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Melinda W
Ms. Olsen
English 114B
February 18th, 2015
To have True Intentions is to be a True Mother
The meaning of being a mother is virtually endless. A mother is a protector,
disciplinarian and friend. A mother should be a selfless, loving human who works hard to make
sure their daughter is equipped with the knowledge, skills and abilities to be able to live their
lives to full potential. Being a mother is perhaps the hardest and most rewarding job a woman
will ever experience. A mother is the truest friend we should have, when hardships fall upon us;
when we fall into poverty; when the whole world seems to be against us, a mother with shine her
kindness to destroy the clouds of darkness and cause peace to return to our hearts. With a role of
a mother being so important, it leads to the curiosity of what makes a true mother. In Dubliners
by James Joyce, the short story The Boarding House introduces the character Ms. Mooney.
The abusive space and past relations Ms. Mooney had to go though made her become the strong,
independent woman she is; this identity of her leads her to the motherly intentions of ensuring a
good marriage for her daughter, Polly.
In The Boarding House by James Joyce, in the book Dubliners, the story starts by
showing Ms. Mooneys life. Ms. Mooney has gone through a horrible past relationships. Ms.
Mooney did not have the best experience with marriage because her ex husband was a cruel,
horrible man. She married her fathers foreman and opened a butchers shop. As soon as Ms.
Mooneys father passed away, Mr. Mooney began to go to the devil. Mr. Mooney has fought
with Ms. Mooney in front of the customers, bought bad meat (which ruined the business), and he

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even went for Ms. Mooney with a cleaver (a butchers knife), which forced her to spend the
night at her neighbors house. Finally, she got a separation (Roman Catholics were forbidden
from getting a divorce, but they can request to live apart from their spouses, but they couldnt
remarry). She no longer supported her Mr. Mooney. He didnt get any food or money or shelter
from her. She, then, opened a boarding house to make a living. Her son, Jack, and daughter,
Polly, live with her in the house, which is filled with clerks from the city, as well as occasional
tourists and musicians.
Ms. Mooney runs a strict business and is known by the lodgers as The Madam, which
is basically a female pimp. Polly, who used to work in an office, now stays at home at her
mothers request, to amuse the lodgers and help with the cleaning. Surrounded by so many
young men, Polly inevitably develops a relationship with one of them, Mr. Doran. Ms. Mooney
knows about the relationship, but instead of sending Polly back to work in the city, she monitors
the relationship and sees where it goes. Ms. Mooney, then, goes to talk to Mr. Doran about
offering his hand in marriage. Mr. Doran hesitates about the meeting with Ms. Mooney. The day
comes and he knows he can either marry Polly or run away, the latter an option that would ruin
his sound reputation. Convincing himself that he has been tricked, Mr. Doran lament Pollys
unimpressive family, her ill manners, and her poor grammar; also, he wonders how he can
remain free and unmarried. In this moment, Polly enters the room and threatens to end her life
out of unhappiness. In her presence, Mr. Doran begins to remember how he was captivated by
Pollys beauty and kindness, but he still wavers about his decision. Uneasy, Mr. Doran comforts
Polly and leaves for the meeting. Finally, Ms. Mooney interrupts the reverie by calling to her
daughter. Mr. Doran, according to Ms. Mooney, wants to speak with Polly. The ending of this

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story is up for interpretation; however, it is safe to assume that Polly and Doran are going to get
married.
Mr. Mooney was a terrible father and an abusive husband. With this, Ms. Mooney had
specific intentions for Polly. She does not want her daughter around the father because when she
filed a separation she also requested care of the children. She sent her daughter to be a typewriter
in a corn factors office but soon took her back again to do housework when her father kept
asking to have a word with her. The intention that stood out the most for Polly was marriage, a
good marriage to be specific. Ms. Mooney did not want Polly around the men who were only
passing their time around and did not mean business. Ms. Mooney wanted her daughter to have
the best thing any young girl could get in this time period, a well-behaved husband. Ms. Mooney
had an awful, abusive marriage. With the abusive space Ms. Mooney had to go through, she
wanted to ensure a marriage that will not leave Polly sad or even worse, in danger. Mr. Mooney
used to constantly argue with Ms. Mooney, fight with her, and even threaten her.
Ms. Mooney and Polly had such a close relationship that it does not surprise when Polly
trusted her mother with her life basically. Even Polly wanted to get married; however, she
wanted to make sure she would still be under her mothers wing. She wanted to make sure her
mother stayed in her because she does not think she can survive without her. This can be
considered a bad thing considering how playful Ms. Mooney was with Pollys life; however, it is
as simple as a daughter wants to keep her mother in her life. Polly saw what Ms. Mooney had to
go through, so it made sense to her why Ms. Mooney was so strict and overprotective. She
realized her mother only wanted better for her. This proves how Ms. Mooney did everything to
ensure her only daughter a good and prosperous life because she did not get to have one.

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According to James Joyces The Boarding House by Cleanth Brooks, this short story
exudes perfection with a convincing point and a carefully organized plot. Ms. Mooneys
marriage was not made in heaven, which caused her to manage her daughter, Pollys life. Ms.
Mooney put Polly in the house because she knew that young men were only passing the time
away: none of them meant business. Ms. Mooney is clearly the careful player in a rather
complicated game. The story continues to talk about Doran not feeling confident about Polly, but
still ends up marrying her. Every necessary detail in The Boarding House is vigorously alive.
Also, the story states the truth about how scarcely admirable Ms. Mooney is by how she discerns
her real problems and solves them regardless of what has happened to her. She makes sure she
can help her daughter any way she can, completely ignoring her own problems. Brooks article
was on the money about what The Boarding House was about, and he was amazing at
describing Ms. Mooney. He was on the dot about how Ms. Mooney put away her problems to
make sure Polly was at the best she could be.
According to The Stigma of Femininity in James Joyces Eveline and the Boarding
House by Early G Ingersoll, Ms. Mooney used a last resort of many women with talent as
managers at the time--hiring out her domestic skills. Ms. Mooney receives pay for providing the
services to her boarders. Since Mr. Mooney has proved himself incapable of functioning either as
a butcher or as a husband or as a father, Ms. Mooney must not only provide for herself and her
children but also fulfill a father's responsibilitywhich at the time was to find an eligible
husband for a daughter, which explains why she allowed Polly to spend some time with the men
in the house. To match her apparently masculine decisiveness and initiative, Ms. Mooney
mastered the feminine concern for detail. She watches Polly flirt with the young men in the
house but also sees that "none of them meant business." Then, she sees how Polly acts around

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Mr. Doran and figures this man could be the one. Although Doran started to hesitate about Polly,
but then realized he got stuck by being captivated by Pollys beauty.
How a woman allows others will treat her will influence how their daughter will allow
others to treat her. If a woman sees herself as valuable and does not allow anyone to treat her
with disrespect, their daughter will do the same. If a woman lets people walk all over her, her
daughter could feel that is okay. A mother is someone who loves unconditionally and places the
needs of her children above her own, on a personal level, and not only with words, but also
actions. The heart of a mother is full of forgiveness for any type of mistake, and is generous
always in helping her family whose needs she puts as a top priority. A woman who holds a
position of authority or responsibility similar to that of a mother deserves the utmost respect. Ms.
Mooney truly is a great mother. She put in her all when it came to Pollys future and happiness.
It goes to show how any woman can birth a baby, but it takes the integrity of a true mother to
raise one.

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Works Cited
Brooks, Cleanth. "James Joyce's 'The Boarding House'." Studies in Short Fiction, 25.4 (1988):
405.
Ingersoll, Earl G. "The Stigma of Femininity in James Joyce's Eveline and the Boarding House."
Studies in Short Fiction, 30.4 (1993): 501-510.
Joyce, James. "The Boarding House." Dubliners. New York: Modern Library, 1926. 49-56.
Print.
Header Picture:
A Mother's Love. Digital image. HolidaysPicutres. WordPress, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.