Friday September 12th

"The adventures related in the literature of the Wild West were remote from my nature but, at least, they opened doors of escape. I liked better some American detective stories which were traversed from time to time by unkempt fierce and beautiful girls." - An Encounter, page 12

In relation to the Dubliners as a whole, this passage illustrates the desire of each character to be somewhere they're not, living a life that they are not. This passage is key to the theme of each character using a different mental method of escape to find adventure in the life they live.

In “An Encounter”, the main character uses the Wild West literature as a symbol of his escape into a more interesting life. Using the work of literature, he can create a new reality for himself, which slowly begins to become to life. This passage proves to be important because, throughout the story, the main character uses the Wild West tale as a model for his own adventure, which begins in him a development to live on ‘the edge.’