“A Little Cloud” describes a day in the life of Thomas Chandler, nicknamed “Little Chandler” due to his below-average height and delicate, childlike appearance. On this day, Little Chandler excitedly awaits a meeting with his old friend Ignatius Gallaher. Gallaher left Dublin eight years prior, having immigrated to London to advance his career as a journalist. Now, back in Dublin for a visit, Gallaher has invited Little Chandler to meet with him. As Little Chandler sits at his desk doing his tiresome work as a legal clerk, he stares out the window and ponders Gallaher’s life as “a brilliant figure on the London Press.” These thoughts sadden Little Chandler, reminding him of his own relative lack of achievement. Little Chandler aspires to be a poet and owns a collection of poetry books, but he is too timid to even read the books to his wife.
At the appointed time, Little Chandler leaves his office to meet Gallaher at a restaurant called Corless’s. As he walks to the restaurant, he begins to feel more empowered and hopeful. Little Chandler pictures the restaurant, a high-end establishment patronized by fashionable, wealthy people. He also remembers Gallaher in the old days—his friend was a heavy drinker and bad with money, yet nevertheless undeniably talented and admired by everyone. These thoughts of the restaurant and of his impressive old friend lead Little Chandler to feel a new sense of self-worth: “For the first time in his life he felt himself superior” to his fellow Dubliners. He then casts a critical eye on the city, noticing the shabby buildings and people. This feeling of empowerment reignites Little Chandler’s dream of being a poet and escaping from “his own sober inartistic life.” He reflects that at 32, he is not too old for a new career. Moreover, he considers that he has the right temperament to be a poet. Little Chandler pictures Gallaher helping him get published in a London paper, and imagines being recognized by English critics as part of the “Celtic school” of new Irish poets. In his mind, he even invents words of praise for his future poems and imagines changing his name to the more Irish-sounding “T. Malone Chandler.” He becomes so lost in his dreams that he misses his turn and has to backtrack to the restaurant.
When Little Chandler arrives at Corless’s, Gallaher greets him warmly as “Tommy” and orders them both malt whiskey. Gallaher appears prematurely aged and balding, with an “unhealthy pallor.” He attributes his appearance to the stresses of life as a journalist and complains about its fast pace. The two men catch up on news about their old friends, and then the conversation turns to Gallaher’s travels throughout Europe. Little Chandler has not traveled widely, and he inquires in particular about Paris, wondering if it is as “beautiful” and “immoral” as he has heard. Gallaher praises the Moulin Rouge, Parisian prostitutes, and the city’s nightlife, commenting that “everything in Paris is gay.” He continues sharing various pieces of racy gossip from his travels. Little Chandler feels “somewhat disillusioned” by Gallaher, observing a “vulgar” and “gaudy” manner about him.
The conversation turns to Little Chandler’s life in the past eight years. Little Chandler tells Gallaher about his wife and their infant son, and invites Gallaher to spend the evening with his family. Gallaher declines the invitation because he is returning to London the next day, saying that perhaps he will visit again in a year. At this point, the two men have had several drinks—typical for Gallaher, but not for Little Chandler, who feels “warm and excited.” Talking and drinking with Gallaher stirs up Little Chandler’s feelings of inferiority and jealousy, and he grows resentful of Gallaher’s success. Little Chandler reflects that his old friend is “his inferior in birth and education.” Little Chandler bitterly thinks that were he given a chance, he could do something “higher than mere tawdry journalism.” Saying goodbye over their last drink, Little Chandler jokes that Gallaher might be married next time they meet. Gallaher dismisses the possibility, saying that he wants to continue his “fling” and “see a bit of life and the world” first. When he does marry, he says, it will be for money—he will choose from among the “thousands of rich Germans and Jews” he’s encountered in Europe. As they finish their drinks, Gallaher callously comments that being tied to one woman for life “must get a bit stale.”
Little Chandler then returns home to his wife, Annie, who is in a foul mood not only because Little Chandler is late for tea, but also because he forgot to bring her a parcel of coffee. She goes out to get tea and sugar, giving Little Chandler their baby and cautioning him not to wake the sleeping child. Left alone with the infant and his own thoughts, Little Chandler reflects on his wife. Little Chandler looks at a photo of Annie and thinks about her personality with disappointment. She seems to him cold and petty, with “no passion” and “no rapture.” Instead, Little Chandler fantasizes about Gallaher’s “rich Jewesses” and their “dark Oriental eyes.” He even feels dissatisfied with the furniture in their home, finding it “prim and pretty.” His thoughts grow resentful as he ponders escaping “his little house” to live “bravely like Gallaher” and become a poet in London.
Little Chandler tries to read a book of Lord Byron’s poetry but is interrupted when the child awakes and starts crying. Unable to read, Little Chandler grows frustrated, thinking that he is a “prisoner for life.” In his frustration, he yells “Stop!” in the baby’s face. This action only upsets the infant more—he begins sobbing harder, to the point that Little Chandler fears the baby will die. At this point, Annie comes home. Seeing the baby’s distress, she angrily asks Little Chandler, “What have you done to him?” She takes their son and comforts him, and while the baby stops crying, “tears of remorse” well up in Little Chandler’s eyes.
