Like "Eveline," this is a story of missed opportunity, and true to its title, "A Painful Case" is perhaps even more agonizing to read than that earlier selection. Just as Eveline's fiancé presents her the chance to escape Ireland, Duffy is allowed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with a kindred soul, Mrs. Sinico. Tragically (and typically), both are paralyzed: Eveline by guilt and fear, and Duffy by fear as well — fear that his fanatically orderly world will be thrown into disarray by shared passion. As in the earlier story, Joyce seemingly intends the reader to believe that such an opportunity will never come again.
In some ways, "A Painful Case" is the most sophisticated and complex Dubliners story yet, as it achieves its powerful effect through a deft combination of storytelling techniques and symbolism. As in "A Little Cloud," "Counterparts," and "Clay," Joyce employs the limited third-person point-of-view, allowing access to his protagonist's thoughts and feelings while keeping the reader distant enough from the main character to realize the errors of the protagonist's ways before the protagonist does. (The reader knows, for example, that it is a terrible mistake for Duffy to terminate his relationship with Mrs. Sinico.)
