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Summary: Act II, Part 1

From the beginning of Act II to when Widow Quin and the girls leave the pub

The next morning, alone in the pub, Christy comes across a looking-glass and admires his recently washed face, relieved that he will never have to dirty himself while working in the potato fields again. He hears people approaching the pub and hides in the inner room as he is not fully dressed. Four village girls—Susan Brady, Nelly, Honor Blake, and Sara Tansey—enter the pub looking for Christy as they have heard about his arrival and story from Shawn. They question if Shawn lied to them, but then they see the bed where Christy slept as well as his boots, which Sara tries on, wondering aloud whether Christy’s father’s blood is on them. Just as Susan worries that Christy has moved on to another village, Honor hears movement coming from the inner room. She opens the door and calls out. When Christy pokes his head out, Sara asks where Pegeen is, and Christy says that Pegeen is tending to the goats.

Christy comes out of the inner room, holding the looking-glass behind his back. Sara asks if Christy is the man who killed his father, and after Christy affirms that he is, the girls present him with gifts from their farms: duck eggs from Sarah, a pat of butter from Susan, a cut of cake from Honor, and a hen for laying eggs from Nelly. Each girl relates her gift to her ability to provide Christy sustenance and strength after killing his father and walking such a long way to their village. Christy holds all of their gifts in one hand while holding the looking-glass in the other behind his back. Curious as to what is in his other hand, Sara goes behind Christy and discovers he’s holding a looking-glass. The girls giggle, and Sara declares that she’s never known any man to care so much about his appearance.

Widow Quin enters the pub and says she has signed Christy up for the sporting events happening in the village later in the day. Widow Quin tells the girls to get Christy his breakfast and asks Christy to recount the story of how he killed his father. A flattered Christy obliges. He recounts how he and his father were working in the potato field when his father called Christy an idiot and said that he had arranged for Christy to marry a widow whom Christy found repulsive. When Christy stated that he would not wed her, the two fought. At this point in the story, Christy stands up, growing animated and using props as he describes his father lifting his scythe as Christy raised his loy. Susan and Honor comment on how well Christy tells his story. Christy explains that when his father brought down the scythe, Christy leapt out of the way before hitting his father’s head with the loy. The girls exclaim how impressive Christy is. Sara pours drinks, and they all share a toast. Pegeen enters the pub and angrily questions why the girls and Widow Quin are there. Widow Quin simply reminds Christy to attend the sporting events that afternoon, and she and the girls leave.

Summary: Act II, Part 2

From when Widow Quin and the girls leave the pub to when Christy puts on new clothes

Pegeen, annoyed that Christy was flirting with other girls, orders Christy to clean up the mess they made. Christy begins to tell his story again and Pegeen shuts him down, saying she has heard his story six times that morning already. Pegeen mentions that she saw a story in the newspaper of a man who was hanged for murder, which would be Christy’s fate if his crime were to be found out. Christy grows concerned and wonders whether he is safe. Pegeen remarks that Christy will be safe as long as he stops telling his story to anyone who will listen. Christy asks if they would report him, and Pegeen teasingly says they might.

Christy puts his boots on and prepares to leave the pub, lamenting how lonely he will be while on the run. He claims that Pegeen, with her beauty and wit, would not know what it’s like to be lonely, and Pegeen questions whether someone as charming as Christy could ever be lonely. Christy says he has been lonely all his life and bemoans that he has to leave Pegeen to avoid being hanged. As he turns to go, Pegeen calls him back. Flattered by his poetic words, she reminds him that he is employed as pot-boy. Suddenly, Christy realizes that she was teasing him about him being unsafe at the pub because she was jealous of his flirting with the village girls.

As Christy and Pegeen have an affectionate exchange, Shawn and Widow Quin rush into the pub. Shawn tells Pegeen that her sheep are eating cabbages, and Pegeen runs out to stop them. Christy goes to help her, but Widow Quin commands him to stay as Shawn needs to talk to him. Shawn shows Christy a ticket to the United States as well as his new hat, double-seated breeches, and new coat, and says he will give all of these to Christy if Christy leaves the village immediately. When Christy asks why Shawn wants him to leave, Shawn admits that he fears having Christy around will threaten his marriage to Pegeen. Christy becomes offended at Shawn’s bribery attempt, but Shawn tells Christy to think of all the riches and women Christy could find in the United States.

Widow Quin tries to help Shawn’s case by telling Christy that if Pegeen is told she cannot have Christy, she will only want him more. Christy is delighted by the thought of being with Pegeen, but Shawn tries to convince Christy that Pegeen’s temper would make someone like Christy eventually murder her and that she is more suited to wed someone quiet and gentle like himself. Widow Quin encourages Christy to try on the clothes that Shawn has given him, and Christy goes to change, saying he would like Pegeen to see him in them. Shawn feels upset that Christy will not leave and asks Widow Quin if she will help him. Widow Quin offers to marry Christy in exchange for a cow, a ram, and the right of way across Shawn’s property. Shawn happily agrees to this plan.

Summary: Act II, Part 3

From when Christy puts on new clothes to the end of Act II

Christy reenters the room dressed in his new clothes, and Widow Quin admires him, saying Christy must think himself too good for the people of Mayo as he’ll now be sailing to the United States. Christy declares, however, that he plans to stay in the village, and at Widow Quin’s signal, Shawn leaves to prepare for the sporting events. Widow Quin tries to coerce Christy to sit with her so that they can talk, but Christy feels anxious to go find Pegeen to show her his new clothes. As Christy walks to the door, he brags about how people in the village have brought him food and clothes and how he will never be lonely again. The moment he opens the door, however, he staggers back in horror.

Terrified, Christy hides behind the door, telling Widow Quin that he has seen his father. Christy’s father, Old Mahon, walks into the pub and tells Widow Quin that for the past ten days he has been looking for his son, who hit him on the head with a loy. Old Mahon makes it clear that he wishes to seek revenge on his son for attempting to murder him. Widow Quin examines Old Mahon’s head wound and surmises that he must have done something to anger his son. Old Mahon insists that he’s always been patient despite his son’s foolishness and laziness. Widow Quin questions if Old Mahon’s son was more interested in girls or drinking than working in the field, but Old Mahon says his son was considered a laughingstock, has always been scared to talk to girls, and cannot handle liquor. After Old Mahon describes his son’s appearance, Widow Quin tells him she saw someone of that description heading to the coast to catch a boat. Old Mahon leaves the pub in pursuit of Christy, who comes out of hiding once the coast is clear.

Widow Quin bursts out laughing at Christy and comments that the “walking Playboy of the Western World” is not actually what he seems to be. Christy, terrified, wonders what Pegeen will think of him if she learns that he did not actually manage to kill his father. Widow Quin says Pegeen would kick Christy out of the pub for telling such a lie, but Christy insists that he truly thought his father was dead before leaving the farm. As Christy hears the village girls approaching the pub, he begs Widow Quin not to tell Pegeen the truth about his father. Widow Quin agrees only if Christy provides her with goods from the pub once he has married Pegeen. Christy asks what they should do if his father happens to come back, and Widow Quin says she will swear Old Mahon is a maniac and not Christy’s father. The village girls run in and tell Christy he must come to the sporting events. After Christy and the girls leave, Widow Quin says to herself that if the truth comes out, she’ll be the only one on Christy’s side, and he will marry her instead of Pegeen.

Analysis: Act II

In the beginning of Act II, Christy cheerfully basks in his newfound status as a hero, and he indulges in his vanity by admiring himself in the looking-glass. However, by admiring his reflection he seems to be admiring the version of himself that the villagers see rather than who he really is, suggesting that there may be more to his story than meets the eye. By hiding from the village girls in the back room, Christy reveals a lack of self-confidence. When he does come out to face the girls, he hides the looking-glass behind him, hinting that he feels embarrassed of his own vanity, as he knows it is not a trait attributed to the hero-like persona he is trying to emulate.

The girls come to the pub because they want to see for themselves the man who killed his father, showing how desperate their community is for any sort of drama. Rather than fearing the man who admits to being a murderer, the girls seek Christy out, try on his boots that they speculate might still be stained with the victim’s blood, and bring him gifts that will nurture and strengthen him. When Christy finally emerges, the girls want to hear him tell his story even though they already know it, illustrating the fact that Christy’s dramatic storytelling ability is just as impressive as the act of murder itself.

As Christy tells the girls about killing his father, he reveals more details, uses props, and moves about in an animated way. Compared to the story he first recounted to Pegeen and Michael, this telling seems much more exaggerated and sensationalized. When Christy first told the story, he simply said his father was old and Christy was tired of him. In this version, Christy resists when his father tries to force him into marriage and hits his father only after his father attacks him with a scythe. These revisions suggest that Christy is purposely making himself look more heroic, to the delight of the village girls.

After less than a day, Pegeen becomes annoyed by Christy’s retelling of the story, proving his charm and power are waning. By bossing Christy around the pub and instilling fear in him that he will be caught for his crime, Pegeen suddenly seems to hold the authority in the relationship. As Christy goes to leave, his flattery and use of poetic language win Pegeen over, again showing how Christy’s skillful way with words allows him to get what he wants.

Intimidated by Christy’s supposed bravery, Shawn feels willing to do whatever it takes to get Christy out of the way so that he can marry Pegeen as planned. Shawn, with the help of Widow Quin, bribes Christy with a ticket to the United States and a set of his own new clothes. However, Shawn’s plot backfires as Christy, with his newfound confidence, only takes away Widow Quin’s suggestion that once Pegeen sees him in his new clothes, she will want to marry him. By taking Shawn’s clothes, Christy is effectively replacing Shawn in Pegeen’s life. This action also reveals that Christy has quickly become haughty and oblivious, as he takes the clothing without even considering carrying out his end of the deal by leaving the village. He thinks he has power over Shawn and the other villagers, as they have brought him gifts, but fails to realize that they did so only with their own interests in mind. Christy’s newly developed arrogance immediately collapses as soon as he sees his father, Old Mahon, who was only wounded instead of killed, and Christy hides rather than confront Old Mahon, revealing he’s more of a coward than an authority-fighting hero.

Act II reveals more about Widow Quin and shows how different she is from the other villagers. When she realizes that Old Mahon is still alive, she protects Christy without hesitation while knowing Pegeen and the others would be furious at this revelation. When she learns from Old Mahon that Christy is not the courageous hero he pretends to be, Widow Quin does not grow angry but simply laughs at the incongruity of Christy’s true and presented selves. The fact that Widow Quin agrees to keep Christy’s secret and determines how she could benefit from the situation reveals that Widow Quin has a different outlook on life than her fellow villagers. She doesn’t need a hero figure as a husband to be happy. She sees things as they are and uses what she can to her advantage.

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