TWO GALLANTS introduces two men, Corley and Lenehan, chatting while walking down the streets of Dublin. Corley is a young man and the son of a police inspector, and Lenehan is a leech. Corley says how none of the other girls he dated ever gave him anything in return, but this time, a fair maid gives him anything he wants- by stealing. He has already prepared a meeting with the maid and parted ways with Lenehan. Lenehan sits at a restaurant and thinks about his life of leeching. He is 31, yet doesn't have a family or wife. He wishes for a simple-minded wife who could support him. He meets up with Corley again after the meeting. Corley shows him a small, gold coin he got from the maid.
The title of the short story “Two Gallants” has a special and symbolic meaning that clarifies the series of events that occur throughout the novel. The title also has a sarcastic tone towards the two main characters, as they both are opposites of a gallant. The story’s title highlights the personalities and financial conditions of both characters. Corley has a lot of loyal friends, is the son of a police inspector, and gets things and money from the woman, a maid, he dates. Lenehan, on the other hand, is considered a leech, doesn’t have a wife or family, and even the people he thinks of as “friends” don’t like him much. Unlike Corley, Lenehan desperately wants real friends and a family. However, both characters don’t have a stable job and have no intention to make money. They both have a financial problem and either gets money from one’s partner or have an unknown money source. The term “gallants” applies to someone who is either brave and heroic or shows special respect and attention to women. Both Corley and Lenehan have neither of those aspects. Even the country’s government is cowardly. The government not only doesn’t help its own people, but also doesn’t dare to stand up against the British government. The title of the short story shows the attitude and personality the two main characters, Lenehan and Corley possess.
The corrosion and decline of the Irish society is one of the main reasons by the author set all the short stories in the place of Dublin. The short story “Two Gallants” highlights the decline of Ireland at its full and the financial situation of the area at its worse. The novel is full of symbolic things and objects that highlight Ireland’s decline and corrosion. The author personifies the harp as a weary woman played by her master and no one doing anything to help her. The moon was always hidden by the dark clouds, making the area darker than ever. People like Lenehan walk all day in circles with nothing to do, only living with their dull and boring life in the area. The author also states how many people there, like Lenehan and Corley, lack a stable job and money. Many Irish men also mistreat the women there; they manipulate women and use them like a tool, just like how Corley uses the maid for money and his own joy. Furthermore, the financial situation and the behaviors of the individuals there make the situation of the Irish society even worse. Even the streets of Dublin is infused with British corruption and English domination. Many names of the streets and places there are named after English lords. Ireland, as written in the novel, has failed and neglected its citizens, and therefore, the individuals living there show only failure, thus bringing Ireland no hope to stand up as an individual country again.
Betrayal occurs all around the world every single moment and can make one’s life make a different turn. The short story “Two Gallants” is full of betrayal and the fear of being betrayed by someone else. In the story, the author highlights three different forms of betrayal: romantically, interpersonally, and politically. There are numerous romantic betrayal throughout the story. Romantic betrayal means betrayal that happens between a couple or people in a romantic relationship. Corley betrays his girlfriend, the maid, by gossiping about her all the time behind her back and using her to get money, cigars, free tram rides… etc. Lenehan and Corley then talk about one girl Corley was fond of but had a lot of other men after her. They called women “base betrayers”, not thinking of Corley using and gossiping about the maid as betraying. Betrayals interpersonally are mostly between friends or occur between friendships. Lenehan and Corley both are afraid of the other betraying them; Corley is afraid Lenehan will steal his girl, and Lenehan is afraid Corley would abandon him. That type of friendship isn’t very stable. When referring to betrayals politically, it is usually about the government or economical betrayals. The maid, being manipulated by Corley, betrays her employers and steals things, while the British government betrays Ireland by not providing protection for them. There are multiple types and forms of betrayal, either ones that did happen already, or the fear of being betrayed.
The short story TWO GALLANTS in the novel Dubliners introduce Lenehan and Corley, who chat together. Corley uses his girlfriend, a maid, to get money, free tram rides, and cigars. After a meeting with the maid, Corley met up with Lenehan and showed him a small gold coin he got from the maid. The title of the short story greatly highlights the personalities and overall situation of the two main characters, also shows how they and the government are opposites of a gallant. The author, James Joyce, highlights the corruption and decline of Ireland from the British government the most in this short story, as it shows the many symbolic objects that represent the dull life in Ireland and many signs of English domination along the streets of Dublin. Over the course of the story, there are many forms of betrayal that overall creates the main but complex structure of the short story.
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