In this story, being his first work, he revealed a lot about Joyce and his beliefs. The story lays out everything it stood for but didn't reveal it easily. The first paragraph sets the tone for the entire story, including themes, symbols, and clever use of language. Thacker states, “The style of the entire story, for example, not only reinforces the themes, but discovers and manifests them” (Staley 29). The entire story leaves the reader wondering exactly what happened. Using a teenager as a narrator makes it seem like maybe he doesn't know what's going on at the time, but is breaking free and separating himself from the paralysis. Just like Joyce does when he decides to leave Dublin to free himself and focus on his art. Having moved to Trieste, he could now look at Dublin from the outside without feeling confined in a paralyzed society. Now he could make revisions with more time to reflect. Which leads to the conclusion that the protagonist is a fictionalized version of Joyce who develops values ​​seen in his reality