James Joyce is not so much a writer as he is a painter of words. His works appear simplistic at first glance, but under scrutiny they reveal the inner world of a character and the reality of the common man through symbols, metaphors, and sensory analysis. Something as simple as "...the sunny side of the street..." can open a whole new door to one of Joyce's plots. For instance, his short story "The Sisters" in …showed first 75 words of 1666 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1666 total…brought the readers of his works to their own epiphanies. His works of literature have become famous not because of their rich descriptions or radical notions but because they are pieces written for the thinking reader. One cannot comprehend what Joyce is driving at in his stories with out reevaluating the plots on a constant basis. And it is for this reason that he has become one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.