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?