A Witch in Nanny's Clothes

In the short story "Clay", Joyce presents us with some interesting images of the main character, Maria. Throughout the work Maria is portrayed a small and pitiable old woman. She lives out the boring life of a launderer and is the servant for the women around her. Although she is well liked it is clear she is still viewed as below the upper-class women who order her around. Then on her trip to see Joe she faces many troubles with the younger generation. First the young woman working at the bakery gives her trouble about what she is ordering, and finally asks if she wants to buy a wedding cake, and insulting gesture to a lonely old woman. Secondly, on the trolley ride to Drumcondra none of the young men offer her their seats, and when an older gentleman finally does, the man is not swooned to her flirting. Then at the house the children play the game  with the dishes, and although it is not clear what Maria grabbed it is obviously something insulting. Overall Maria is shown to be a sad old women who merely lives through life waiting for people to do her pleasantries. She gets by on Joe's kindness to her and seems to have no ambition of her own. The final stake in this image is Maria's song, which interestingly enough is a theme throughout Joyce's works. In Maria's case, the verse that she skips was one dealing with marriage and suitors, which she obviously lacks. Coupled with the bible she takes from the table these final images damn her to a life of lonely old age living vicariously through images of the past.

Yet, in a secondary image we are presented with the view of Maria as an old crone or a witch. To begin this imagery, there is constant reference to the fact that it is Halloween. Upon further research I found that in Irish mythology, halloween is believed to be a time for goblins, witches, warlocks, and for dead souls to revisit their homes. This fits in especially well with the fact that Maria is returning to the home of her faux son to reminisce about the past. Joyce also alludes many times to Maria's prominent nose and chin that nearly touch when she laughs. Both of these features clearly mean to portray Maria as a woman with the features of a witch. There is an issue though because while Maria's is older and a bachelorette, it seems as though she is too nice to be considered a witch or crone. The question then becomes, how does one reconcile these two seemingly conflicting images of Maria? And if they can't be reconciled then how should she be viewed?