"After the Race" - James Joyce

James Joyce wrote the short story “After the Race” as part of a collection called Dubliners.  The story follows a young man named Jimmy as he enjoys an evening out with his friends. They enjoyed riding cars, dinner, and a night of cards. The story centralizes around Jimmy and his fixation on obtaining status and the appearance of wealth, as well as some undertones of political conflict, both of which are representative of society in Dublin at the time.

            Jimmy is so consumed with pursuing social status and wealth, that in the process of doing so he squanders the very resources that could further his aspirations of social notoriety and wealth. His father achieved wealth and uses it to help his son further his ambitions by sending him to school in England, “He had sent his son to England to be educated to in a big Catholic college and had afterwards sent him to Dublin University to study law” (25). However, Jimmy fails to take advantage of this opportunity, “Jimmy did not study very earnestly and took to bad courses for a while” (25).  Jimmy also takes to dressing well and expensively to display his father’s wealth, “Jimmy, too, looked very well when he dressed and…his father may have felt even commercially satisfied at having secured for his son qualities often unpurchaseable” (25). Jimmy is well defined by this quote: “Rapid motion through space elates one; so does notoriety; so does the possession of money. These were three good reasons for Jimmy’s excitement” (25).  Joyce uses Jimmy as a representation of the social climbers and changing social attitudes that were occurring in Dublin in his time.

            The political tension displayed in “After the Race” is also representative of tensions prevalent in Dublin during Joyce’s time.  One example of political tension is Jimmy’s father. In order to gain wealth and success he stifled his political views to match those of popular opinion, “His father, who had begun life as an advanced Nationalist, had modified his views early” (25). Another example of the political tension is that of Jimmy and his friends from multiple origins, “Segouin shepherded his party into politics…the room grew doubly hot…there was even danger of personal spite” (25).  Joyce also illustrates the political tension that was prevalent in Dublin by emphasizing all the characters nation of origin, in turn denoting varying political views, “Andre Riviere, a young electrician of Canadian birth; a huge Hungarian name Villona” (24).  The political tension described illustrates the political changes that were occurring in Dublin during Joyce’s time.

            James Joyce uses the short story “After the Race” to illustrate the changes Dublin was undergoing and society’s response to it.  This short story was interesting to read and I think that Jimmy’s journey through partying and slacking off in school is representative of a period in life many people go through. - Hollie Roberts