Dubliners, naturally. Counterparts is as simple and as powerful as it gets. The story leads us to these lines:
The boy uttered a squeal of pain as the stick cut his thigh. He clasped his hands together in the air and his voice shook with fright.
"O, pa!" he cried. "Don't beat me, pa! And I'll... I'll say a Hail Mary for you.... I'll say a Hail Mary for you, pa, if you don't beat me.... I'll say a Hail Mary...."
Everytime one reads it, the utter blindness of everyday life and the attendant cruelty looms larger and larger before one's eyes.
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