Summary:
In "A Little Cloud" by James Joyce the reader is introduced to two main characters, Little Chandler and Ignatius Gallaher. Little Chandler is dissatisfied with his domestic life in Dublin and believes that he needs to go away to Europe to be successful like his old friend Gallaher, who is a journalist in London.
In "A Little Cloud" by James Joyce the reader is introduced to two main characters, Little Chandler and Ignatius Gallaher. Little Chandler is dissatisfied with his domestic life in Dublin and believes that he needs to go away to Europe to be successful like his old friend Gallaher, who is a journalist in London. Chandler admires Gallaher because he represents all that is enticing and desirable and has certain qualities that Chandler lacks. However, if the reader looks deeper he can see that Gallaher is quite shallow and spiritually dead.
When first introduced to Ignatius Gallaher the reader sees him as a friendly, outspoken man who is happy to see an old friend. He is very chatty and does not really give Tommy a chance to speak. You get the idea that the two characters are almost opposites. As they begin to converse you get the sense that Gallaher is worldly and very well traveled. He is bold and seems to be very happy and successful with his life. As the reader gets to better know the character of Gallaher he can feel the arrogance in his personality by the way he talks down to Tommy. "I've been to the Moulin Rouge...Hot Stuff! Not for a pious chap like you, Tommy" (849). When he says "I landed again in dear dirty Dublin" (848), it shows that he may feel like he was too good for Dublin now.
As their conversation continues the reader sees how his gruff manners and forthright behavior annoy Tommy and cause him to think about the contrast between his life and his friends and how it was unfair. It seems as though all of Gallaher's stories were told only to rub in the fact that he was doing better than Tommy. However, not once in the story is Gallaher's success really confirmed. It seems as though he has only succeeded superficially, he had nice clothes, been all over the world, and had been with many women. In reality Gallaher is very shallow and borish; he makes it pretty clear that he would only marry a woman with money. Gallaher is lonely and not entirely happy with his life, which is why he tells all these great stories of his travels to Tommy. It gives him a sense of happiness to know that he may be envied by his childhood friend.
The character of Tommy and the character of Gallaher offset each other almost perfectly. Tommy is a timid family man who fantasizes and believes the only way to be successful is to leave where he is from. Gallaher is the supposedly successful journalist who has a free soul and seems to be living the good life traveling all over Europe. In a way, both these characters envy what the other has in some way or another. Tommy envies Gallaher's freedom and boldness, while Gallaher, although not mentioned, is lonely and may envy the fact that Tommy has a family.
This is the complete article, containing 494 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
