mass every morning—an unusual amount of religious devotion even in late-19th-century Dublin—on Gardiner Street. To a reader who knows Dublin well, the detail that they go to Gardiner Street for mass communicates that the Dillons go to a Jesuit church (the Jesuits are an order of Catholics unique in their piety and in their social and intellectual pursuits). Attending a Jesuit church suggests that the Dillons may not only be going to be pious, but also to seek upward social mobility.

Mr and Mrs Dillon Quotes in An Encounter

The An Encounter quotes below are all either spoken by Mr and Mrs Dillon or refer to Mr and Mrs Dillon. 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:
The Hero’s Journey and Disappointment Theme Icon
).
An Encounter Quotes

His parents went to eight-o’clock mass every morning in Gardiner Street and the peaceful odour of Mrs Dillon was prevalent in the hall of the house.

Related Characters: The narrator (speaker), Joe Dillon, Mr and Mrs Dillon
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mr and Mrs Dillon Quotes in An Encounter

The An Encounter quotes below are all either spoken by Mr and Mrs Dillon or refer to Mr and Mrs Dillon. 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:
The Hero’s Journey and Disappointment Theme Icon
).
An Encounter Quotes

His parents went to eight-o’clock mass every morning in Gardiner Street and the peaceful odour of Mrs Dillon was prevalent in the hall of the house.

Related Characters: The narrator (speaker), Joe Dillon, Mr and Mrs Dillon
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis: