Philadelphia, Here I Come!: Episode I Summary & Analysis

From the very beginning of the play, Brian Friel presents Gar as someone who is eager to get on with his life. Excitedly singing about Philadelphia, it’s clear that he looks forward to the future. It also emerges right away that he has a strained relationship with his father, since he complains about S.B. instead of speaking sadly about the fact that he’ll soon be leaving him behind. In this way, then, the audience senses just how eager Gar is to launch into a new chapter of his life.

The distinction between Public Gar and Private Gar demonstrates Friel’s interest in human interiority, or the idea that people often have entire personalities that are hidden from the rest of the world. Because Private Gar speaks so enthusiastically to Public Gar, the audience comes to see him as a rowdy and somewhat childish figure, or the part of Gar’s identity that refuses to restrain itself. Interestingly enough, though, both Public and Private Gar seem to feel the same way about their imminent departure, seeing it as an exciting next step. In fact, the extent to which they fantasize about the upcoming journey hints that they want to drown out any misgivings they might have about leaving home, focusing solely on how great it will be to secure a new life.

Although Private Gar’s question about whether or not Public Gar is prepared to start anew in the United States sounds humorous, the fact that he asks this question in the first place suggests that he’s perhaps less sure of the plan than he seemed at first. This sudden pivot might seem surprising, but Private Gar is a representation of Gar’s inner emotions and thoughts—neither of which are predictable. On another note, Madge’s question about S.B. once again highlights the strained nature of Gar’s relationship with his father, though she appears to be optimistic that S.B. will overcome this stiltedness before Gar leaves. Lastly, it’s worth mentioning for clarity’s sake that nobody but the audience can see Private Gar, though Public Gar can hear him.

In this moment, Friel clarifies the relational dynamic that exists between Gar and S.B., insinuating that the two men are incapable of communicating or connecting with one another. This, it seems, has to do with S.B.’s stern and uncommunicative manner. And though this is apparently what bothers Public Gar so much about his father, it’s hard to deny that his own refusal to make an effort only makes it harder for the two men to connect.

Private Gar’s suggestion that Public Gar should spit on everyone in Ballybeg when he’s flying away illustrates just how excited he is to be leaving his life in Ireland behind. However, the audience sees in this moment that Public and Private Gar aren’t always on the same page, as is the case when Public Gar obediently answers his father despite Private Gar’s advice to remain silent. When he does this, he demonstrates not only that his external identity differs from his internal urges, but that he can’t resist trying to make his father happy.

Once more, both Public and Private Gar can hardly contain their excitement to be leaving Ballybeg, thereby showing just how invested they are in the idea that moving to the United States will provide an attractive new way of life. To that end, Private Gar’s repetition of the word “biggest” illustrate his belief that everything in America will be larger and more appealing than it is in Ballybeg. In turn, the audience sees that he has romanticized the idea of change, thinking of it as something that will inevitably lead to great success and happiness when. In reality, he’s merely excited because he’s running from the various discontents of his current day-to-day life.

In order to make himself sound like a competitive job candidate, Public Gar finds himself extolling the virtues of his father. This is hypocritical, given that he’s leaving Ballybeg precisely because he no longer wants to be around S.B. or his general store. As he considers the many respectable aspects of S.B.’s job, though, he cuts himself off by quoting a speech delivered by 18th-century philosophe Edmund Burke, who once spoke nostalgically about how beautiful Marie Antoinette (the Queen of France) was before she was beheaded in the French Revolution. This speech sings the praises of the past, lamenting the fact that the French Revolution has ruined Europe and ignoring the many positive results of the Revolution. In this regard, it sets forth a rather regressive message, one that overly romanticizes the past. When Public Gar says this, then, he critiques himself for making his father’s life seem more impressive than it ever actually was.

Once again, Gar tries to stop himself from spiraling nostalgically into the past. This time, Private Gar is the one to get wrapped up in a rosy image of history. Since he can’t change the fact that his mother is dead, though, he cuts himself off by quoting Edmund Burke’s speech about the Queen of France, thereby reminding himself not to be overly nostalgic about that which he cannot change. In keeping with this, Public Gar starts singing about his upcoming life in Philadelphia, effectively helping Private Gar focus not on the past, but on the future. In doing so, though, he inadvertently stops himself from romanticizing the past by romanticizing the future.

During this exchange, Private Gar demonstrates that he can be very unpredictable. He does this by telling Public Gar to keep himself distracted from his emotions and then immediately forcing him to think about his feelings. In turn, Friel reminds the audience that Private Gar is nothing but a representation of Public Gar’s internal world, which is emotionally erratic and wide-ranging. Rather than following rational thought, Private Gar acts in accordance with Public Gar’s feelings, which is why he contradicts himself so frequently.

When he tries to block out Private Gar’s words about Kate, Public Gar attempts to repress his emotions, hoping he can avoid thinking about his failed relationship if only he sets his mind to it. The problem with this tactic, though, is that Private Gar refuses to let him off the hook. By forcing Public Gar to consider what happened between him and Kate, Private Gar makes it impossible for Public Gar to ignore the ways in which his past has affected him—an indication that it’s nearly impossible to sidestep one’s own feelings.

When the audience witnesses Gar’s history with Kate, it becomes clear that he has been trying to improve his life for a long time. In the same way that he now hopes to find happiness and prosperity by moving to the United States, he also made optimistic plans about the future with Kate when they were still dating. By observing this dynamic, the audience sees once again the extent to which Gar romanticizes change and the future even when his prospects aren’t as promising as he’d like to think. (As is the case when he insists upon marrying Kate even though he doesn’t have enough money to support both of them.)

Gar’s overly optimistic view of the future has evidently rubbed off on Kate, considering that his plan to support her based on petty egg sales somehow convinces her to marry him on the spot. This suggests that Gar is capable of convincing others to join him in his reveries of the future. And if he can convince other people to believe in the promise of new beginnings, it’s obvious that he must be able to convince himself, too. This, it seems, is exactly what he has done by deciding to move to the United States to start anew.

Before Gar even gets to experience his new life with Kate, his plans crumble all around him. As a result, the audience can infer that his tendency to invest himself in the promise of the future often leads to heartache and disappointment. Furthermore, it’s worth noting that this entire episode (with Kate and Senator Doogan) is actually a reenactment, demonstrating that Gar is unable to extricate himself from the memory of his failed relationship.

When Private Gar forces Public Gar to consider how thoroughly his relationship with Kate affected him, he fights against Public’s tendency to suppress emotion. However, Public Gar competently steers himself away from this topic by singing “Philadelphia, Here I Come,” thereby devoting himself once more to the promise of a fresh new start. In response, Private Gar goes along with his escapist impulse, trying to make him feel better about what happened with Kate by suggesting that Senator Doogan doesn’t deserve the respect he receives—an idea that underlines the fact that there’s a difference between a person’s public and private personas.

S.B.’s predictability frustrates Private Gar, who can’t wait to break out of his monotonous life to start a new existence abroad. Furthermore, he most likely finds S.B.’s rote actions frustrating because S.B. uses them to avoid actually having to relate to his son. Rather than saying something genuine to Gar, he mutters useless comments like, “Another day over”—a declarative sentence that does nothing but state the obvious. In this way, S.B. fails to actually communicate with his son, instead using tired old phrases to fill the silence in a way that doesn’t help the two men actually relate to one another.

Private Gar’s monologue makes it overwhelmingly apparent that Gar is unhappy with his relationship with his father, especially calling attention to S.B.’s inability to actually relate to him. All it would take to make him stay, Private Gar insists, is his father saying just one genuine sentence, thereby giving him something to relate to, something that might build an actual conversation. Despite his anger, though, Gar doesn’t voice any of these misgivings out loud. Indeed, only Private Gar talks about his feelings, but he only exists as part of Gar’s internal world. As a result, S.B. doesn’t hear him, meaning that Public Gar himself is just as uncommunicative as his father, ultimately perpetuating the stilted dynamic between him and his father that he apparently hates so much.

Private Gar’s joke about sex addiction reminds the audience that he is a representation of Gar’s id, or the part of his consciousness that is unrestrained and impulse-oriented. Of course, Private Gar is only joking, but his off-color humor serves as a reminder of his willingness to express whatever comes to mind with no filter. As a result, his boldness creates a stark contrast when compared to Public Gar’s quiet reserve—yet another sign that a person’s internal and external identities often differ greatly.

When Master Boyle calls the United States a place that doesn’t care about the past, it becomes even clearer why Gar wants to live there. After all, he wants to escape the disappointments of his past by forging a new beginning for himself, so it makes sense that he would go to America, a place where people think exclusively about the future (at least according to Boyle). Similarly, Master Boyle wants to leave his life behind but is apparently too stuck in his current existence to do so, which is why Private Gar thinks the man will never actually go to the United States. As a result, Boyle represents to Gar what his life might look like if he doesn’t seek a new existence.

Yet again, both parts of Gar struggle with the simultaneous desire to excavate the past and move unthinkingly into the future. Despite the fact that he wants to leave his life behind to start anew, Gar can’t help but think about his mother, which is why Private Gar wants Public Gar to ask Master Boyle about her. On another note, it’s worth keeping in mind the idea that Boyle is attached to Canon O’Byrne despite how much he dislikes him, since this dynamic can be applied to Gar’s relationship with his father. After all, he’s fed up with S.B.’s inability to connect with him, but he’s also constantly thinking about him, meaning that he most likely cares deeply about their relationship.

Although Master Boyle perhaps has ulterior motives for visiting Gar on his final night, he still goes out of his way to say goodbye. This is significant, since even S.B. hasn’t yet said anything about his son’s departure. For this reason, Public Gar is struck by his old teacher’s gesture, finding it hard to hide his emotion when the man leaves.

Once more, both Public and Private Gar try to forget about the past and their troubling emotions by looking toward the future. When Private Gar tells Public Gar to run into his room, the audience sees how uncomfortable Gar is with letting others see his feelings. Trying desperately to hide his vulnerability from both other people and himself, he mindlessly sings about Philadelphia, trying to distract himself even though it’s clear he’ll never be able to outrun his thoughts about his mother or his feelings about Kate.