"The Dead" (adapted into a 1987 film), p. 198 (Penguin Books 1976 edition).
• Setting: Dublin, Ireland. Author nationality: Irish. First published: London, England.

And why couldn't he have a voice too? asked Freddy Malins sharply. Is it because he's only a black? Nobody answered this question and Mary Jane led the table back to the legitimate opera.

— James Joyce

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "And why couldn't he have a voice too? asked Freddy Malins sharply. Is it because he's only a black? Nobody answered this question and Mary Jane led the table back to the legitimate opera." in the context of ""The Dead" (adapted into a 1987 film), p. 198 (Penguin Books 1976 edition).
• Setting: Dublin, Ireland. Author nationality: Irish. First published: London, England." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "James Joyce" (Quotes, Dubliners (1914)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
James Joyce

About James Joyce

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, short-story writer and poet. He contributed to the modernist movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of the twentieth century.