After The Race by James Joyce

The following sample essay on “After the Race” is one of James Joyce’s stories about the Dubliners. Read the introduction, body and conclusion of the essay, scroll down.

After the Race is one of the Dubliners short stories by James Joyces. The story highlight the opportunities for a better social status and more wealth gained from cars road races in the streets of Dublin by some of the text characters such as Charles Segoin a successful French hotelier, Jimmy Doyle who had the best path to education but fail to finish it, his Father a rich man who wanted to invest in a good business opportunity, and Andre Riviere who was to be appointed by his cousin Segoin as a manager of a new motor business in Paris.

Despite their difference of culture and social class they are linked with the theme of simony. This essay will critically analyse the author choice of title and its link to the story.

The title of the story indicates the end of a road race, and its beginning as a potential motor business in the city. However, There is a gnomic incompleteness in the beginning of the story showing missing information about how Segoin become a successful hotelier, how did he end up in Dublin and with what purpose.

There is also no indication if the motor business in Paris is the same that was proposed by Jimmy? s father, if not where would it be and if Jimmy would have an important role in this business since he is the one who introduce Segoin to his father.

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Jimmy’s father an advance Nationalist use this relationship between Jimmy and Segoin for his own gain, he proposed the idea of motor business to acquire a better status in the society because he realised that Segoin was far richer than him and wanted to secure his services.

Joyce After The Race

The author also shows that he did not approve the friendship between his son and Villona because he was poor depict his qualities as a brilliant pianist. The narrator described that Jimmy is trapped due of his own failure in not finishing education even with the help of his father who spend money toward it by sending him to a Catholic College, and two Universities, and he think that the only way out of it is to be in the same league as Segoin, but do not have the money or status to match.

In this story the main character, Jimmy, did have an epiphany it occurred when they were playing cards in Farley yacht. Depict all the drink consumed, he realised that he was losing a lot in the game. The narrator mentioned that he would regret having losing a lot of money in the game but he carried on playing and pretended to be happy for the others. Jimmy was a target because of his popularity and his father’s money and influence.

The narrator project that Segoin pretend to his friend by giving indication that their business alliance was because of their friendship. As succefull man he did not need the money, but as a foreign he needs Jimmy`s father influence in Dublin Society which would be good for a business in the City. His father also only did care about how to take maximum advantage of this partnership; he was not interested in Jimmy`s plans.