A Little Cloud and Counterparts: Two Faces of Paralysis - Dubliners

On the surface, James Joyce's Dubliners is a collection of short stories and unrelated characters woven together only by the common element of the city of Dublin in the early 20th century. Upon closer examination, however, it is evident that each story and character is connected by the many common themes that appear in every story. The main characters of the stories "A Little Cloud" and "Counterparts" seemingly have nothing in common; Little Chandler is …

…own ignorance and alcoholism; Farrington is the man Little Chandler would be if he weren't paralyzed by painful shyness and delicate sensitivity. It seems as if Joyce deliberately placed the two stories in succession, and even titled the second one "Counterparts," to show the paralysis and lack of fulfillment that plagues all of Dublin: the rich as well as poor, the educated as well as the ignorant, and the strong as well as the weak.