"Counterparts" is a short story by

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

published in his 1914 collection ''

Dubliners ''Dubliners'' is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. It presents a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century. The stories were writ ...

''. The story follows a day in the life of an alcoholic

scrivener A scrivener (or scribe) was a person who, before the advent of compulsory education, could literacy, read and write or who wrote letters as well as court and legal documents. Scriveners were people who made their living by writing or copying w ...

who is unsuccessful in his professional and personal life.

Plot

The story recounts an evening in the life of a man named Farrington, frequently referred to simply as "the man". Farrington's difficulties begin at his clerical job when his boss — whom he addresses as "Mr. Alleyne" — berates him for not having finished an assignment. Instead of applying himself immediately to the task, the alcoholic Farrington slips out of the office for a glass of

porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., a locom ...

. When Alleyne yells at Farrington again, Farrington replies with an impertinent remark and has to apologize. It becomes evident that Farrington's relationship with his superior has never been good, partly due to Alleyne's having overheard Farrington mocking his Ulster accent. After work, Farrington pawns his watch-chain for drinking money and joins his friends for a night of drinking. Farrington's account of his standing up to his boss earns him some respect. However, his revelries end in two humiliations: a perceived slight by an elegant young woman and defeat in an arm-wrestling contest. Farrington goes home in a foul mood to discover that his wife is out at chapel. He tells his youngest son, Tom, to make dinner but the child lets the fire in the kitchen go out. Farrington's rage explodes and he starts beating the little child with a walking stick. The story ends with Tom pleading for mercy.

Background and story title

For Joyce's contemporaneous audience, the term "counterparts" could be expected to suggest (hand-written) duplicate copies of legal documents. At the story's end, Farrington, “the man” is seen as the "counterpart" of Mr. Alleyne, his superior at his workplace, since he abuses his child at home, just as Mr. Alleyne abuses him at the office.

References

*Joyce, James. ''Dubliners'' (London: Grant Richards, 1914)

External links

* * In "Farrington the Scrivener: A Story of Dame Street," Morris Beja compares "Counterparts" with "

Bartleby, the Scrivener "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by American writer Herman Melville, first serialized anonymously in two parts in the November and December 1853 issues of ''Putnam's Magazine'' and reprinted with minor textual ...

," by

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works ar ...

. The essay is published i
''Coping With Joyce: Essays from the Copenhagen Symposium'', edited by Morris Beja and Shari Benstock (Ohio State University Press, 1989), pp. 111-122.
Short stories by James Joyce Short stories set in Dublin (city) 1914 short stories {{1910s-story-stub