"Two Gallants"

“One night, man,” he said, “I was going along Dame Street and I spotted a fine tart under Waterhouse’s clock and said good-night, you know. So we went for a walk round by the canal and she told me she was a slavey in a house in Baggot Street. I put my arm round her and squeezed her a bit that night. Then next Sunday, man, I met her by appointment. We went out to Donnybrook and I brought her into a field there. She told me she used to go with a dairyman…It was fine, man. Cigarettes every night she’d bring me and paying the tram out and back. And one night she brought me two bloody fine cigars- O, the real cheese, you know, that the old fellow used to smoke… I was afraid, man, she’d get in the family way. But she’s up to the dodge.”
“Maybe she thinks you’ll marry her,” said Lenehan.
“I told her I was out of a job,” said Corley. “I told her I was in Pim’s. She doesn’t know my name. I was too hairy to tell her that. But she thinks I’m a bit of class you know.”

The author’s tone in this segment helps show the characterization of the two main individuals and foreshadows how each character will act in a situation later in the story. James Joyce wants the readers to feel negatively towards the men since Corley speaks so disrespectfully about women and since he explains his actions to be unbecoming and inconsiderate. In this portion of the story, both men speak about women in a negative tone and both say vulgar statements. But since Corley thinks his actions can be justified he is automatically categorized as someone who will not show any sort of change in personality at the end of the story. However, Lenehan’s character is slightly more composed and modest compared to Corley; being more understanding and when he tries to relate to what the woman in question was thinking. This personality trait shows that Lenehan is more genuine that Corley and later in the story we find out that he is just the opposite of his companion.
When Lenehan is left by Corley to wander the streets for several hours, we learn a lot more about what is inside Lenehan’s mind and how he truly feels towards life. He explains how he has anxiety about finding true friends and how he wants to settle down. According to the quote, Corley expresses no desire to get married or to buy a house of his own but in the text we discover that Lenehan seems to hide his true feelings towards adulthood around his so called “friends.” This double personality when he is alone or with his friends makes Lenehan’s character very complex since the reader does not know which is personality can best define him. When the reader is on a more intimate level with Lenehan when Joyce reveals some of the questions he asks himself about friends or his future, the reader is more sympathetic towards Lenehan and wonders who this new personality is.
James Joyce also tells an allegory in “ The Two Gallants” which involves conformity and friendship. In the beginning of the story Lenehan walks with Corley discussing women, pretending to agree and be his friend. The author compares this to society and the social latter saying how sometimes unique individuals will try to fit in with others by clinging to a more likeable individual. Those who are trying to conform act very similar to the society based individual and they do not voice their own opinions or say any of their ideas. When Lenehan is alone and left with his own thoughts, he fantasizes about the “adventures Corley will be having” instead of having his own fun and adventures. This is typical behavior to someone who is trying to fit in with others who are not like them. Lenehan makes it clear he wants to get married and have a home of his own, but since Corley does not want to do this, Lenehan does not pursue his aspirations. Joyce tries to convey to the reader that a person’s true dreams can only be found when you are not surrounded by society’s influence. Corley is a symbolic character for our ugly conformed society and Lenehan is the individual who wants to question society’s motives and do things his way. Lenehan begins to panic slightly and becomes more anxious, this is because is he finally thinking in a nonconformist perspective. Unfortunately, when Lenehan rushes back to Corley, he also rushes back to his obedient life as a person who follows society’s every wish and whim. Although it was only for a brief while, Joyce wants the reader to question our society and daily lives just as Lenehan questioned his future.