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Ben Burton
One of Gar’s former grade school teachers, Master Boyle used to date Gar’s mother Maire before she married his father S.B. Many people in the community speculate that the dissolution of Master Boyle and Maire’s relationship is what drove Boyle to drinking, since he’s now an alcoholic. When he visits the O’Donnell household on Gar’s last night in Ballybeg, he tells him that he’s had yet another argument with Canon O’Byrne, who runs the school and who wants to fire him. He also claims that he’s been offered a prestigious teaching position in Boston, telling Gar that he, too, might be moving to the United States. All grandiose ideas aside, he is one of the few people in Ballybeg to express how much he’s going to miss Gar, giving his departure the kind of attention Gar wished he could get from his father. As a parting gift, Boyle gives him a collection of his poetry, asks him to show it to magazine editors in Philadelphia, and tells him not to look back after he’s left Ireland.
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Master Boyle Character Timeline in Philadelphia, Here I Come!
The timeline below shows where the character Master Boyle appears in Philadelphia, Here I Come!. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Episode I
...hidden feelings to his father. Before he can finish this joke, though, he’s interrupted by Master Boyle , who has come to bid farewell to Gar before he leaves.
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One of Gar’s former teachers, Master Boyle stops by to speak with Public Gar while S.B. returns to the general store to...
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Master Boyle asks where Gar will be staying in the U.S., and Public Gar tells him that...
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Changing the subject once more, Master Boyle gives Public Gar a self-printed volume of his poems as a farewell gift. He then...
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When Master Boyle departs, Public Gar hides his tears because Madge has just reentered the room. “Quick! Into...
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Episode II
...including what Kate said on the night they decided to get married. He also remembers Master Boyle ’s advice to never look back once he leaves Ireland, along with Kate’s recent assertion...
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Episode III, Part One
...her new baby after her, Public Gar asks Madge why Maire married S.B. instead of Master Boyle , but she doesn’t give him a good answer, telling him to ask his father...
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