Dubliners

In this section Joyce juxtaposes two deeply interpersonal stories with one steeped in contemporary politics creating a thematic link between the two spheres. “Clay” follows an older woman who was once a nanny to a middle-class family before a feud split the household apart. Joyce frames the central character, Maria, as unusual in that she isn’t striving toward a change in circumstances. Rather, it’s those around her that seem to be most affected by her descent to a lower social stratum. In her early interactions with other characters, Joyce equates Maria’s slight physical stature with her tranquil and unobtrusive nature, describing her as a “very, very small person” who “was always sent for when the women quarreled” (97). When faced with teasing from the other women, she graciously accepts it without argument. Joyce also notes her resistance to living with Joe and his wife, suggesting a resistance to being cared for by others. Her interactions at the Halloween party suggest she doesn’t like to draw undue attention to herself or be a burden to anyone else. In contrast to the other characters in the collection, Joyce depicts Maria as quietly content with her life, while others in her life project The Inertia and Paralysis of the Mundane onto her. For example, Joe is most affected by others’ treatment of Maria; he exhibits a sense of hopelessness for her circumstances, and reminisces that “there was no time like the long ago” (104).

Like Maria, Mr. Duffy, the protagonist of “A Painful Case,” also displays a lack of awareness of the world around him and a disregard for social norms. However, unlike Maria, he’s an austere bachelor with no interest in human connection or any deviation from his daily routine. Joyce’s introductory description of his life references “an over-ripe apple which might have been left [in his desk] and forgotten,” alluding to the biblical apple which symbolizes self-knowledge and sexuality—aspects of Mr. Duffy’s person which have been figuratively hidden away and left to rot (106). When he meets Mrs. Sinico, Mr. Duffy finds himself “surprised” that their connection is so effortless, marking a turning point in his arc when his carefully curated approach to living begins to unravel. Although he continues to hold himself at a distance from Mrs. Sinico, he feels his natural defenses growing brittle and considers “the strange impersonal voice which he recognized as his own, insisting on the soul’s incurable loneliness. We cannot give ourselves, it said: we are our own” (109). Highlighting the collection’s engagement with The Futility of Love and Infatuation, Mr. Duffy attempts an emotional retreat when Mrs. Sinico engages in physical contact causes him to return to his baseline state of inertia, where he remains until the death of Mrs. Sinico forces him to confront his past choices. Mr. Duffy speculates that Mrs. Sinico’s death was by suicide or an accidental death under the influence of alcohol, for which he initially feels disdain—which Joyce frames as an attempt to push away feelings of guilt and regret, as Mr. Duffy realizes he was given a chance at truly living and was too paralyzed to accept it.

In “Ivy Day in the Committee Room,” Joyce implicitly connects the sense of the inertia and paralysis of the mundane that permeates the two previous narratives with the political Imbalances of Power exemplified by Ireland’s relationship to Britain. Joyce delivers a dialogue-heavy narrative focused on dissecting Irish political beliefs, providing undercurrents of the author’s own opinions on Ireland’s decline reflected in his other writings. Joyce’s opening image of an elderly man (symbolic of old Ireland and previous generations) tending to a fire which is dying out, and the younger generation looking on without taking action. The men argue about two opposing politicians, introducing discord into an austere and uninspiring setting. Their discussion of the impending visit of the English king emphasizes his German heritage and foreign ancestry and draws attention to his lack of authority and authenticity in Ireland, indicating a sense of resentment at the subjugation of Irish culture and identity to British rule. Characters drop in and out to communicate the isolation and paranoia that’s infecting the group, with particular attention paid to a former (possibly disgraced) priest, suggesting Joyce’s own distrust in the authority of the Catholic Church and an aversion to the intersection of religion and politics. Throughout their conversation, the men explore Irish Nationalism and Charles Parnell’s legacy without addressing him by name until almost the end of the story. Their indirect allusions (underscored by the ivy leaf motif, the associated day of remembrance, and the story’s title) illustrate the complexity and mythology of Parnell’s influence.