Corruption In James Joyce's Dubliners

Whereas London and Paris are primarily described as great cities in which one can triumph with talent, or simply enjoy life, Dublin’s description is less positive. Gallaher presents Paris as gay and immoral as a city can be, where one can amuse oneself (Joyce 77). He tells Little Chandler stories about the moral corruption happening abroad and tells him that “in old jogalong Dublin nothing is known of such things” (Joyce 78), emphasising Dublin’s lifelessness and dullness once again. For Gallaher, Dublin is both, “dear and dirty” (Joyce 75). He believes it to be dull, yet he also has a “certain feeling for it” (Joyce 78), since it his hometown, probably one of the reasons why he came back after such a long time. This is the same with his friendship …show more content…
Consequently, Little Chandler grows weary of him and his reasons for visiting Dublin again after eight years. He even believes, that Gallaher “was only patronising him by his friendliness just as he was patronising Ireland by his visit” (Joyce 80). Little Chandler is envious of his friend because Gallaher comprehended that he had to leave Dublin to be successful. However, he had not only comprehended but he had also implemented his scheme, unlike Little ChandleHowever, he had not only comprehended but he had also implemented his scheme, unlike Little Chandler. Despite his newfound allegiance, Gallaher still has his birthplace in mind, as he wants to drink a “deoc an doruis” (Joyce 80) with his friend which is “Gaelic for a farewell drink” (Scholes 479). By contrast, Gallaher also uses English expressions, like “old chap” (Joyce 79) to enforce his “Englishness” (Joyce 79) and to distance himself from Ireland. and To prove his sophistication, he even shows off with French words such as “garçon” (Joyce 74) or “cocottes” (77). Even so, Gallaher tries hard to present himself as a Dublin-disliking person by listing all the places he has been and what has happened to him abroad, …show more content…
Changes are difficult, especially for Little Chandler, who is already at a loss, trying to balance his working and family life. Uncertainty to change his life leads us to the next point: Epiphanies. They highlight self-doubt, moments of frustrations and delusions in Little Chandler's life and end with the sudden and shocking revelation that he will never change his situation. However, even before fantasising about his poetical career, Little Chandler “felt how useless it was to struggle against fortune” (Joyce 71). His heart was definitely not in his rebellious thoughts, otherwise, his recognition would have looked differently. The “tears of remorse” (Joyce 85) at the end of the story are ambiguous, for the reason that they could either be an indication of being sorry for shouting, but also be tears of self- pity as he has abandoned his illusions about starting a career in London. They could also be called tears of revelation. The recognition that he belongs to Dublin and will never move abroad or live a life as a successful poet. In short, Little Chandlers rebellious dreams and unruly thoughts are floating away like “a little cloud”. Although it could be argued that, Little Chandler does not know where he belongs, I consider him belonging to Dublin, a city where changes do not happen according to both himself and