Dubliners · Chapter
Clay explained
Maria, a small, unmarried woman who works in a laundry, prepares for a Halloween visit to her former foster-brother Joe's house.
What happens
Maria, a small, unmarried woman who works in a laundry, prepares for a Halloween visit to her former foster-brother Joe's house. She buys cakes and a plumcake, but loses the plumcake on the tram. At Joe's house, she participates in Halloween games, including a blindfolded divination where she first touches a soft wet substance (clay, symbolizing death) before getting a prayerbook. She sings a song about marble halls, and Joe is moved to tears.
Themes in this chapter
Alienation and Loneliness
Maria's isolation is evident despite her cheerful demeanor. She is unmarried, lives alone, and is treated with a mix of affection and condescension. Her lost plumcake and the ominous clay in the game underscore her unfulfilled desires and marginal place in the family.
Escape and Frustrated Desire
Maria's song about marble halls and her dream of a better life contrast sharply with her reality. The loss of the plumcake and the clay (death) symbolize the frustration of her hopes for a more fulfilling existence.
Characters to notice
- Maria
The protagonist, a small, unmarried woman who works in a laundry. She is kind, independent, and nostalgic, but also naive and subject to the condescension of others.
- Joe Donnelly
Maria's former foster-brother, now a married man with children. He is affectionate toward Maria but has a strained relationship with his brother Alphy.
- Mrs. Donnelly
Joe's wife, who hosts the Halloween party. She is practical and somewhat stern, especially when the game goes wrong.
- Alphy
Joe's brother, with whom Joe has a bitter falling out. He is mentioned but does not appear.
Key passages
“She hoped they would have a nice evening. She was sure they would but she could not help thinking what a pity it was Alphy and Joe were not speaking. They were always falling out now but when they were boys together they used to be the best of friends: but such was life.”
Maria looked forward to the evening but regretted the estrangement between Alphy and Joe, recalling their childhood friendship and accepting the change as inevitable.
Highlights Maria's passive acceptance of family discord and her nostalgic view of the past.
“She felt a soft wet substance with her fingers and was surprised that nobody spoke or took off her bandage. There was a pause for a few seconds; and then a great deal of scuffling and whispering. Somebody said something about the garden, and at last Mrs. Donnelly said something very cross to one of the next-door girls and told her to throw it out at once: that was no play.”
During the blindfold game, Maria touched something soft and wet (clay), causing an awkward silence and a hurried cover-up by Mrs. Donnelly, who ordered it removed.
The clay is a symbol of death, and the adults' reaction shows their discomfort with the ominous outcome for Maria.
“She sang 'I Dreamt that I Dwelt,' and when she came to the second verse she sang again: 'I dreamt that I dwelt in marble halls With vassals and serfs at my side, And of all who assembled within those walls That I was the hope and the pride.'”
Maria sang a song about a fantasy life of wealth and admiration, repeating the second verse, which speaks of being the hope and pride of those around her.
The song contrasts sharply with Maria's humble reality, emphasizing her unfulfilled dreams and the pathos of her situation.