Two Gallants by James Joyce
In Two Gallants by James Joyce we have the theme of betrayal, treachery and paralysis. Taken from his Dubliners collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and one of the first things the reader will notice after they have read the story is that Joyce is using irony when it comes to the title of the story. Neither Lenehan nor Corley can really be described as gallant men. If anything Joyce’s portrayal of them is unflattering. From the physical description that Joyce gives both men, to how they go about living their lives in Dublin, it would lead the reader to believe that neither man lives an honest life. They appear to exist, purely by preying on others, notably by preying on young women and it is around one such incident, of Corley meeting a young woman that the story develops.
Joyce also uses symbolism in the story, as he does in other stories from the collection. Some of the more obvious symbolism in the story would include the incident of the man playing the mournful song on the harp. The harp would be a traditional symbol of Ireland and Joyce may be utilising it to suggest the decline (after Parnell) of Ireland and its people. Lenehan’s mimicking of playing the harp while he is walking around Dublin is also significant as it can suggest that just like Corley, Lenehan is also taking advantage or swindling a woman, though on this occasion, symbolically the woman is Ireland. Other symbolism which is notable is while Lenehan is sitting in the café having something to eat. He orders a ginger beer and a plate of peas. Again Joyce may be using the colour of the ginger beer (orange) and the colour of the peas (green) to highlight or symbolise the Irish flag. Again putting emphasis on the political landscape of Ireland at the time the story was written and the state of paralysis that existed.
It is also while Lenehan is in the café that the reader learns that he wishes for a more normal or regulated life. He would like a small place of his own and a wife. In some ways this is significant as Joyce may be suggesting that Lenehan is aware that how he conducts his affairs or lives his life (by taking advantage of others) is not right. However by the end of the story any chance of redemption or change for Lenehan is lost when he stands with Corley looking at the gold coin, the rewards from Corley’s deceit.
The woman that Corley meets is also significant, particularly how she is dressed. Joyce has her wearing a blue dress and a white sailor hat. These colours are important because they are the colours that would usually be associated with the Virgin Mary. Again Joyce may be suggesting, through symbolism, that the Irish Catholic Church is responsible for the paralysis that was affecting Ireland at the turn of the twentieth century. Joyce’s use of street names, mostly named after English people, may also be significant as it is possible that Joyce is suggesting that the paralysis affecting Ireland is caused by Britain (as well as the Catholic Church), which at the time Dubliners was written would have been under British rule.
The route that Lenehan takes while waiting for Corley is also important as it suggests a circular pattern. Lenehan ends up on the same streets that he has previously been on with Corley, which in turn may suggest the idea of Lenehan going around in circles or going nowhere, in essence remaining paralysed. It is also significant that Ely Place, the street that both Corley and Lenehan end up on at the close of the story, is a dead end. Again this suggests that both men are going nowhere. It is possible that Joyce is suggesting, through the movement of both Corley and Lenehan that Ireland and the Irish people too, are going nowhere or are in a state of paralysis.
The idea of treachery and betrayal is also explored in the story. First, Corley is not keen to introduce Lenehan to the young woman he is meeting. This suggests a fear within Corley that Lenehan will betray him and take his place with the woman. The possibility of betrayal is also explored later in the story when Lenehan is waiting for Corley to return from Donnybrook. His mind begins to race and he gets nervous thinking that maybe Corley has betrayed him and will not meet him as they have agreed. Some critics suggest that the theme of betrayal in the story is symbolic and Joyce may be making reference to how Parnell was treated by the Irish people after his affair with Kitty O’Shea was made public.
Joyce has also previously used the colour yellow in other stories in Dubliners to suggest the idea of decay or paralysis (among Irish people in general or for Ireland as a country). This is a pattern that he continues in Two Gallants. By the end of the story, both Corley and Lenehan are standing on the side of the road (Ely Place) looking at a gold coin (yellow in colour). Joyce may again be suggesting that both men remain paralysed, living dissolute lives in which they continue to take advantage of others.