Dubliners · Character
James Duffy
A solitary bank cashier whose one attempt at intimacy with a married woman ends in a retreat he will spend years rationalizing.
major
Also known as Mr. James Duffy, Mr. Duffy
First appearance: A Painful Case
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Duffy lives alone in Chapelizod, avoids Dublin's social rituals, and keeps his thoughts in a tidy, self-flattering order. His friendship with Mrs. Sinico begins as intellectual confession and slides into something he…
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Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Minor figures and background presences
- Death and youthful folly
- Political operators and lost loves
- Threats and faded talents
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Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
Farrington’s psychological peak occurs here as his simmering resentment and humiliation explode into a direct,…
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James Duffy appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
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See James Duffy in A Painful Case