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“Every step brought him nearer to London, farther from his own sober inartistic life.”
Little Chandler thinks this line as he walks to the bar to meet Gallaher. It is important to note that Little Chandler thinks that he is walking to “London,” not walking to Gallaher. Such a strange substitution makes sense, however, as soon as the reader catches a glimpse of Little Chandler’s jealousy. Little Chandler feels physically and intellectually trapped in Dublin and he links success with emigration. It is understandable, then, that Little Chandler equates Gallaher with travel and foreign cities because he is jealous that Gallaher was able to leave Dublin and live an adventurous life when he was unable to.
“I’ve been to the Isle of Man…”
“The Isle of Man!...Go to London or Paris: Paris, for choice. That’d do you good.”
Right before this exchange, Gallaher asks Little Chandler if he has ever traveled outside of Dublin. Little Chandler dejectedly says that he has only been as far as the Isle of Man. Gallaher is not impressed with this information and presses Little Chandler to travel to other countries. He feels that Ireland is too small and that culture and adventure must be found abroad. This example highlights Ireland’s insularity and exemplifies the different life experiences of the timid Little Chandler and the outgoing Gallaher.
