After the Race Summary & Analysis

Jimmy’s relationship with Ségouin reveals that Jimmy values this connection because he can gain something from it: proximity to money and prestige. The narrator’s use of the phrase “worth knowing” is particularly telling, as it captures Jimmy’s commodification of the relationship. He is attracted to Ségouin because of Ségouin’s apparent wealth and his worldliness. Jimmy’s belief in Ségouin’s wealth also shows his gullibility, or his belief that when things appear to be a certain way they must be true. But he has no proof of Ségouin’s wealth, just word that it is supposed to exist. In fact, Jimmy doesn’t even know Ségouin well—they’re just acquaintances—but he isn’t being as skeptical as he should be. As for Jimmy’s being impressed by Ségouin’s worldliness, he clearly finds it appealing to be closely connected with someone who has seen more than just Ireland, which implies that Jimmy views his home country as second-rate. In contrast to Ségouin is Villona, who is described as being “unfortunately[] very poor,” a description that emphasizes that, to Jimmy, not having money is a significant misfortune. But Villona is not written off; he has earned his association with Jimmy by being an extremely talented pianist, which may suggest the undeniable value of the arts, even in a social circle as consumed by capitalism as Jimmy’s. On the other hand, Jimmy’s companionship with Villona may just be another example of how Jimmy seeks to surround himself with people who he finds interesting, which indicates insecurity.

The fact that Jimmy can’t keep up with Ségouin and Rivière is symbolic for how Ireland can’t keep up with wealthier nations. Even upper-class Irish like Jimmy are stuck in the metaphorical back seat when they try to be a part of the capitalistic competition symbolized by the automobile race. So even though Jimmy is technically included in the race, he’s not a full participant. He’s in a Frenchman’s car (as opposed to independently having one of his own) and he is left out of the conversation that his companions are having. This suggests that the wealthy Irish class’s attempts to socially and economically engage with continental Europeans are unsuccessful.

While analyzing Jimmy’s three reasons for his excitement, it is important to remember that he is agitated, but not actually happy. Each of these three sources of excitement represent what Jimmy gets from participating in capitalism: the sense of speed (the symbolism of the car connects this speed to the thrilling pace of industrial and economic advancement), fame and seemingly impressive connections, and money. These three sources of excitement, however, betray their superficiality in Jimmy’s lack of genuine joy. Jimmy’s fixation on having European acquaintances illustrates both his sense of validation from being associated with continental Europe and his desire to separate himself from Ireland. Jimmy likes knowing that his local Irish friends have seen him with Ségouin and other foreign men. It gets him attention and it distinguishes him in both the eyes of his fellow Irishmen and in his own eyes. Their shared reaction captures the shame felt regarding Irish identity. The narrative’s focus then skips back to Jimmy’s thoughts on money, demonstrating its dominant presence in his consciousness. His assumption that his “great sum” of money wouldn’t impress Ségouin once again reveals Jimmy’s sense of inherent inferiority, a feeling Joyce suggests is pervasive for the Irish at this time in history.

Here is where Jimmy’s confidence in Ségouin seems most suspect. Not only does his company not exist yet, but Ségouin reveals himself to be especially shady when he manipulates Jimmy by leveraging his sense of Irish inferiority against him. He does this in two ways: he dismisses Irish money as being just an insignificant “mite” and he implies that Jimmy is the lucky one because he, an Irishman, actually “gets” to invest and be included in the venture. Jimmy doesn’t seem aware of the possibility of foul play and instead takes the bait. By investing with Ségouin, Jimmy, like his father, would be reallocating Irish money to fuel a foreign country, even though Ireland urgently needs the economic boost that Jimmy’s money could provide. Through this investment, Jimmy represents the greed of the Irish upper class that Joyce criticizes in the story. Jimmy, like the wealthy Irish, is more focused on making money for himself than on helping bring progress to his home country. Jimmy’s unwillingness or inability to think deeper about his actions is reflected in his failed attempt at estimating how much work went into making the car he’s riding in. He is too distracted by the “style” and speed of the car—representative of the glamour and thrill of capitalism—to think of the time, resources, and human lives that contributed toward making the machine. Clearly, as a rich man and a capitalist, he is actually very far removed from the real “labour latent in money.”

Joyce misses no opportunity to call attention to the characters’ obsession with money, even having Ségouin drop the two men off at a bank. Meanwhile, for the nearby Irish onlookers, the car has a god-like allure. They pay it “homage,” a word that elevates it to a lordly status. In a story otherwise lacking religious figures, the devotional attention that the car receives shows how, in a capitalist society, industrial and economic power (as represented by cars) have a god-like importance. The Irish, without cars of their own, passively admire the mighty car of a different country, thereby demonstrating the resignation and inactivity that Joyce saw as instrumental in producing Ireland’s nation-wide paralysis that kept it politically and economically behind other European countries. Jimmy, a wealthy Irishman with foreign connections, does have the chance to experience the capitalist power of other countries and is enchanted by it. After the thrill of the car ride, which is symbolic of him enjoying (even if second-hand) the profits of capitalism, he finds walking underwhelming. Joyce concisely captures the wealthy Irish class being captivated by the thrill of capitalistic wealth and industry.

The wealthy Doyle family’s excitement at Jimmy’s dinner with continental Europeans is representative of how, according to Joyce, the upper-class Irish of the early 20th century were focused on connecting themselves with people from more “powerful” European countries. Their apprehension and pride hints at their insecurity surrounding their Irish identity: they see these continentals as being out of their league and are therefore proud that their son has “made it” this far. Jimmy’s father is also “commercially satisfied” with his son’s handsome appearance, whose good looks he commodifies by calling them “often unpurchaseable.” Joyce’s word choice communicates how capitalism has a knack for prompting people to place monetary value on everything and everyone around them. Jimmy’s father’s good spirits result in him being “unusually friendly” with Villona, which suggests that he typically isn’t very nice to him. While Joyce doesn’t explicitly provide a reason why, it is likely because Villona is poor, which means, according to Jimmy’s father, that he has nothing to offer and therefore is not worth friendly attention.

Jimmy’s consideration of Ségouin, Rivière, and Routh’s chemistry signifies an Irish admiration for the cultural and economic power of France and England. He even calls this “graceful image” a “just one,” which suggests his own resignation to (what he sees as) their superiority. The men become quite drunk, as is suggested by their “loosened” tongues. While Routh is clearly uninterested in talking about music with Villona, Rivière seizes the opportunity to convince Jimmy to invest in Ségouin’s supposed company. Rivière’s behavior exposes him to be yet another man in the story who is using his connections with people to increase his own wealth; he is, after all, to become manager of Ségouin’s business. When Ségouin brings up politics, Jimmy at last shows signs of Irish pride. Notably, it takes him being drunk before the “buried zeal of his father wake[s] to life.” This language is indicative of how deeply suppressed Jimmy’s sense of Ireland’s needs is. Until now, Jimmy hasn’t shown any signs that he ever reflects on the obstacles that Ireland faces, nor the factors (namely, English rule) that are dooming it to poverty. In fact, just moments before, Jimmy had been admiring Routh, who is now arguing with him, doubtlessly in favor of England’s continued control of Ireland. But Jimmy’s Irish nationalism is easily dissipated by Ségouin’s toast, which suggests that, although Jimmy harbors Irish nationalist sentiments, they aren’t strong enough for him to actually do anything about it. He isn’t even willing to make his dinner companions uncomfortable. Because these companions include Ségouin, with whom he hopes to align himself in hopes of making money, it is clear that accomplishing his own financial goals is more important to him than fighting for Ireland’s independence.

Dublin was and is the capital of Ireland. It was also called the “second city” of the British Empire while it was under English rule. But Joyce’s saying that it “[wears] the mask of a capital” undermines the sense that Dublin is a worthy or important place. As Joyce has implied throughout the story, Ireland is paralyzed by English rule and the resulting poverty and internalized sense of inadequacy that comes with it. To Joyce, Dublin is lacking the political and economic independence to merit the designation of being a capital. Now that Jimmy is drunk, however, Dublin appears more desirable. As he and the other men go to Farley’s yacht, they sing a French song that makes fun of a French cadet while calling him (the cadet) “un bon enfant,” or “a good kiddo.” Joyce may be using this song to suggest something sinister about that the other men’s treatment of Jimmy, that they may be humoring him while they make a mockery of him.

Jimmy’s general sense of aimlessness is reflected in his self-consoling statement that dancing drunkenly is “seeing life, at least.” By adding the “at least,” Joyce suggests that Jimmy is feeling discontented beneath his reassurance to himself that he is “seeing life” with these men. The vague consolation of “seeing life” betrays his vapidity (he misjudges the profundity of simple diversions), as well as his assumption that time spent with these continental men is valuable simply because they are not Irish. Jimmy’s drunkenness is highlighted by his not being sure what his speech is about. He clearly doesn’t recall what he said but assumes that it was great because the other men applauded for him. Their reaction actually suggests that they are just humoring him without much concern for his well-being. He is clearly very drunk, yet they cheer him on as he makes a fool of himself.

The card game symbolizes a capitalistic competition between countries. The participants gamble their resources to try to profit off others, with the stakes being constantly raised. Jimmy enters this competition and represents how the upper Irish class is playing with Irish money when trying to compete with countries that possess more resources and power than the Irish do. Jimmy’s drunkenness is an impediment to his success (he can’t keep his cards straight) and this symbolizes the fact that Ireland is at a huge political and economic disadvantage when competing with countries like England and France. Not only is Jimmy unable to keep track of his cards, but he can’t control his own I.O.U.’s. Instead, the other men take it upon themselves to manage his debts for him, suggesting foul play on their end. Instead of doing the ethical thing and kindly releasing him from the game, they let him drunkenly bet away more money that goes into their pockets. Through Jimmy’s participation, Joyce criticizes how the wealthy Irish, in their eagerness to engage with foreign countries in the “game” of capitalism, end up pouring Irish money and resources into other nations, despite the fact that Ireland urgently needs these resources. When things take a turn for the worse, Jimmy doesn’t try to leave or quit the game, once again showing his (and the Irish’s) inaction in the face of a dire situation.

In a display of emotion that echoes the Irish spectators’ cheering and admiration for foreign cars during the race, Jimmy, who is losing terribly, manages to be excited for the winners of the game, Ségouin and Routh. The comparable success of the two men demonstrates how France and England are leaders in the global economy. Routh’s final victory symbolizes England’s dominance. Meanwhile, Jimmy has no idea how much he has lost, a failure that can be seen as both an economic and a spiritual one. In regard to the former, Jimmy’s heavy debts illustrate Ireland’s utter failure in the economic competition between countries. As for the latter, Jimmy knows that his behavior has lost him money, but he still isn’t aware of the extent to which the evening has been bad for him. By playing in the game of capitalism, he hasn’t just lost money—he’s lost dignity, the true sense of friendship, and the opportunity to help his home country. In contrast to Jimmy is Villona, who chose to not participate in the game. Through the Hungarian pianist, Joyce illustrates what he believes to be Ireland’s way out of its dismal situation. At the time that the story had been written, Hungary had achieved some economic and political independence from Austria. (Joyce glorifies the situation at the time, although the arrangement between Austria and Hungary was actually resented by many Hungarians.) What the Irish need to accomplish, according to Joyce, is both economic and political independence from England and, preferably, an alternative to capitalism. Until then, Joyce uses Jimmy’s failure to represent the fate that awaits Ireland: despair and poverty.