A Little Cloud

“A Little Cloud” by James Joyce is a story with little happiness. It follows the main character, Chandler, through a night during which he is presented with the reality of his worst fear, which is that he will never amount to more than what he already is. He feels trapped by his circumstances, and a meeting with his friend who has overcome those circumstances serves as a reminder of how trapped Chandler really is. Joyce …

…of these people felt that they were escaping the prison that the hardships of Irish life had imposed upon them. In “A Little Cloud,” Chandler remains trapped by his surroundings, by the city that he has always lived in, and the home he has made for himself. He longs to fight against the futility of his existence, but in the end, a prisoner who is conscious of his confines can only succumb to his fate.