Spiritual Dimension to Asceticism

Continuing with the characterization of Duffy already discussed, it would be worth mentioning the religious and spiritual dimensions to that he gives to his relationship with Mrs. Sinico.  Phil has already stated how Duffy is similar to the boy in Araby.  An important aspect of the connection is that both view the woman of interest in spiritual terms.  However, Duffy explicitly abandons Catholicism ("neither companions nor friends, church nor creed" 131) while retaining practices and imagery, especially in keeping the Maynooth Catechism.  He views his lifestyle as a renunciation of the world, but does not have the comfort of faith to go along with asceticism, so we see might see him as a pitiful figure.

But when Mrs. Sinico enters his life, "she became his confessor" seemingly in her capacity as a conversation partner, reengaging him with the what he remembers of the church community (133).  He still has his internal doubts, that "we cannot giver ourselves... we are alone", and he has changes in how he views himself:  "he thought that in her eyes he would ascend to an angelical stature" (135). This might be an explanation for his "soul's incurable loneliness": his perceptions of the relationship are entirely self-centered.  Though he says how they are united, the "union exalted him", not excited or impassioned him, and all the effects are on him.  Once she shows that she also has desires, he recoils ostensibly at the impropriety, but he was fine with talking to her for hours in the dark in her home for several months!  He calls the incident a "ruined confessional", meaning that she was unwittingly playing the confessor while she thought she had a kindred spirit, and he was not actually interested in bonding with her, only relieving his conscience.

Who is (s)he looking at?

He expresses his disgust with the common people throughout the story, especially in his desire "to live as as possible from the city" and away from inferior suburbs (129). So we have to ask: Is his contempt for society the underlying cause for his adoption of his ascetic lifestyle?  It would be strange if a man lived an extravagant lifestyle alone.  Could his choice of lifestyle be an extension of his feelings of superiority?

A Painful Case of Paralysis

Duffy's impersonal and sombre room

Joyce introduces Mr. Duffy as careful and unadventurous. The description of Duffy’s home – “an old sombre house . . . [with] lofty walls [and an] uncarpeted room . . . free from pictures” and his daily routine of traveling on the same tram and eating at the same places leads the reader to see Mr. Duffy as an uninteresting and paralyzed character (87). Mr. Duffy has nothing to live for; he has no passion, and everyday is identical to the one that passed. Even love in the form of family and friends is nonexistent in Duffy’s life, as he has separated himself from the rest of humanity: “ He lived his spiritual life without any communion with others, visiting his relatives at Christmas and escorting them to the cemetery when they died” (88).  

Duffy lives his life as if he were dead until Ms. Sinico awakens his emotions. However, even during their friendship, Duffy believes that he is destined to be alone, as “he heard the strange impersonal voice which he recognised as his own, insisting on the soul’s incurable loneliness” (90). As their companionship grows and Duffy bonds more closely with Sinico, Duffy is faced with the uncomfortable thought that maybe he is wrong – maybe it is possible to love someone. This thought that could possibly evoke passion and disorder, frightens Duffy and leads him to throw away his love and return to his cold, empty house of loneliness.

After four years of solitude, only the tragic death of his almost-lover leads Duffy to notice how he wasted the only chance at love he ever had. He despairs over his missed opportunity as he exclaims, “One human being had seemed to love him and he had denied her life and happiness; he had sentenced her to ignominy, a death of shame” (96). Duffy realizes how wrong he was when he pushed Ms. Sinico aside just because she may have wanted an intimate relationship with him. He sees that his roughness and lack of love ultimately killed his friend, as the reader finds out that she died of a broken heart and fallen spirit. Although Duffy recognizes his wrongdoing he doesn’t do anything about it: “He began to doubt the reality of what memory told him. He . . . allowed the rhythm to die away. He could not feel her near him in the darkness nor her voice touch his ear. . . He could hear nothing: the night was perfectly silent. . . He felt that he was alone” (96).  Instead of trying to remember his emotional connection with Ms. Sinico or trying to release his emotions by reconnecting with society, Duffy is centered on his loneliness. Duffy allows the spirit Sinico awakened in him to die. The story ends in the same way as it begins as he returns to his cold, impersonal home and continues his lonely life. Duffy remains paralyzed both emotionally and socially.

Is Joyce leading the reader to infer that Ireland is falling out of contact with the rest of the world? Will it be able to reconnect?

Forever Alone

     The ways in which Mr. Duffy from "A Painful Case" and the boy from "Araby" are affected by potential love have their share of similarities, and I believe that it would not be far-fetched to assume that the two are the same character.
     In "Araby", the boy is evidently overcome by his infatuation with Mangan's sister in a manner that implies that he had never experienced love before. He loses control of his feelings, and he begins to worship the girl in "strange prayers and praises which [he] did not understand."(20). Mangan's sister becomes the epitome of purity and beauty in the boy's eyes, and this drives him to travel late at night to a place he has never visited in order to find a gift to please her. Clearly, he has unrealistically high expectations for the bazaar and the potential gifts he could find there, but these expectations are inevitably left unmet, and once the bazaar closes he sees himself as "a creature driven and derided by vanity"(24), for he realizes the foolishness of his actions and feels mocked or "derided" by Dublin, the city that crushed his dream.
     If this boy did grow up to be Mr. Duffy, it would make sense that he purposely chooses to reside in the secluded town of Chapelizod "because he wished to live as far as possible from the city...and because he found all the other suburbs of Dublin mean, modern, and pretentious."(87). Also, as if to avoid being overwhelmed with emotion like the boy was with Mangan's sister, Mr. Duffy does not decorate his home with colors or photographs, and he follows the same exact routine every single day with "neither companions nor friends, church nor creed"(88); his life is "an adventureless tale"(88), yet he seems to accept it until he meets Mrs. Sinico. She seems to awaken feelings in Mr. Duffy that he had locked away long ago, for even though she appears to take the initiative, he starts arranging meetings with her himself. Gradually, he falls in love, and his emotions evidently grow stronger, perhaps too strong like those of the boy: "He thought that in her eyes he would ascend to an angelical stature."(90). However, unlike the boy who had never felt love, Mr. Duffy soon recognizes his feelings and rejects them as if he already knows the consequences. As a result, he returns to his monotone life, believing both of them would be happier separated.
     Through the death of Mrs. Sinico, however, Joyce obviously wants to show that Mr. Duffy's choice was a mistake, but if he and the boy are one in the same, where did their fault lie? The boy took a foolish risk and was disappointed, but wouldn't Mr. Duffy's pursuing Mrs. Sinico, a married woman, be just as foolish if not more? Was there truly any hope for their love in the first place?

The Search for the Ubermench

Mr. James Duffy seems like quite the boring recluse. Not only does he live outside of the city because he “wished to live as far as possible” (87) from Dublin, he lives in a completely bland home. He has “uncarpeted” (87) floors, walls “free from pictures” (87), and all “white” (87) lamps, bedclothes, and bookshelves. All of this contributes to, quite literally, the least excited living space possible. This all seems consistent with his deeply ingrained solitariness.

But that is were the consistency ends. Duffy seems to flip flop on his feelings towards his lifestyle. At first, Duffy seems dedicated to, and proud of living with “neither companions nor friends, church nor creed,” (88) further evidenced by his choice to live outside of the city. Once he meets Sinic, he “seized” (89) the opportunity to talk to her, a significant descent from his original position. After he begins his relationship with Mrs. Sinico, his internal monologue continues to insist on “the soul’s incurable loneliness.” (90) Joyce may want to depict the struggle of the intellectual, especially in a less than enlightened environment. Duffy, intellectually isolated by the “obtuse middle class” (90) that would never accept his progressive ideas, turns to Sinico as a confidant. At first, I took this as Joyce critiquing the singularity of some philosophers. How can someone truly ponder the human condition without actually living amongst other human beings and living a normal life? The final epiphany supports this when Joyce leaves us in “perfect silence” (96) and Duffy feeling “alone,” (96) feeling the absolute loneliness and emptiness of his life until now, again shifting his position.

Interestingly, Duffy’s opinion seems to have been significantly influenced by Nietzsche. ThusSpake Zarathustra denounces pity and exalts personal enhancement. Using this a baseline, Duffy would be in the right to live as a recluse, apart of the self-indulgent society of Dublin. Moreover, Duffy would be right to have abandoned Sinico because of her inferior will power.

One thing I do not understand is Duffy’s opinion of the general population. At one point, the narrator notes his fear of the “gilded youth” (88) seemingly showing a level of admiration or at least appreciation of the youth and by extension the future of Dublin. However, Duffy quickly contradicts this sentiment concluding that Dublin will not see a social revolution for “some centuries” (88). Moreover, he shows a significant amount of disdain for society, only existing within society to fulfill his family duties in accordance with the “old [dignity].” (88)

Nice Girls Finish Last (... or Die First)

Although "Clay" has a third person narration, much of the prose seems to reflect the actual thoughts of Maria.  Similar to "Eveline," the diction is overtly simplistic, which fits the story's relative lack of action.  Joyce makes clear that Maria’s thoughts are uncomplicated and gentle, using “nice” to describe her own physical appearance, the evening, and often Joe’s actions toward her.  Undoubtedly, Maria is a “nice” woman.  She finds little fault in the other characters, acts as a peacemaker, and is “delighted” by many of the night’s simple pleasures.

However, this characterization goes further than crafting a placid woman.  Instead, Joyce emphasizes the limits of her consciousness.  Literally her consciousness fails her as she repeats the first verse, not even realizing her blunder. Moreover, the blindfolded game embodies her lack of sight that leads her to symbolically choosing an early death.  

With a closer read, there’s some sense of Maria as perhaps mentally challenged.  The way people treat her is strikingly benevolent as “Everyone was so fond of Maria.”   Furthermore, lines like “Maria had cut them [the slices of bread] herself” sounds like praise for completing a simple task.  Coupled with her outbursts of emotion (“she nearly cried outright”) with trivial matters, Joyce portrays Maria as slightly mentally incapacitated for a woman of her age. 

It’s relatively unimportant whether or not Maria is “mentally challenged” by standards then or today.  What’s interesting is Joyce’s misogynistic treatment of women throughout the collection and statement on how Dublin thinks.  Some previous characters are remarkably aware of their surroundings.  Others, like Maria, seem constrained to thinking in childish ways. 

 It is, of course, good to be nice.  But what does Joyce imply when a nice woman picks an the symbol of an early death? Is Joyce critiquing the others' tolerant and kind treatment of Maria? She ultimately chooses a prayer-book in the game, indicating her future with the Church. If Maria is a representation of an ignorance of Dublin, is Joyce may critiquing the Catholic Church?

I Dreamt That I Dwelt in Clay Halls

Is Maria Irish?

Joyce makes it clear that she's a practicing Catholic throughout the story. She has "grey-green eyes," but Maria does not seem like a typical Irish name, compared to McCloud and Donnelly. The preponderance of names--most of the sentences in the paragraph beginning with "So Maria let him have his way" begin with a name--seem to emphasize the comparison. Maria's job as a maid, her distinctive name, and her lack of a last name all seem to suggest her lower class. She nursed Joe, which seems to imply that he has some higher stature.

I ask because I cannot figure out where exactly Joyce wants to point us in this story. Previously, the general complaints against Ireland have been coupled with an identification of highly specific issues, like the suggestions of pedophilia or prostitution. I cannot see anything like that in this story, and even the general complaint escapes me to some extent. I think, however, some possibilities emerge with Maria's song. She sings the first verse twice without realizing, establishing both the importance of the verse as an expression of her inner feelings and the paralytic quality of her desire.

The first six lines describe an intense longing for wealth. Her arrogance makes itself evident earlier in the story when she thinks that Mooney "had the notions of a common woman." It seems that Maria has some delusions of grandeur, despite the lowliness of her life. Yet, the song ends with a mention of lost love, which leaves Joe "very much moved." The song comes from opera about, according to James-Joyce-Music.com, "Arline, who is in love with Thaddeus, a Polish nobleman and political exile." It seems that Joe has some strong feelings for Maria that possibly go beyond the maternal ones he indicates early in the story. 

So, what is Joyce trying to demonstrate by implying these romantic feelings? Is it as simple as class preventing a full expression of feeling, a extension of the paralysis of poverty? Or am I missing some other major allusion? 

Let's Clay a Game

Clay Matthews, not the clay Joyce is talking about

       Clay has appeared in Dubliners even before this story.  In “A Little Cloud,” Little Chandler reads a poem by Byron whose second stanza reads: “Within this narrow cell reclines her clay.  That clay where once…”  This appearance of clay represented literal death.  In this story entitled, “Clay,” its appearance may signify more of a metaphorical death and serve as a way to further characterize Maria.

       Maria herself could be considered a figure of clay insofar as her surroundings have a strong control over her, shaping her actions and emotions.  The man on the tram flusters her so much that she forgets the cake she bought.  Also, Marry is, “delighted to see the children so merry and Joe and his wife in such good spirits” (85).  Maria lives vicariously through the family, their joy being the force that molds her happiness.

       Maria partakes in the Hallows Eve game (interestingly the only adult who participates), in which the players, blindfolded, pick an object out of a group.  The one they choose represents their future.  In this case, Maria initially chooses clay, a representation of death.  The clay might be more of a metaphorical one.  The life she lives is lonely and regimented.  Joyce may be implying that she is, in essence, dead.

       After Maria realizes that her choice was “wrong that time,” she chooses again and picks a prayer book (85).  Is the prayer book, a symbol of the Church, Maria’s way out of the grasp of the deadness that the clay symbolized?  Or will it serve to further entrench this idea that Maria is clay, as the Church is a powerful, controlling force?  Is the close proximity of the two choices an attempt to call to mind the biblical imagery that clay holds?