Blog 6: James Joyce- “Two Gallants” “The Boarding House” Grace Paley- “The Little Disturbances of Man”

Two Gallants- This story was about two young men who needed each other. Lenehan and Corley were two men who were poverty stricken. They both needed their friendships for different reasons. Lenehan needed Corley because he was the guy who could sweet-talk women and get their money. Lenehan used Corley for the money aspect because he was poor. Corley on the other hand needed Lenehan for his friendship. Lenehan gave Corley the attention that he needed to feel good about himself. Corley used his charm and smart wits to trick women to give him money. He used his male dominance to control women to get things he wanted, like money.
The Boarding House- This short story was about a woman who created a Boarding House. Mrs. Mooney had a daughter, Polly, who throughout the story developed strong feelings for one of their guests whose name was Mr. Doran. What started out as “puppy love” turned into a serious relationship. Their relationship is put on hold due to complications with Mr. Doran’s life. Mr. Doran, the dominant male, determines whether or not the relationship will go any further. The males throughout these stories have power over the women because of their status.
The Little Disturbances of Man- This reading was also about a female, Virginia, who gets controlled by a male. Her husband leaves Virginia and his children to “join the army.” Her husband has continually verbally abused and mistreated his wife. The story talked about their strong love over looks, but over time their loved diminished. The husband always expected a lot from his wife and ultimately decided to leave her to pursue other things. During the husbands’ absence, Virginia gets reunited with an old friend, John Raftery who helps to stabilize her family. They have a little fling, but when John wants more from Virginia she rationalizes and denies him the opportunity to continue their relationship. At the end of the story, Virginia’s husband ends up coming back to the family. Virginia, seeming a little brain-washed from his power and control ends up taking him back. She allows his power and control to manipulate her to obey his wants and needs.
Overall these stories all dealt with controlling men who used women through relationships. They oppressed women in different ways, but they all had some type of power over women. Ultimately, the men in all of these stories were able to influence women’s choices and decisions through their power and money.