Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Philadelphia, Here I Come!, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Communication and Affection
New Beginnings and Emotional Escapism
Memory, Nostalgia, and The Past
Public Life, Private Life, and Identity
Summary
Analysis
Still in his bedroom, Public Gar lies on the bed and sings for a moment before trailing off into silence, at which point Private Gar admonishes him, saying that he has to keep active because “the devil makes work for idle hands.” In keeping with this, he starts telling joke after joke before jumping into yet another fantasy, this time imagining that Public Gar will become President of the United States, though both he and Public soon remember he can’t do this because he wasn’t born there. Still, this doesn’t keep them from expounding upon other farfetched fantasies until they hear a sound in the kitchen and hope that Gar’s friends have come to say goodbye. Pausing for a moment, Public Gar determines that it’s only Madge, so he flops into an armchair and stares absently at nothing in particular.
When Private Gar says that “the devil makes work for idle hands,” he expresses his belief that people can use forward momentum to outrun their problems. Rather than recognizing that Gar will never be able to stop thinking about his relationship with his father, his dead mother, or his failed romance with Kate, he convinces Public Gar that the only thing to do is repress his feelings. However, the fact that this current attempt to forget his misgivings only lasts several minutes suggests that it’s not quite as easy to repress emotion as one might hope.
Themes
Watching Public Gar sit morosely in the armchair, Private Gar says that he’s only making himself miserable by “collecting memories and images and impressions” that will make him sad later. This, Private suggests, is exactly what Public Gar wants—to be sad. Unable to argue with this, Public agrees to continue keeping himself occupied, jumping up and reviewing everything he’s already packed. This includes the sponsorship papers he needs to live in the United States, which have been signed by his aunt Lizzy and her husband, Con. Public Gar decides to reread the letter Lizzy sent along with the papers, in which she tells him that he’ll have his own room with air conditioning and television, and a private bathroom. She also informs him in this letter that he’ll be working at the Emperor Hotel—a job that she and Con secured for him.
In order to take his mind off of the memories that will undoubtedly make him sad to leave Ballybeg, Public Gar reminds himself of his promising future by rereading Lizzy’s letter. In this letter, she speaks lavishly about what his life will be like in the United States, helping him recapture the excitement that will help him ignore the way he truly feels about leaving home.
Themes
After reading Lizzy’s letter, Public Gar and Private Gar rehash her most recent visit, which took place on September 8th. She, Con, and their American friend named Ben visited Ballybeg while S.B. was at Kate and Francis King’s wedding. When Public Gar recalls this last detail, Private Gar tells him to stop thinking about Kate and tries to distract him by getting him to focus on his interactions with Lizzy.
Yet again, Private Gar tries to help Public Gar by distracting him from his emotions. Interestingly enough, though, Private Gar has—at other times throughout the play—reminded Public Gar of the way he truly feels. He is therefore a rather unstable character, representing not just one aspect of Gar’s personality, but the entire emotional range of his internal identity.
Themes
Lizzy, Con, and Ben appear in a reenactment of their visit. Sitting in the kitchen, Public Gar listens to Lizzy tell a story about S.B. and Maire’s wedding day. They’ve all been drinking, but Lizzy is the only one who seems affected by the alcohol. As she tells her story, she frequently interrupts herself, and her good friend, Ben, helps her remember what she was saying each time she gets off-track. Grateful for his help, she tells Gar that Ben gave her and Con money and a place to stay when they first came to the United States. At this point, Con tells Gar to consider coming to live with them in America, assuring him that he would have a good job and that they’d be happy to have him. When Gar says he’ll think about it, Lizzy asks him what he’s waiting for.
This flashback takes the audience back to the moment Gar realized he might be able to run from his current circumstances (and his past) by moving to the United States. It’s important to remember that the conversation he has with Lizzy and Con takes place on the same day as Kate’s wedding, making him all the more likely to want to leave Ireland once and for all. In addition, it’s worth noting that Lizzy tells a story about Maire, thereby showing Gar—however inadvertently—that she can tell him things about his mother that nobody else will tell him. Consequently, Gar’s eventual decision to leave Ireland is both an attempt to secure a fresh start and an attempt to recapture something in his past that he never truly had in the first place—an understanding of what his mother’s life was like.
Themes
Get the entire Philadelphia, Here I Come! LitChart as a printable PDF.
Con tells Lizzy not to be so overbearing about the idea of Gar coming to the United States, but she dismisses him by claiming that she simply wants her only nephew to live with her. Reminding her that she was telling a story about Maire’s wedding day, Ben and Con try to get Lizzy back on topic, but she starts crying because the story is about her multiple sisters, all of whom have died. Returning once again to the topic of Gar moving to the United States, she asks Ben what he thinks of America. However, instead of extolling the country’s virtues as she clearly wanted him to do, he says he can’t answer the question because he was born in the United States. When she asks what he means, he says that America is merely another place to live. “Ireland—America—what’s the difference?” he asks.
Unlike Gar, Ben is cognizant of the fact that simply moving to a new country won’t necessarily address a person’s unhappiness. In other words, moving to the United States might alter the way Gar feels in a superficial way, but it won’t automatically bring him contentment, since all of his emotional problems will still exist.
Themes
Lizzy tells Gar about her and Con’s nice apartment, their color television, their record collection, and their substantial savings. As she lists their many luxuries, Con tries to get her to stop, but she pushes on until breaking into tears once more because she and Con have no children. She then explains that they’re unable to have kids, which is why she wanted to come to Ireland to tell Gar that everything they have could be his, too. After she says this, Con insists that they should be getting back to their hotel in town, and Lizzy admonishes herself by saying that she talks too much, adding that this was her family’s way, unlike the O’Donnells’ characteristic frigidity. Before they leave, Public Gar jumps up and says that he wants to come to the United States, though Private Gar urges him not to do this.
It’s noteworthy that Private Gar doesn’t want Public Gar to go to the United States when the idea first arises. Although Private Gar has shown excitement about the idea throughout the play, he has also exhibited an occasional sense of hesitation, like when he asked Gar in the first scene if he really wanted to leave home. These reservations, it seems, can be traced back to this initial reaction, as he tries to convince Public Gar that it’s a bad idea to try to outrun his unhappiness.
Themes
Overjoyed, Lizzy embraces Public Gar while Private Gar goes on about how he doesn’t want her to touch him. Because she can’t hear this, though, she continues to hug him, calling him her son and repeating his name over and over.
In this moment, Private Gar voices his discomfort with the prospect of being touched—physically or emotionally—by another person. Although he yearns for human connection, he’s quite uncomfortable when he actually receives it, a sign that it’s difficult for people to embrace affection if they’re used to living without it.
Themes
Returning to the bedroom, Private Gar and Public Gar stop their reenactment of the day Lizzy, Con, and Ben visited Ireland. Solemnly addressing Public Gar, Private Gar now asks if he doubts or regrets his decision to leave home. When Public insists that he has no reservations, Private says that Lizzy was able to convince him because she happened to visit on the day of Kate’s wedding—that, and the fact that she suggested that the O’Donnells are cold, reserved people. When he says this, though, Public interjects by quoting, “It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the Queen of France—” As he tries to recite this speech, Private periodically interrupts him, eventually calling him an orphan before trying to get him to admit that he doesn’t really want to go to the United States. Hearing this, Public quickly rushes out of the room.
Again, Public Gar tries to avoid his emotions, this time trying to distract himself by once again talking about the Queen of France. When he quotes this speech by Edmund Burke, he once more implies that it’s foolish to dwell on the past—something that he and Private Gar have been doing for the majority of this scene, as they remembered Lizzy’s visit to Ballybeg. Rather than focusing on whether or not he made the right choice by accepting Lizzy’s offer, Public Gar would prefer to charge full-steam ahead, launching himself into his new American life without considering anything else.
Themes
Coming upon Madge in the kitchen, Public Gar asks her to help him find his coat because he’s going to go out, wanting to spend a final night with his friends. Madge, for her part, scoffs at the mention of this group, whom she calls “the boys.” Angry that they couldn’t even come to the house to say farewell, Madge shakes her head at the idea of Gar going out to find the boys, telling him not to come home drunk. When he leaves, she turns her attention to S.B., who enters from the shop and sits down at the table to read. Criticizing him for simply sitting and reading the newspaper every night without ever saying anything, she begins to cry. Through her tears, she says that S.B. shouldn’t take out his dentures in front of her, then leaves him in a state of confusion.
In this scene, it becomes evident that Madge feels very strongly for Gar and isn’t afraid to show it. After all, she doesn’t hesitate to criticize his friends in front of him by saying that they should have come to see him of their own accord. In keeping with this, she also seems to be angry with S.B. for failing to show his son any affection, though she directs her anger at his decision to take out his dentures in front of her. The fact that he’s dumbfounded by these remarks only emphasizes the extent to which he’s inept at navigating the ins and outs of other people’s emotions.
Themes
When Madge leaves the room, S.B. looks around in perplexity before returning to his newspaper, which is upside down. He then glances at Gar’s room and lets out a heavy sigh before standing up and returning to the shop.
S.B.’s nonverbal actions indicate that he’s sad about Gar’s imminent departure. When he looks wistfully at his son’s room, it becomes clear that he actually does feel emotional about the fact that he’s about to leave. The problem, though, is that he has failed time and again to communicate his feelings for the boy.
Themes
Gar comes home with his friends, Ned, Tom, and Joe, who were apparently already on their way to see him. Ned is the group’s ringleader, and he speaks boisterously as Tom backs up everything he says in an attempt to please him. Joe, for his part, feels a divided loyalty between Ned and Tom, though he’s more sensitive than them and is the only one who’s sad about Gar’s imminent departure. Speaking loudly, they drink beer in the kitchen, though their rowdy confidence appears fake, as if they feel they must constantly retain a boastful, masculine energy. In this manner, they talk about the soccer team to which they all belong, speculating about their upcoming victory in their next match. All the while, Ned brags about how triumphant he will be, and Tom celebrates this idea while Joe periodically makes unsuccessful attempts to bring the conversation back to Gar’s departure.
Although Gar’s friends have come to see him, it’s painfully obvious that they don’t care very much about him. This, at least, is the impression they give him when they fail to acknowledge that he’s leaving the following day. However, because Philadelphia, Here I Come! is a play about the ways in which people—and especially men—fail to express their emotions, it’s quite possible that both Ned and Tom simply don’t know how to tell Gar that they’re going to miss him.
Themes
When they’re not talking about soccer, Ned and Tom speak chauvinistically about two women they saw in town that day. They then tell stories about women they’ve slept with in the past, bragging about their various sexual conquests. Finally, Public Gar reminds them that he’s leaving the next day, but this just prompts Ned and Tom to start talking about Jimmy, one of their other friends who recently moved to Philadelphia. Jimmy was a small young man who played goalie on their soccer team, and Ned recalls a night that he, Tom, and Jimmy went swimming in some caves with two women from Dublin. When they reached the caves, Ned and Tom went swimming while Jimmy stayed on the banks with the women. The next thing they saw, Ned claims, was the women chasing a naked Jimmy while he yelled for their help.
Ned and Tom’s lack of emotion when Gar mentions his departure undoubtedly hurts his feelings, since their indifference only adds to the idea that nobody—including his own father—cares that he’s leaving. Although Gar wants to start a new life in the United States, he also wants the people around him in Ireland to acknowledge him and express their affection for him—something they’re apparently unwilling to do, since Ned and Tom are more interested in rehashing their vapid antics than celebrating their friend’s last night in Ballybeg.
Themes
The group of friends laugh at Ned’s story, but Private Gar reflects upon the fact that Ned has distorted this memory. In reality, all of them were there the night they went swimming with Jimmy and the two women from Dublin. What really happened was that all of the boys—including Jimmy—went swimming while the women remained on land. When they got out, they passed the time by wrestling one another to the ground, and then they decided to take off Jimmy’s pants just to prove their masculinity. However, little Jimmy somehow managed to fend them off, fighting them so they couldn’t get him naked. At this point, they all went home, leaving the women alone in the caves. Instead of telling the true story, though, Public Gar simply changes the subject, once more saying that Ned and the rest of them will surely win their next soccer match.
Private Gar is all too aware of the ways in which people twist their memories to their own benefit. Whereas the real story about swimming in the caves makes Ned and his friends look childish and silly, the version he tells in the moment is funny and jovial. In this way, Friel demonstrates that people often allow nostalgia to obscure the true nature of the past. This, it seems, is why both Private and Public Gar have decided to leave Ireland, wanting to forget about the past—which cannot be changed in any real sense—in favor of starting anew.
Themes
Joe proposes one last toast to Gar, but this only prompts Ned to ask the time, realizing there’s still enough of the night left to go drinking at the local hotel in the hopes of finding the two women he and Tom spotted in town earlier that day. Even Tom is hesitant at first to join in on this idea, since he knows the two women in question and doesn’t think they would entertain the idea of spending a rowdy night with the boys. Nonetheless, Ned convinces him that going to the hotel would be fun, so they jump up to leave. On their way out the door, Ned turns to Gar, takes off his belt, and gives it to him, mumbling something about how he can use its large buckle to defend himself if anyone tries to attack him in America.
Even though Ned is apparently unwilling to celebrate Gar on his last night before leaving, he does try to show his friend some affection by giving him his belt. This strange display of fondness is in keeping with the stilted ways in which men interact in Philadelphia, Here I Come! Unable to freely communicate the fact that he’ll miss Gar, Ned frames his affection as a mere concern for Gar’s safety, which is why he tells him that he should use the belt to defend himself against attackers. By saying this, he attempts to connect with his friend without actually having to articulate the way he feels.
Themes
When Ned tries to bid Gar a proper farewell, Tom interrupts him, causing him to whirl around and punch him in the arm before setting off into the night. Excited, Tom quickly follows without saying goodbye. This leaves Joe and Gar alone in the kitchen, and though Joe wants to give his friend a proper send-off, Gar can tell that he also wants to follow Ned and Tom. Telling him that he needs to get to bed early anyway, he insists that Joe should follow them, and Joe eventually admits that he’s eager to do so, saying that Ned and Tom just might get lucky for once with their plans to pick up women at the bar. Moving toward the door, he wishes Gar good luck in the United States.
Unlike Ned and Tom, Joe is capable of expressing his affection for Gar. However, his kindness doesn’t stop him from abandoning his friend, suggesting that even he isn’t truly considering Gar’s emotions. Having said that, though, the fact that he gives Gar a genuine farewell stands in stark contrast to Ned’s awkward goodbye and Tom’s complete failure to say anything about Gar’s departure. Consequently, this moment between Joe and Gar is one of the only times in the entire play that two people (and especially two men) allow themselves to show their fondness of each other.
Themes
On his way out, Joe good naturedly says that Madge should actually make good on her offer next time she invites the boys over for tea. Confused, Gar asks what he means, and Joe accidentally reveals that he and the boys weren’t planning to visit Gar until Madge asked them to come over for tea—which she never served them. Having said this, Joe chases after Ned and Tom while Private Gar bemoans the fact that only friends didn’t even care enough about his departure to come of their own accord to say farewell. Becoming vindictive, Private tells Public Gar not to worry about them, saying that they will inevitably have an unremarkable, predictable night at the hotel.
Just when Joe finally gives Gar the kind of friendly attention he craves, he inadvertently renders it meaningless by revealing that he wouldn’t have even come to say goodbye if Madge hadn’t asked him to. Once again, then, Gar finds himself at an emotional remove from everyone in his life (except, perhaps, Madge). As a result, Private Gar tries to make Public Gar feel better by reminding him how predictable life is in Ballybeg.
Themes
Despite his frustration, Private Gar begins to speak fondly about the times he’s had with the boys, saying he’s had quite a bit of fun with them, though all that’s left now is the memory of these times. Indeed, he’s well aware that his memory of his shenanigans with Ned, Tom, and Joe is “being distilled of all its coarseness,” so that the only thing left will soon be nothing but “precious, precious gold.”
When Private Gar says that his memories of spending time with Ned and the boys is “being distilled of all its coarseness” so that it’ll soon be “precious gold,” he suggests that nostalgia can make even the most unremarkable experiences seem wonderful and priceless. By saying this, he reminds Public Gar that thinking too much about the past is futile, since doing so ultimately skews memories and takes a person’s mind off of the future.
Themes
As Public Gar sits in the kitchen, Kate appears at the door to wish him goodbye. Shocked, he invites her in while Private Gar urges him to say something interesting, though Public Gar remains stilted and terse. When Kate asks if he was going to say farewell to her, he claims that he’d forgotten. Meanwhile, Private Gar reminds him that Kate is married, but he’s too busy listening to Kate to pay attention. When she asks what he’s going to do in Philadelphia, he claims that he’ll most likely go to night school and study to be a lawyer or a doctor, and they both joke that he’ll someday return to Ireland to buy Ballybeg. Shifting gears, Public Gar asks after Kate’s family, including Francis. When Kate says that Francis is doing well, Private says, “Then the Dauphiness of Versailles […].”
The audience has already seen that very few people have expressed their regrets about the fact that Gar is about to leave. Now, though, Kate comes to bid him farewell, clearly disorienting him because she’s one of the primary reasons he’s leaving in the first place. When Private Gar reminds him that she’s married, he does so because her attention in this moment might encourage Public Gar to entertain the idea of staying. Not wanting him to think he still has a chance with Kate, then, Private Gar recites Edmund Burke’s overly nostalgic passage about the Queen of England, once more emphasizing that it’s foolish to dwell on the past.
Themes
Kate notes that S.B. will surely miss Gar, and this sparks something inside of him. Unable to stop himself, Public Gar speaks angrily about how little he cares about Ireland, saying that he’s stayed in Ballybeg for far too long, comparing it to a swamp in which people get mired and stuck. All the while, Private Gar pleads with him to stop speaking so vehemently, recognizing that his words have offended Kate. When she suggests that Ballybeg isn’t all that bad, Public Gar claims that she only thinks this because she’s stuck in the town, adding that she’ll die here while he lives a life of freedom. Shortly after he says this, Kate gets up to go, saying that Francis is expecting her. Finally backing off, he bids her a sheepish farewell and watches her go.
The divide between Public Gar and Private Gar becomes quite pronounced in this moment, as Public Gar ignores his conscience and speaks disparagingly about Ballybeg. He does this because he’s overwhelmed by emotion, since Kate is one of the primary reasons he has decided to leave. When she mentions his father, the other reason he’s leaving, he finds himself unable to heed Private Gar’s advice and goes on a rant about his new life, claiming that he’ll be free while Kate remains tethered to her pathetic existence in Ballybeg. As he says this, the audience witnesses his emotions—his heartache and desire to be loved—take the form of anger. Furthermore, the fact that he erupts like this makes sense, since he has been bottling up his emotions for the entirety of the play. Unable to express himself when he needs to, he has repressed his feelings, all of which come bubbling up during this conversation.
Themes
When Kate leaves, Public Gar stands shocked in the kitchen. Devastated by what he’s said, he tries to light a cigarette while Private Gar nervously intones, “Oh my God, steady man, steady—it is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the Queen of France […].” Going on, he begins to repeat various phrases that have stuck in his memory, including what Kate said on the night they decided to get married. He also remembers Master Boyle’s advice to never look back once he leaves Ireland, along with Kate’s recent assertion that Ballybeg isn’t as bad as Gar has made it seem. Overcome by these circulating memories, Public Gar lets out a small yelp, imploring his father to say something, though S.B. is in the shop and doesn’t hear this request.
In the aftermath of Public Gar’s emotional eruption, Private Gar is no longer able to keep his misgivings at bay. As a result, all of the memories he’s tried to distract himself from come pouring out, engulfing him in a sea of his own regrets and insecurities. The fact that Public Gar responds to this by asking his father to say something underlines how desperate he is for someone to connect to, someone who might help him handle his emotions. After all, although he’s spoken to Private Gar at length about his problems, Private Gar isn’t an actual person—he’s part of Gar himself. Consequently, Gar has nobody to turn to in this moment of extreme emotional turmoil.
Themes
