Duality and paralysis in "Two Gallants"Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned'?Get Original Essay 'Two Gallants', by James Joyce, from Dubliners, is on the face of it the story of two men driven by greed to handle a slave. Lenehan and Corley enjoy their playful banter as they wander around Dublin, all the while plotting to sneakily collect money from a woman. When examined more closely, "Two Gallants" is Joyce's commentary on urban life in Dublin, particularly on the social paralysis of its inhabitants. In his article “Two Gallants,” A. Walton Litz describes the story as “a cold-blooded attack on the conditions of Irish society” (Litz 329). The climax of the story exposes the gold coin, the end result of Corley and Lenehan's plan. The play itself represents the two sides of Corley and Lenehan, men who live a perpetual adolescent existence in Dublin. Although Litz's description of the play as "a true epiphany, a manifestation of a hidden reality" is accurate, he fails to delve sufficiently into the true meaning of this epiphany (Litz 335). In "Two Gallants", Joyce uses the play both to symbolize the duality within the main characters and to demonstrate the spiritual paralysis of men due to their greed. Much like the cliché “two sides of the coin,” Lenehan and Corley illustrate the duality of their characters throughout the story. Men contain both unattractive and positive qualities in their character. Corley is described as an unemployed and self-centered ladies' man who "spoke without listening to the speech of his companions." His conversation was mainly about himself” (Joyce 51). He constantly brags to Lenehan that the slave is wrapped around his finger. Corley tells him: "Every night, she brought me cigarettes [...] when she paid for the tram there and back. And one night, she brought me two damn good cigars" (Joyce 51). Even Corley's physical appearance is unattractive as he is described as having a large head, “global and fat; she sweated in all weather” (Joyce 51). Joyce portrays the man in an unpleasant light, making Corley an unpleasant character. However, Joyce also shows Corley's duality by including subtle allusions to his moral distinction and conscience. Corley is “the son of the police inspector and has inherited his father’s figure and gait” (Joyce 51). This description of Corley implies a certain air of stature, at odds with the idea of ​​Corley as an untrustworthy drifter. When Corley reunites with Lenehan after his tryst with the slave, Corley “looked gloomily before him. Then with a grave gesture he stretched out his hand towards the light [...] A small piece of gold shone in the palm” (Joyce 60). Here, the dark and ambiguous expression could possibly indicate guilt, although nothing other than speculation is feasible. Corley's face might reveal a slight awareness in Corley, a second side of him that differs from the harsh playfulness of his character. As with Corley, Lenehan is also seen as an unfavorable individual. Lenehan is seen as brown, moving from job to job. Joyce describes his physique as “stocky and ruddy” and his eyes “glistening with cunning pleasure” (Joyce 49). The narrator acknowledges that “most people considered Lenehan a leech” (Joyce 50). Lenehan constantly questions Corley about his abilities to handle the slave, and when he refers to Corley as a "gay lothario", there is an "undertone of mockery" that "has, 1996. 327-38