Sam Wetzler
Hour
Grace The characters in the story Grace have all been through and are stuck in the system of cycles that have haunted the rest of the characters in the previous stories. All of the men in the little group of friends collectively serve as an example of the near-end results of living out life in Irish and in particular Dublin society. These men have been leading the same redundant lives, but they are making an effort to break the cycle. They are using Mr. Kernan’s accident as their opportunity to make a change. They all convene at Mr. Kernan’s to tell Mr. Kernan about their plans to resusictate their faith by means and to further discuss their plans, but the over the course of the conversation, it is obvious that they don’t get anywhere. The flow of the conversation is centered around alcohol. The intensity of the conversation died down when they got towards the end of the round, and the conversation almost halted when they ran out of whiskey. They are trying to make a change in their lives, but at the same time, it is apparent that change is very unlikely considering that their conversation about change is fueled by the main vice, alcohol, which was one of the main factors that was keeping the men in the cycle they are in. The story also heavily comments upon the role of the Catholic Church in Irish society. The church is supposed to be what will pull the group out of the rut they are all in, but it’s apparent that any support that the church would provide would be superficial and will not address the issues that are really haunting the men. The men try to talk up the church with big words, but most of their comments are factually incorrect. The men really