Plot in Dubliners

The boys' adventure to this point has been predictable and fairly uneventful. They have looked at ships, snacked, and worn themselves out—even abandoning their original goal of going to the Pigeon House. They've realized that their goals were unrealistic. It is then ironic that just as they have abandoned any chance for excitement, they in fact have a very unusual encounter with the elderly man.

As the narrator has grown a little older and experienced more, he has lost some of the joy he once found in his pretend adventures and battles with his friends. In longing for escape, he has realized that the stories don't provide him with what he needs anymore, and he knows that he must try to seek real adventure on his own. This sets up the plot for this short tale, as the narrator soon embarks on an adventure of his own.