A-Little-Cloud

1ALITTLECLOUDThetitleAlittleCloudmaybetakenfromtheBible(IKings!8,44).ThelittlecloudintheBibleputsanendtoalongperiodofdrought.HereitcouldrefertothepresenceofGallagherwhoseemstocastalittlecloudoverLittleChandler’slife.Anywayitcanrepresentanythingthatobscuresandcastsshadowsofgloomtroubleandsuspicion.Soitisasignofhopebutofhopedeluded.ItcanalsopointtoLittleChandler’scharacter,a“littlecloud”,likeastorminatea-cup.SummaryEightyearsagoLittleChandler,themaincharacterofthestory,sawhisfriendGallagheroffattheNorthWall;hewasescapingtoLondonprobablybecausehehadtroublewiththepolice.GallagherwentofftoLondon,andsincethenhasbecomeagreatjournalist.Chandleristomeethimthatnight,andhe’sgrowingincreasinglyexcited.He’scalled“LittleChandler”despitehismoreorlessaverageheightbecausehegivestheimpressionofbeingsmallandchildlike.HeworksathisdeskinKing’sInns,whereheisemployedasaclerkmostofthetime,thinkingofpeopleoutsidetheofficewindowandthemelancholyoflife.Hehasbooksofpoetryonhisshelvesathome;sometimesheisseizedbydesiretoreadsomethingtohiswife,buthistimidityholdshimback.HisworkdayendsandhesetsoffCorless’s,oneofDublin’smostcosmopolitanbarsandtheappointedmeetingplace.HeremembersIgnatiusGallagherashewaseightyearsago.Hehadalwaysbeenwild,mixingwithroughfellows,borrowingmoneyfromeverybodybutsomethinginhimsuggestedfuturesuccess.LittleChandlercherishesvaguedreamsofbeingapoet.Thedominantnoteofhispoetrywouldbemelancholy;perhapssomeoftheEnglishcriticswouldrecognizehimasoneoftheCelticschool.AtCorless’s,Gallaghergreetshimenthusiastically.Hehasagedbadly.Theytalkabouttheiroldgangoffriends;mosthaveeithersettleddownformodestcareersorhavegonebankrupt.Theytalk,LittleChandlershyinthecompanyofhisgreatfriend;amongthetopicsishowlittleChandlerhasnevertravelled.Thefarthesthe’sbeenfromIrelandistheIsleofMan.GallagherhaswanderedaboutthegreatcitiesofWesternEurope.LittleChandlerfindssomethingupsettingaboutGallagher:“Therewassomethingvulgarinhisfriendwhichhehadnotobservedbefore”.2GallagherlaughsatChandler’sprovincialattitudesandshockshimwithimmoralstoriesofreligioushousesinEuropeandthewildpartiesofthearistocracy.TheconversationturnsbacktoChandler.Hehasbeenmarriedforoverayear,theyhaveababyboy.ChandlerinvitesGallagherovertoseethewifeandchild,butGallagher’stimeinIrelandistooshortandbusytopermitavisit.ThenexttimeGallaghercomes,themansay,andatChandler’sinsistence,theyhaveanotherdrink.LittleChandlerfeelsthedifferencebetweenhislifeandGallagher’s.Hecan’thelpbeingjealous;heisGallagher’ssuperiorinbirthandeducation,butGallagherhasbeenmuchmoresuccessful.Thesubjectofmarriagecomesup.Gallaghersayshemanynevergetmarried,andthatifhedoesitwon’tbeforawhileyet.Hehasnoplansto“put”his“headinthesack”;Chandlersaysrathervehemently,“You’llputyourheadinthesack…likeeveryoneelseifyoucanfindthegirl”.Gallaghersaysthatifhedoesmarry,itwillbeformoney.Laterthatnight,Chandlerisathomeholdinghisbaby.Hecamehomelateandforgottogetthecoffeeforhiswife.HiswifeAnniegoesoutherselfbuyit,puttingthesleepingbabyintohisarms.Lookingatwife’sphoto,hefindsherplain,verydifferentfromtheexoticbeautifulwomenofthecontinent.Thefurniture,chosenbyAnnie,seemsplainandsecond-rate.Hefeelsasifheisimprisoned.HeopensavolumeofByron’spoems,andreadsaratherromanticpoemwithamelancholytone.Hewondersifhecouldexpresshimselfinsuchaway.Ashetriestofinishreadingthepoem,thechildwakesupandstartstocry.Hetriestosootheit,butwhenthechildkeepscryinghescreams“Stop!”.Afterthat,hecan’tcalmtheboy.Anniecomeshome,andtheboyisstillcrying.SheangrilyasksChandlerwhathehasdonetoit.Chandlerstandsby,tearsofremorseinhiseyes.Significantly,Chandler’swifeintryingtocalmthechildcallshimwithIrishwordsa“lamb-child”hehimselfapredestinedvictimofthesamemalady:Dublin’sparalysis.SettingsThesettingsare:1).EverydayDublinofLittleChandler’slifeisacityofwhichisgivenanimageofdecrepitude,decayandextremeshabbiness:eventhegoldenlightofsunsetcan’tembellishit.Wereadof“vermin-likelife”and“gauntspectralmansions”wherelostmemoriesofthepastnolongersurvive.Thechildrenplayalongdirtystreets“crawl”and“squat”likemiceuponthethresholdsofthepoorhouses.32).TheofficeinKing’sInnswhereLittleChandlerhasbeenworkingforeightyearsisbrieflyhintedat.ThereLittleChandlercarriesouta“tiresomewriting”,anunsatisfactoryjobwhichmakeshimsadandmelancholy.Hehasnofriendsthereonlyfellow-clerks.Inthatsituationhefeelsaloser,aprisonerofparalysis.Theonlyfleetingjoyistheendofworkday.ObviouslythesettingoftheofficerepresentstheparalysisthatLittleChandlerfeels.3).Whenthescenesmovestotheluxuriouscosmopolitanbar,whereheistomeethisfriend,weplungeintoaquitedifferentworld.LittleChandlerhasneverdaredtoenterCorless’sbefore.Itisaplaceforwomengoddess-likerichlydressedandtheatre-goerswhoareservedoystersandliqueursbywaitersspeakingforeignlanguages.Itisasymbolofaneasy-goingelitarianlifeunattainablebyLittleChandler.4).LittleChandler’shomeisanuncomfortableplacewithmeanshabbyfurniturebought“onthehiresystem”.WhenhegoeshomeafterCorless’shefeelshehateseverythingthere;evenhiswife’sphotolooksmeandevoidofromance,poetryandpassion.Inhishomehefeelsdefinitelyentr