Joice's A LITTLE CLOUD

[real dream]

Thematic Study of A LITTLE CLOUD

There is no denying over the presence of a major moral theme of Paralysis in Dubliners.
Joyce remarked to Stanislaus:
“What’s the matter with you is that you’re afraid to live. You and people like you. The city is suffering from hemiplegia1 to the will”.
In another letter he added:
“I call the series Dubliners to betray the soul of that hemiplegia or paralysis which may consider a city.”(to Constantine P.Curran;1904)
Indeed, throughout the story of Little Chandler, as well as the rest of other stories, we confront an obvious development of the theme “paralysis”. In essence, L. Chandler dreams of an artistic achievement, of travelling and of a high life. However, he has done nothing except toying with the idea of creative work. Paralysis is also shown significantly throughout Chandler’s tour in the cities of Dublin, which Joyce uses to strengthen this major theme. Other themes are also distinguished but they seem nothing else than a study of the causes and the consequences of paralysis. the story also presents the theme of Imprisonment. Chandler’s unrewarding job and his inability to try his hand at writing demonstrate a professional imprisonment. The description of his home, especially the description of the “mean” furniture: “he found something mean in the pretty furniture which he had bought for his house on the hire system2 (55), denotes a potential environmental imprisonment of his
1)total or partial inability to move experienced on one side of the body, caused by a brain disease. 2)By installements

home from which he wishes to escape. Interestingly, a “desire to
escape” rises as a theme but not prominently as in Eveline. With another regard to imprisonment, even Chandler’s remembrance of the old Dublin, when “he emerged from under the feudal arch” or when he came near by the old houses “in which the old nobility of Dublin roistered”, indicates the historical imprisonment of Chandler. Interestingly, Chandler has never been far from the Isle of Man due to his economic reasons. Specifically this economic corruption is an imprisonment as well. It can be also referred to as an isolated theme. Furthermore, chandler has lost the chance to go abroad and achieve the life like that of Gallaher because of his wife Annie and his screaming baby. The imprisonment here resides in Marriage1.
Drawing upon the previous identification of type’s character, loneliness also represents a theme in A Little Cloud. Though Annie is supposed to be his closes person, Chandler never informs her or anybody else about his interior dilemma.
While considering autobiographical basis, Joyce applied substantial facts of his personal experience in A Little Cloud. As a young man, Joyce felt trapped in Ireland and left to France to become a writer and he did not marry until late in his life. According to him, marriage is a trap set by the Catholic Church. Equally important, poverty is also found in Joyce’s own life (see p.03). Joyce is a spiritual values believer. He is, hence, against all sorts of materialism. Joyce spent his life counting his pennies, loaning from a number of people, mostly from his brother and hence he despised money and rich people.
1. can be considered as isolated theme.
Thus, it is not surprising that his character Chandler, as well as Eveline and all other characters are set poor in Dubliners. It is clear that Chandler represents a possible Joyce. Meanwhile, the story displays an allegory1 of hard life in Dublin in the sense of immigration and economic depression