Friday October 17th

"-Who is that? said the man, peering through the darkness.
-Me, pa.
-Who are you? Charlie?
-No, pa. Tom."
- Counterparts, Page 93

In this scene, Joyce embodies the character of Farrington fully. He has set Farrington's drinking with the idea of this rough, detached man, clearly not fit to be a father as demonstrated in the story's ending, and epitomizes the archetype of the drunk, abusive father. This small exchange, in which he can not tell his sons apart, personifies Farrington's disinterest in his children and lays the framework for the ending.


By using rough diction and short sentences that create foreshadowing, Joyce appeals to the reader’s sense of sympathy in the exchange between Farrington and his son. The way Farrington words the question “Who are you? Charlie?” makes him sound gruff, irritated and careless. Joyce’s choice of the words ‘who are you’ further infer that Farrington is not around often enough to know his children on any deeper level than their names. The demanding tone in his voice, coupled with the reader’s knowledge of his intoxication, foreshadows the ending to “Counterparts.”