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“Maria gave the bag of cakes to the eldest boy, Alphy, to divide…”
Before the reader even meets Joe, they learn that he and his brother Alphy are no longer speaking despite being very close as children. Later in the text, Joe even goes so far as to say that “Alphy was no brother of his” and that God should strike him dead if he ever speaks to Alphy again. However, in this small and tragic moment, the reader learns that Joe named his son after his brother, indicating they were once very close. This crucial piece of information could explain why Joe seems so unhappy throughout the text.
“...when [Maria] had ended her song Joe was very much moved. He said that there was no time like the long ago and no music for him like poor old Balfe, whatever other people might say; and his eyes filled up so much with tears that he could not find what he was looking for and in the end he had to ask his wife to tell him where the corkscrew was.”
These are the final few lines in the short story. Here, Joe is deeply moved by Maria’s song. However, Joe quickly brushes aside his feelings and, in an attempt to divert attention away from himself, he asks his wife an unrelated question. Joe’s method of distraction is also significant because he is presumably asking for a corkscrew so that he can open a bottle of alcohol. Readers can assume that Joe wishes to repress his emotional response and turn to drink to soothe his pain. This assumption is even more likely given that Maria mentions at the start of the text that Joe has a drinking problem.
