Mrs. Mooney's Deceitful Act The Boarding House, written by James Joyce, takes
place in a small neighborhood located in Dublin, Ireland during the early
1900's. There were three main characters involved in this story-Mrs. Mooney
known as The Madam, who was in charge of the boarding house, Polly who is the
daughter of Mrs. Mooney, and Mr. Doran who was a resident of the house. James
Joyce's, "The Boarding House" has a strange twist. It just so happens,
Mrs. Mooney who is very strict and protective of her daughter allows a secret
relationship to form between Mr. Doran and Polly. Pretending as though she has
no idea of the matter, the inconceivable act of fornication occurs between the
two-thus, scarring her daughter's honor for life. For a man would prefer to
marry a woman who has not already been taken by another man. In all likelihood,
Mr. Doran was wrong to take advantage of a young naive woman at the precious age
of nineteen. Mrs. Mooney was aware Mr. Doran "had been employed for
thirteen years in a great Catholic wine-merchant's office and publicity would
mean for him, perhaps, the loss of his job" (James Joyce 40). Upon
revealing her knowledge to the couple, she shamelessly informed Mr. Doran she
wanted reparation. However, only one type of reparation would satisfy Mrs.
Mooney, and that was marriage. In addition to Mr. Doran, many other men had
stayed there at the boarding house and made advances towards Polly which Mrs.
Mooney did not approve of, and often she pondered the idea of sending her
daughter Polly away to work in typewriting again. However, Mrs. Mooney felt the
men were just passing by and were not actually seriously interested in her
daughter, therefore paying no attention. However, for some strange reason Mr.
Doran was of a different nature. She allowed the relationship to go on without
intervention, possibly because she knew he made good money, along with having a
secure job, working for a great Catholic wine-merchant. Furthermore, allowing
the affair to escalate between Mr. Doran and her daughter would ultimately
result in the act of intercourse. Having done this outside of wedlock caused
women to be frowned on by society tremendously. Mrs. Mooney blatantly regarded
Mr. Doran as a mere means and not as an end in his own right. Before speaking to
Mr. Doran about the incident, Mrs. Mooney "stood and surveyed herself in
the pier-glass, with a decisive expression on her great florid face satisfied
her and she thought of some mothers she knew who could not get their daughters
off their hands. She was sure she would win. To begin with, she had allowed him
to live beneath her roof, assuming that he was a man of honor, and he had simply
abused her hospitality. He was thirty-four or thirty-five years of age, so that
youth could not be pleaded as his excuse; nor could ignorance be his excuse
since he was a man who had seen something of the world. He had simply taken
advantage of Polly's youth and inexperience: that was evident" (James Joyce
40). Nonetheless, it is painfully obvious that Mrs. Mooney selfishly and
manipulatively took advantage of Mr. Doran. One does not have the right to use
another individual as a way to further themselves without morally accrediting
the respect and acknowledgement they deserve as a person. I strongly feel it was
despicable what Mrs. Mooney did. One can agree it is always wrong to treat
another human being as a mere means and not as an end in his or her own right.
As I have stated earlier, I feel Mrs. Mooney treated Mr. Doran as a mere means
and not as an end in his own right. However, one can argue-because Mr. Doran and
Polly were both legally consenting adults-that maybe Mrs. Mooney has no right to
interfere with the personal lives of either person. Furthermore, one might
possibly argue the fact that because Polly is nineteen-years-old, very
flirtatious, and single, that this was a very effective means of finding the
ideal person to marry her daughter. After all Mr. Doran does have a secure job,
he is older and much more mature than the average person Polly's age. However, I
must indeed counter those arguments by stating, I believe intentionally setting
up a person for your own personal advantage is irresponsible and inconsiderate
of that person's feelings. Mr. Doran's thoughts… "Once you are married
you are done for" (James Joyce 41). It is evident Mr. Doran was not truly
considering marriage, until he thought of the ways he would be ruined once his
boss learned of his sinful conduct. Additionally, he would feel guilty if Polly
were to put an end to herself, as she mentioned. Truly, I feel Mrs. Mooney could
have prevented this situation had she stopped the affair before it actually took
place. However, it is apparent Mrs. Mooney's intentions were to select who her
daughter was to marry, caring very little for what the man felt. It is very
clear to me Mrs. Mooney deliberately waited for the perfect gentlemen to come
along. Meaning, a man who is easily influenced into having to marry her
daughter, that of a person who "is serious, not rakish or loud-voiced like
the others" (James Joyce 40). Along with a person of a secure background,
one who has saved up a bit of money, in all likelihood-meaning one who has a
"good screw" (James Joyce 40. Nonetheless, I am not insinuating Mrs.
Mooney is one-hundred-percent responsible for the affair. Of course the two
adults are mostly to blame, however I am simply claiming that Mrs. Mooney's
pretending to be oblivious to the fact that Mr. Doran and her daughter Polly
were having an affair, is the reason why it developed into what it did. It could
have been stopped, but Mrs. Mooney secretly and manipulatively trapped Mr. Doran
into owing reparation and would then anticipate marriage. By virtue of Mrs.
Mooney's despicable and manipulative actions, a dilemma has occurred…Polly
cried and threw her arms around Bob Doran's neck, saying: "O Bob! Bob! What
am I to do? What am I to do at all?" She would put and end to herself, she
said (James Joyce 41,42). There is only one undeniable resolution to this
problem; Mr. Doran marries Polly. In addition, I would venture to say Mrs.
Mooney's conspiracy to trap Mr. Doran was successful. Mrs. Mooney is wrong for
treating Mr. Doran as a mere means, and not as an end in his own right. Mr.
Doran was truly helpless from the beginning when he first moved into the
boarding house. Unfortunately for Bob Doran, Mrs. Mooney was successful in her
cleverly selfish and manipulative excursion. "Polly! Polly!"
"Yes, mamma?" "Come down, dear. Mr. Doran wants to speak to
you" (James Joyce 43).