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Summary
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Little Cloud, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Resignation vs. Empowerment
The Illusions of Success
The Prison of the Mundane
Summary
Analysis
Little Chandler reflects on seeing his old friend Gallaher off at the North Wall when Gallaher left Dublin eight years ago. Little Chandler recalls admiring Gallaher’s appearance, well-traveled air, and fearlessness. He thinks that not many men have Gallaher’s talents and that “he had deserved to win.” Since lunchtime today, Little Chandler hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Gallaher’s invitation to meet, and about the city of London where Gallaher now lives.
Little Chandler’s nostalgic reflections on Gallaher imply that he hasn’t seen his old friend in the years since he moved away. Chandler’s preoccupation with and clear admiration of Gallaher—particularly the word choice that Gallaher “deserved to win”—suggest that Chandler sees life as a contest or game of winners and losers.
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Chandler is nicknamed “Little” because of his small and delicate appearance. He is slightly below average height, with small, white hands, a fragile frame, and a quiet voice. Little Chandler also has “fair silken hair,” a perfumed handkerchief, well-manicured fingernails, and small, white teeth like those of a child.
Little Chandler’s physical description as small and weak sets up the theme of Chandler’s resignation to his fate and powerlessness to change it: his being “little” indicates not only his small stature but his lack of strength and manly assertiveness. The details of his “fair silken hair,” well-groomed appearance, and small teeth make him seem feminine and even childlike, further portraying him as a weak, inadequate man by traditional standards.
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Little Chandler continues to sit at his desk at King’s Inn, where he works, and ponder his old friend. Gallaher has become very successful as a journalist for the London Press in the eight years since he left Dublin. Lost in thought, Little Chandler frequently turns to look out the window, taking a break from his “tiresome writing.” He notices the sun setting on some old men sleeping on benches and sees children as they play and scream in the streets. These sights make Little Chandler feel sad and resigned, and he muses that it is useless to fight against fate and fortune. His thoughts turn to his poetry books at home. He bought them when he was a bachelor, but since getting married, he has been too shy to read them to his wife. Instead, Little Chandler reads alone to console himself.
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Literary Devices
At the appointed time, Little Chandler leaves his office and makes his way through the streets. He passes “grimy children” crawling up doorsteps and avoids all of the “vermin-like” people in the street as he walks. Even so, he is full of joy at the prospect of meeting Gallaher at a fancy restaurant called Corless’s, which is patronized by a wealthy, stylish clientele. Little Chandler has never been to this establishment before, and he pictures the people he will see: well-dressed women and men dining on oysters and drinking liqueurs after the theater, attended on by waiters who can speak German and French. Little Chandler usually walks the streets somewhat fearfully, not looking into the buildings he passes. However, he sometimes deliberately chooses to walk down dark, narrow streets, walking boldly though still trembling with fear.
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Continuing on his way to Corless’s, Little Chandler thinks about Gallaher. No one would have believed eight years ago that Gallaher would become a such a successful London journalist. He drank, partied, and borrowed money. In fact, it’s rumored that Gallaher had to leave Dublin because of money troubles. However, Little Chandler remembers that his friend always showed signs of future achievement. No one could deny that Gallaher was obviously talented and had something special in him that couldn’t be defined. Even when Gallaher faced setbacks and was low on money, he “kept up a bold face.” Everyone seemed to admire Gallaher.
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Little Chandler picks up his pace as he continues to walk the streets, repulsed for the first time by the city’s grubbiness. He notices the “poor stunted houses” and likens them to a group of vagrants huddled together. He thinks of writing a poem to capture this image. Feeling inspired, he wonders if Gallaher could get his poem published in London. Little Chandler then loses himself in dreams of becoming a successful poet. He believes he has the right “melancholy” temperament and dreams of finding recognition by a small, appreciative readership. Little Chandler imagines English critics praising him as part of the “Celtic school” and makes up sentences they would write about him. He even ponders changing his name, incorporating his mother’s more Irish-sounding name to become Thomas Malone Chandler—or, even better, T. Malone Chandler. He gets so lost in these thoughts that he passes his turn for Corless’s and has to go back.
Finally arriving at the restaurant, Little Chandler is at first confused by the sights and sounds and feels that everyone is looking at him. However, collecting himself, he realizes that no one is staring. Then Little Chandler sees Gallaher, who addresses him warmly and orders malt whiskey for Little Chandler and himself. Gallaher comments on his own aged appearance. He is balding and pale, with shapeless and pale lips. His eyes are blue and he wears an orange tie. Gallaher attributes his worn appearance to the stresses of his job as a journalist and the pressure of always looking for new stories. Their drinks arrive—Gallaher drinks his whiskey straight, but Little Chandler dilutes his with water, telling his friend that he doesn’t drink much. They toast to old times and old friends.
Little Chandler and Gallaher begin catching up. They discuss their mutual acquaintances: some have done well, while others have fallen on hard times. Gallaher notices that Little Chandler hasn’t changed. He is still as serious as he was eight years ago when he would lecture Gallaher during his hangovers. Gallaher tells Little Chandler he should travel more, especially after learning that Little Chandler has only been to the Isle of Man. He encourages Little Chandler to go to Paris. Little Chandler asks Gallaher if Paris is really as beautiful as people say it is, and Gallaher seems a bit confused by the question. He talks about Paris nightlife at the Moulin Rouge and other bohemian cafés, calling the city “hot stuff.” Little Chandler feels envious of Gallaher, though he also observes a new vulgarity in his friend’s way of talking. However, Gallaher’s old charm is still present under his showy manners.
Gallaher continues telling Little Chandler about Paris. Little Chandler asks about the city’s reputation for immorality. Gallaher seems to evade the question, in response, making “a catholic gesture” and claiming that “every place is immoral.” He sings the praises of the Paris student balls and the cocottes (prostitutes). As they continue to drink, Gallaher tells Little Chandler stories of the corruption and vices he’s observed in his European travels. These stories include secrets from religious institutions and the practices of fashionable society. He ends his monologue with a scandalous story about an English duchess. Little Chandler is left feeling “astonished” by Gallaher’s tales.
The conversation then turns to Little Chandler’s life over the past eight years. Little Chandler shares the news that he recently got married and has an infant son. He invites Gallaher to spend an evening with his family, but Gallaher declines because he has to leave Dublin the next day. They squeeze in one last drink, and the now rather tipsy Little Chandler reflects on his feelings about Gallaher. He feels jealous of his friend’s success, which is heightened because Gallaher is beneath him in birth and education. He thinks that Gallaher blew off his invitation to visit his family. Little Chandler imagines that he could do even greater things than Gallaher’s “tawdry journalism” if he had a chance. He feels that Gallaher looks down on him and wishes to reassert himself.
Little Chandler teases Gallaher about perhaps being married the next time he visits Dublin. However, Gallaher dismisses this possibility, saying he still wants to see more of the world before he’s tied down. An irritated Little Chandler persists, though, saying that one day Gallaher will put his “head in the sack” and get married. Gallaher concedes that he might marry, but not for love. Instead, he would marry for money, choosing one of the “thousands of rich Germans and Jews, rotten with money” that he has seen during his travels. Gallaher ends their meeting by tossing back the rest of his drink, laughing loudly, and saying that being tied to one woman “must get a bit stale.”
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Back at home, Little Chandler sits alone, holding his infant son. His wife, Annie, who bears sole responsibility for taking care of the baby (with some help from her sister), has gone out to get tea and sugar. She is in a bad mood because Little Chandler was late for tea and forgot to pick up coffee on his way home. Little Chandler ponders a photograph of Annie. He recalls nervously buying her the blouse she’s wearing in the picture. At first, Annie refused it because of its high price. Yet after trying the blouse on, she decided to keep it, kissing and thanking Little Chandler.
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Looking closer at Annie’s photo, Little Chandler notices that while his wife is pretty, she also appears cold, “unconscious and ladylike.” He remembers the rich Jewish women Gallaher mentioned, with their “dark Oriental eyes.” Little Chandler wonders why he married Annie. He looks around the room, dissatisfied with its “prim and pretty” furniture. He asks himself if it is too late to escape and live a life like Gallaher’s in London. If Little Chandler could publish a book, he might be able to do the same.
Next, Little Chandler picks up a book of poetry by Byron and starts to read it. He reads wistful lines about a man visiting his lover’s tomb, feeling the poetry’s depth and yearning to write poetry like it. He thinks of all the feelings he would like to express, including his impressions of Dublin from earlier in the day. Then, the baby wakes up and begins to cry. Little Chandler tries to calm his son, but he only cries more. Unable to read, Little Chandler’s frustration grows. He thinks to himself that not only can he not read, “He couldn’t do anything […] He was a prisoner for life.” In anger, he shouts, “Stop!” in the baby’s face.
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Literary Devices
Little Chandler’s shouting only frightens the baby, who begins to cry so hard that Little Chandler worries the baby might die. Just at that moment, Annie returns, frantic to find her child so upset. She glares at her husband, angrily asking what he did to their child. Little Chandler sees the hatred in his wife’s eyes. She ignores his excuses, takes the baby, and begins soothing him. Little Chandler falls back, standing out of the light and feeling his cheeks flush with shame. As the child stops crying, Little Chandler’s eyes fill with “tears of remorse.”
