A Witch in Nanny's Clothes

In the short story "Clay", Joyce presents us with some interesting images of the main character, Maria. Throughout the work Maria is portrayed a small and pitiable old woman. She lives out the boring life of a launderer and is the servant for the women around her. Although she is well liked it is clear she is still viewed as below the upper-class women who order her around. Then on her trip to see Joe she faces many troubles with the younger generation. First the young woman working at the bakery gives her trouble about what she is ordering, and finally asks if she wants to buy a wedding cake, and insulting gesture to a lonely old woman. Secondly, on the trolley ride to Drumcondra none of the young men offer her their seats, and when an older gentleman finally does, the man is not swooned to her flirting. Then at the house the children play the game  with the dishes, and although it is not clear what Maria grabbed it is obviously something insulting. Overall Maria is shown to be a sad old women who merely lives through life waiting for people to do her pleasantries. She gets by on Joe's kindness to her and seems to have no ambition of her own. The final stake in this image is Maria's song, which interestingly enough is a theme throughout Joyce's works. In Maria's case, the verse that she skips was one dealing with marriage and suitors, which she obviously lacks. Coupled with the bible she takes from the table these final images damn her to a life of lonely old age living vicariously through images of the past.

Yet, in a secondary image we are presented with the view of Maria as an old crone or a witch. To begin this imagery, there is constant reference to the fact that it is Halloween. Upon further research I found that in Irish mythology, halloween is believed to be a time for goblins, witches, warlocks, and for dead souls to revisit their homes. This fits in especially well with the fact that Maria is returning to the home of her faux son to reminisce about the past. Joyce also alludes many times to Maria's prominent nose and chin that nearly touch when she laughs. Both of these features clearly mean to portray Maria as a woman with the features of a witch. There is an issue though because while Maria's is older and a bachelorette, it seems as though she is too nice to be considered a witch or crone. The question then becomes, how does one reconcile these two seemingly conflicting images of Maria? And if they can't be reconciled then how should she be viewed?

A Symmetrical Cycle of Abuse

The True Counterparts

             

            “Counterparts,” or analogous patterns, refer to the symmetrical structure Joyce’s story takes on to describe a repeated and repeating cycle of abuse commonplace throughout Joyce’s Dublin.  Many get entrapped in this cycle, suggesting that many become imprisoned by the inescapable, universally accepted routine.  Farrington’s entrapment begins comically enough, even innocently, but his routine exposes a tragic consequence to his plight.

            As the story opens, Mr. Alleyne reprimands Farrington at work for not completing a project, and at first the scene looks simply like an unreasonable boss bullying his employee.  But Farrington’s sudden “sharp sensation of thirst” (70) hints that the employee may in fact be responsible for the incomplete work.  Then, instead of completing the task, Farrington goes to the bar – O’Neill’s shop – after receiving a “sharp sensation of thirst” (70), gets drunk, and then returns to work only to omit parts of the project.  

O'Neal's shop

Again, his boss, Mr. Alleyne, reprimands Farrington.  Despite the reprimands, Farrington refuses to change course (because he does not have the will to triumph over his impulse to drink), and continues to return to his impulses to quench his thirst (and anger at being humiliated by his boss).  Farrington quits his job, and before going back to the pub (this time, Davy Byrne’s) he pawns his watch for money to spend on drink.  In his self-destructive state, he spends it all at Davy Byrne’s, thinking that he has impressed his friends with stories about standing up to his boss.  

Davy Byrnes

Farrington’s self-destructive behavior at work is symmetrical, an analogue, to his self-destructive behavior drinking.

Finally, and in completion of this pattern of self destruction, Farrington then takes his pent-up aggression home, and takes it out on his son by hitting “him vigorously with [a] stick” (79).  He wants to assert his power over someone, in order to mitigate his powerlessness at work.  Despite his son’s cries to not beat him (the boy will even say a “Hail Mary” for him in exchange for avoiding the beating), he continues to bully his son.

            Farrington cannot triumph anywhere.  Not only does his boss at work belittle him; he also must face his wife’s abuse.  Joyce suggests that the root of this problem is powerlessness fueled by alcohol, in which a vicious cycle is perpetuated.  The man gets drunk, and abuses his wife (and child for that matter) “when he was drunk” (78).  Farrington’s wife would “bull[y] her husband when he was sober” (78).  The cycle of abuse between husband and wife reveals Farrington’s emasculation by his wife’s abuse (paralleling with perfect symmetry his bullying by his boss).  To hide the embarrassment from his wife’s and his boss’s bullying, Farrington takes his rage out on his helpless son.

            Joyce (with great irony) calls Farrington “the man” at times, suggesting that he could be any man in Dublin, highlighting the abuse (and powerlessness commonplace in Dublin, and any “man’s” participation in it.  The cycle of abuse would be repeated.

Can the cycle of abuse ever be escaped?

Hail Mary, Full of Grace…

At the end of “Counterparts,” Farrington beats his son for forgetting to keep the fire going.  As he is being beaten, the son cries, “ 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…” (79).  While we have seen many examples of paralysis throughout the collection, the kind shown in this passage differs from the rest.  The beating of the little kid by Farrington causes a physical paralysis.  The fear that the father causes onto his son results in the son starting to stutter and also repeat the phrase; “I’ll say a Hail Mary for you”.  So here Joyce is suggesting that the older generations are holding back their children from properly maturing, as evident throughout the novel but in different ways. 

            Also the boy perceives that saying a Hail Mary will be able to save him from the punishment of his father.  Joyce might be suggesting that the youth still believe that religion and the Church will be able to save them from the paralysis, but it is the fault of the parents for causing the lack of trust since Farrington does not stop beating his son. 

            Another thing I noticed was that in the second to last paragraph, the boy “clasped his hands together in the air and his voice shook” (79). This seems very similar to “Araby” when the boy “presses his hands together until they trembled” (21).  What are we to make of the different views of religion and the Church that Joyce seems to be giving to us?  Also the wording seems way to similar to be a coincidence by Joyce.  I might just be looking wishfully at nothing but can anyone find any significance in the difference between the boy’s voice shaking versus the boy in “Araby” shaking his hands? Could this possibly relate back to my first question?

Little Chandler vs. Ignatius Gallaher

In "A Little Cloud," Joyce juxtaposes two characters –Little Chandler and Ignatius Gallaher – in order to convey the culture gap between London society and Dublin society. Little Chandler’s name is very telling of how is character unfolds in the story. Though he was small in stature to begin with (with small hands and a fragile frame), it was his mannerisms that accentuated his lack of masculinity and “gave one the idea of [him] being a little man” (55). For instance, he was so incredibly shy that he was even reluctant to read poetry to his own wife. Ignatius Gallaher, on the other hand, exuded a confidence regardless of the situation. Gallaher is the paradigm of masculinity, who found success by moving out of London. According to his friend, “you couldn’t but admire him for that” (57). That is the central focus of this short story. Chandler states in a rather overt way that “you could do nothing in Dublin,” and “to succeed, you had to go away” (57).

To escape the cyclical paralytic chains of Dublin, you must literally leave Dublin.* Joyce himself left Dublin to pursue a literary career, though I don’t think he paints Gallaher in his own exactness. Gallaher comes off as a contemptible character for obvious reasons. He is a pretentious cosmopolitan who is only concerned with fiscal reward for his work. He repeatedly condescends “dear dirty Dublin,” talking mostly about his hedonistic pursuits of women and drinking. In any other story, we would be talking about Gallaher’s shortcomings, but here, his character is slightly more favorable than that of Little Chandler. Chandler represents the opposite superlative. Insecure about himself, he blames his lack of success on Dublin.

Is it Dublin’s fault that Little Chandler is the way he is? Can the paralytic cycle end without leaving Ireland as Gallaher does? Joyce paints such a negative, seemingly irredeemable image of Dublin. What is he trying to accomplish by merely stating the faults of society?

Little Cloud or Little Chandler? Or Both? - Significance of the Title

          

Chandler - a childish mind stuck in an adult body

             I have never heard of any character ever being compared to a cloud before, but I must say Joyce uses the title, “A Little Cloud,” to describe the main character very well. Although at first it is not quite clear how the title sheds light on Chandler’s character, the reader can notice how the word “little” as in the title is often used to describe Chandler in the story. Describing Chandler as little, Joyce gives the impression that the main character is still a child and is inferior to the popular Ignatius. The fact that Chandler is of a small stature jeopardizes his manhood. At the time, Dublin men emphasized their manliness. Physicality was equal to masculinity, which in turn, in a large part determined the reputation of a man. Chandler’s small stature automatically places Chandler below his companion.

            Chandler’s comparison to a cloud emphasizes his childishness and passivity, since clouds are subject to the forces of nature. Chandler remains inactive and simply receives Gallaher’s action as, “Ignatius Gallaher slapped his friend sonorously on the back. ‘Bravo,’ he said, ‘I wouldn’t doubt you, Tommy.’ Little Chandler smiled, looked confusedly at his glass and bit his lower lip with three childishly white front teeth” (63). We can see how Chandler feels inferior to Gallaher, as he remains quiet and nervous while his friend congratulates him on being a father. The fact that Chandler feels confused and looks down at his glass suggests that he is not used to receiving compliments – even sarcastic ones – from the experienced and well-traveled Gallaher. Also, Chandler’s “childish white teeth” show his inexperience and present him as a ~30 year old child- a childish mind stuck in an adult’s body.

            Throughout the story Chandler is described by Joyce as passive, inferior, childish, and nervous. The question that remains is whether Joyce believes if Irish society can find confidence in itself and if Ireland can rise up to be a player on the international stage? Can Ireland mature out of its childish stage? 

Irish Infighting

          The opening scene of James Joyce’s “Counterparts” radiates a suppressed violence between Ireland and Britain. In the first paragraph alone the word “furious” is repeated twice. From the start Joyce is hinting that this story will be a story taking about the anger of the people of Dublin. The owner of the furious voice spoke in a “North of Ireland accent” showing that he is from Northern Ireland, which has more of a British influence. As a result of this influence the North became of more Protestant dominated area, which created friction between the far stauncher Catholic South. Joyce here could be referencing a problem that extends past Dublin that exists throughout Ireland of Irish fighting against their fellow Irishmen. When Mr. Farrington hears that Mr. Alleyne wants to see him, Farrington curses him. When he gets up to Alleyne’s office, Mr. Alleyne asks, “Why have I always to complain of you?” (68) showing that this is a recurring problem between these two characters. This symbolizes the struggle that has been going on between these two groups for centuries. The animosity existing between these two is a constant theme throughout the story, and one I think Joyce is saying needs to be addressed. For Ireland to improve, they need to reconcile their differences.

A Little... Nebulous

In "A Little Cloud", we seem to have come full-circle.  Chandler sees escape from Dublin as essential to success, joy, even living, where we had earlier gone back and forth in previous stories over whether escape could actually be meaningful.  Chandler articulates almost everything we have discussed in class and on the blog about the imprisoning qualities of marriage, Dublin, and social customs.  The story ends in his conclusion that he will never escape, as his child, marriage, and debt on his furniture and house trap him - he creates his own confinement.  What makes this story so much more difficult (for me, at least) is the question of if we are to take Chandler as a direct representation of Joyce's feelings, and my strong doubts of such an interpretation.  Gallaher is successful, but an not admirable character; as shown with his use of subtly derogatory terms (“garcon” (87)) and his generally arrogant and obnoxious attitude.  Chandler isn't exactly a realist, either, so it is difficult to accept him as a guide, what with his grand plans of including allusions in his acclaimed poetry: “The English critics, perhaps, would recognize him as one of the Celtic school by reason of the melancholy tone of his poems; besides that, he would put in allusions”. (86)  So where is the guide, the moral (or critical) narrative?

Overall, "A Little Cloud" feels like more of a lamentation than an indictment, somewhat contrary to our conclusions on many previous stories.  This is a general feeling I had when reading some of Dubliners last year, and it was somewhat strengthened this year: that Dubliners isn't really about direct or indirect moralizing or reforming Dublin, but simply exposure.  

Maybe Joyce is writing this to merely “scatter flowers on the dust [(Ireland)] [he] love[s]”, as the poetry read says, among the stale absences of the winds? (99)

Stalin, who would have disapproved of Joyce's bourgeois formalism (as he would call it) in favor of the pictured Socialist Realism, was also very short at 5'4".  Who was the realist in this story?  Was there any?  Could it be that absence of outright "lessons learned" is a feature of Joyce's writing that would have been disparaged by revolutionary movements?  Something (obvious) to note is that the social criticisms of Joyce and Marx are very different, even though they have similar targets.  Joyce's criticisms might be on a revolutionary scale, but the reader is hard-pressed to find advocacy of revolution.

#LittleManProblems

I feel for Little Chandler. As a vertically challenged man myself, I understand how height can have a significant effect on someone’s psyche. This is especially true in a society like Dublin that emphasizes manliness. For Chandler, the fact that he gives “one the idea of being a little man” (55) means that people will never take him seriously as a man. Despite only being “slightly under the average stature,” (55) due to his little-ness others will always see him as somehow lacking.

As I started to read about Little Chandler, I could not help but think about Oscar De Leon.  Both Chandler and Oscar fail to meet what their respective societies define as masculinity. Chandler cannot be the masculine, woodsman type Irish man so he opts for the Romantic Victorian instead and still fails. When he tries to romantically read poetry to his wife, his “shyness had always held him back.” (56) A man that is to shy to read poetry to his own wife, someone you should have the utmost comfort with, is hardly a man at all. Similarly, Oscar cannot seem to fit into his cultural norm or atomic level G. He spends his entire, short life trying to fulfill the Dominican stereotype, failing at every point along the way.

Both also have role models that perfectly fit their culture’s idea of masculinity. For Chandler, Gallaher perfectly espouses the Victorian man. With his “travelled air, his well-cut tweed suit, and fearless accent,” (55) Gallaher seems like the perfect man. Typical of the educated Dubliner, he even escapes the drudgery of Dublin to live in the “great city London.” (55) Yunior, the consummate Dominican Man (without the violence), acts as Oscar’s role model of sorts throughout the story. Yunior’s constant womanizing and bravado give Oscar something to emulate, even though he ultimately finds a better alternative. Both mentors also make them feel bad in some way. While around Gallaher, even though Gallaher calls him Tommy, the narrator always refers to him as Little Chandler, pointing towards Chandler’s sense of inferiority to Gallaher. Similarly, Oscar always feels like less of a Dominican when Yunior is around because of the comparison between the two. Interestingly, both mentors lead their pupils down questionable paths. Gallaher pressures Chandler into drinking, smoking, and even tries to convince him that Paris is not an immoral city. In the same vein, Yunior constantly tries to get Oscar to be more aggressive with women in an attempt to make him more of a womanizer.

What I cannot figure out, however, is what Joyce is trying to say with Gallaher’s attempted corruption of Chandler. Is he trying to show that even the most upright Dubliner will succumb to the pressures of the outside world? That Dublin may not be that bad in terms of morality compared to the international community? Or maybe even that there is something to be desired in a little depravity?