# Grace explained — Dubliners

> Chapter companion for Dubliners by James Joyce.

## What happens

Mr. Kernan, recovering from a fall, is visited by friends Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Power, and Mr. M'Coy, who conspire with his wife to draw him back to the Catholic Church. They discuss the priesthood, the Pope, and theology, eventually persuading him to attend a retreat given by Father Purdon for businessmen. The chapter explores themes of religious conformity, social pressure, and the gap between faith and practice.

## Themes in this chapter

### Religion and Morality

The central theme of the chapter, as friends conspire to bring Kernan back to the Church, discussing theology, papal infallibility, and the nature of faith.

### Social Class and Ambition

The characters' discussions about education, business, and social standing reveal their concerns with respectability and class identity.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Kernan

The injured protagonist, a lapsed Catholic of Protestant background, who is subtly manipulated by his friends into returning to the Church.

### Mr. Cunningham

The leader of the plot to bring Kernan back to Catholicism; a sensible, influential man with an unhappy domestic life.

### Mr. Power

A friend of Kernan and colleague of Cunningham, who helps orchestrate the religious intervention.

### Mr. M'Coy

A friend of Kernan, a former tenor and current secretary to the City Coroner, who participates in the conversation about religion.

### Mrs. Kernan

Kernan's wife, who agrees to the plot and has a pragmatic, habitual approach to religion.

## Key lines

> Our religion is the religion, the old, original faith.

Cunningham asserts that Catholicism is the one true and ancient faith.

_Reflects the characters' conviction in the superiority of Catholicism over Protestantism._

> I leave it all in your hands, Mr. Cunningham.

Mrs. Kernan entrusts the plan to bring her husband back to the Church to Cunningham.

_Shows her passive acceptance and reliance on male authority in religious matters._

> He won't be too hard on us, Tom.

Power reassures Kernan that Father Purdon's retreat will be lenient and accommodating.

_Highlights the characters' desire for a comfortable, non-demanding form of religion._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/dubliners_se/chapters/grace
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/dubliners_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/dubliners_se/chapters