An Encounter

An Encounter is one of James Joyce’s most quietly disturbing and psychologically precise stories, capturing a moment when childhood imagination collides with the uneasy realities of the adult world. Set in Dublin, the story follows two schoolboys who skip class in search of adventure, inspired by tales of the Wild West and dreams of escape from the rigid discipline of school and home. Their day unfolds as a series of small freedoms—wandering the quays, watching ships, imagining distant lands—until a chance meeting in a lonely field alters the tone of their holiday entirely. What begins as youthful restlessness gradually darkens into discomfort and fear as the boys encounter a strange older man whose conversation drifts from nostalgic reflections to unsettling fixations. Joyce renders the scene with restraint and precision, allowing unease to build through repetition, implication, and the narrator’s growing awareness rather than overt action. An Encounter explores themes central to Dubl