What is the specific theme of James Joyce's short story "After the Race"?

When I first read James Joyce's Dubliners, I found the short story "After the Race" to be the most difficult to understand. Indeed, I actually found it boring, initially. However, after reading it a few times over the years, I've actually found "After the Race" to be a subtly complex and intriguing story. Overall, one of the main themes of the story is the illusion of wealth and promise contrasted with a reality devoid of...

When I first read James Joyce's Dubliners, I found the short story "After the Race" to be the most difficult to understand. Indeed, I actually found it boring, initially. However, after reading it a few times over the years, I've actually found "After the Race" to be a subtly complex and intriguing story. Overall, one of the main themes of the story is the illusion of wealth and promise contrasted with a reality devoid of hope.

In general, "After the Race" takes place after an exciting automobile race that the main characters recently participated in. Additionally, it becomes apparent that the main character, Jimmy Doyle, has recently agreed to invest a sizable sum into a business venture with one of his "friends" from Cambridge. Though Doyle comes from a wealthy family, Joyce reveals that Doyle is not financially responsible and is prone to wild living.

Throughout the story, Joyce crafts an exuberant air of excitement. Beginning with a celebratory dinner in the heart of Dublin, the four friends carouse through the night, eating, drinking, and toasting to the future. They eventually end up in Kingstown (now called Dun Laoghaire), a neighborhood out on the southern fringe of the city. After a night of disastrous gambling at the card table, Doyle ends up drunk, exhausted, and broke. By the end of the story, therefore, it's clear that Joyce is signaling the lack of hope for his protagonist. While Doyle may assume everything will work out in his favor, it's clear that he is hopeless with money and is bound to run into some serious financial hardships at best.

The fact that this realization happens in Kingstown is significant. While the bulk of the story's excitement occurs in central Dublin, the reality of Doyle's doom occurs in the outskirts of the city, far from the proper, "civilized" hub of the capital. As such, Doyle's geographical location acts as a physical personification of his prospects: instead of having hope in an exciting city humming with action and wealth, Doyle is doomed to a life of obscurity far away from the prosperous center of commerce.