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Clay
Maria, a laundress, is an older, unmarried woman with plans to attend her former foster child’s Halloween celebration. On her way to the party, Maria is reminded of her “old maid” status, and during one of the party’s games further confirms her marital future when choosing a lump of clay over a wedding ring.
Critically acclaimed author James Joyce’s Dubliners is a collection of short stories depicting middle-class life in Dublin in the early twentieth century. First published in 1914, the stories draw on themes relevant to the time such as nationalism and Ireland’s national identity, and cement Joyce’s reputation for brutally honest and revealing depictions of everyday Irish life.
HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.
Critically acclaimed author James Joyce’s Dubliners is a collection of short stories depicting middle-class life in Dublin in the early twentieth century. First published in 1914, the stories draw on themes relevant to the time such as nationalism and Ireland’s national identity, and cement Joyce’s reputation for brutally honest and revealing depictions of everyday Irish life.
HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.
25 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1914
6 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
James Joyce
1,714 books9,513 followersJames Joyce was an Irish novelist, poet, and a pivotal figure in 20th-century modernist literature, renowned for his highly experimental approach to language and narrative structure, particularly his pioneering mastery and popularization of the stream-of-consciousness technique. Born into a middle-class Catholic family in the Rathgar suburb of Dublin in 1882, Joyce spent the majority of his adult life in self-imposed exile across continental Europe—living in Trieste, Zurich, and Paris—yet his entire, meticulous body of work remained obsessively and comprehensively focused on the minutiae of his native city, making Dublin both the meticulously detailed setting and a central, inescapable character in his literary universe. His work is consistently characterized by its technical complexity, rich literary allusion, intricate symbolism, and an unflinching examination of the spectrum of human consciousness. Joyce began his published career with Dubliners (1914), a collection of fifteen short stories offering a naturalistic, often stark, depiction of middle-class Irish life and the moral and spiritual paralysis he observed in its inhabitants, concluding each story with a moment of crucial, sudden self-understanding he termed an "epiphany." This collection was followed by the highly autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), a Bildungsroman that meticulously chronicled the intellectual and artistic awakening of its protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, who would become Joyce's recurring alter ego and intellectual stand-in throughout his major works.
His magnum opus, Ulysses (1922), is universally regarded as a landmark work of fiction that fundamentally revolutionized the novel form. It compressed the events of a single, ordinary day—June 16, 1904, a date now globally celebrated by literary enthusiasts as "Bloomsday"—into a sprawling, epic narrative that structurally and symbolically paralleled Homer's Odyssey, using a dazzling array of distinct styles and linguistic invention across its eighteen episodes to explore the lives of Leopold Bloom, his wife Molly Bloom, and Stephen Dedalus in hyper-minute detail. The novel's explicit content and innovative, challenging structure led to its initial banning for obscenity in the United States and the United Kingdom, turning Joyce into a cause célèbre for artistic freedom and the boundaries of literary expression. His final, most challenging work, Finnegans Wake (1939), pushed the boundaries of language and conventional narrative even further, employing a dense, dream-like prose filled with multilingual puns, invented portmanteau words, and layered allusions that continues to divide and challenge readers and scholars to this day. A dedicated polyglot who reportedly learned several languages, including Norwegian simply to read Ibsen in the original, Joyce approached the English language not as a fixed entity with rigid rules, but as a malleable medium capable of infinite reinvention and expression. His personal life was marked by an unwavering dedication to his literary craft, a complex, devoted relationship with his wife Nora Barnacle, and chronic, debilitating eye problems that necessitated numerous painful surgeries throughout his life, sometimes forcing him to write with crayons on large white paper. Despite these severe physical ailments and financial struggles, his singular literary vision remained sharp, focused, and profoundly revolutionary. Joyce passed away in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1941, shortly after undergoing one of his many eye operations. Today, he is widely regarded as perhaps the most significant and challenging writer of the 20th century. His immense, complex legacy is robustly maintained by global academic study and institutions such as the James Joyce Centre in Dublin, which ensures his complex, demanding, and utterly brilliant work endures, inviting new generations of readers to explore the very essence of what it means to be hum
His magnum opus, Ulysses (1922), is universally regarded as a landmark work of fiction that fundamentally revolutionized the novel form. It compressed the events of a single, ordinary day—June 16, 1904, a date now globally celebrated by literary enthusiasts as "Bloomsday"—into a sprawling, epic narrative that structurally and symbolically paralleled Homer's Odyssey, using a dazzling array of distinct styles and linguistic invention across its eighteen episodes to explore the lives of Leopold Bloom, his wife Molly Bloom, and Stephen Dedalus in hyper-minute detail. The novel's explicit content and innovative, challenging structure led to its initial banning for obscenity in the United States and the United Kingdom, turning Joyce into a cause célèbre for artistic freedom and the boundaries of literary expression. His final, most challenging work, Finnegans Wake (1939), pushed the boundaries of language and conventional narrative even further, employing a dense, dream-like prose filled with multilingual puns, invented portmanteau words, and layered allusions that continues to divide and challenge readers and scholars to this day. A dedicated polyglot who reportedly learned several languages, including Norwegian simply to read Ibsen in the original, Joyce approached the English language not as a fixed entity with rigid rules, but as a malleable medium capable of infinite reinvention and expression. His personal life was marked by an unwavering dedication to his literary craft, a complex, devoted relationship with his wife Nora Barnacle, and chronic, debilitating eye problems that necessitated numerous painful surgeries throughout his life, sometimes forcing him to write with crayons on large white paper. Despite these severe physical ailments and financial struggles, his singular literary vision remained sharp, focused, and profoundly revolutionary. Joyce passed away in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1941, shortly after undergoing one of his many eye operations. Today, he is widely regarded as perhaps the most significant and challenging writer of the 20th century. His immense, complex legacy is robustly maintained by global academic study and institutions such as the James Joyce Centre in Dublin, which ensures his complex, demanding, and utterly brilliant work endures, inviting new generations of readers to explore the very essence of what it means to be hum
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 20, 2016
I enjoyed this short story quite a bit as far as James Joyce's works go (I'm not usually a fan), and I've arranged my thoughts into a haiku:
"The smiles we affect,
The lies that we tell ourselves,
They're only skin deep."
Also, I'm just going to put it out there since neither of the other reviews touched on it, and I know that the game has gone out of popularity. In the game that Marie and the children play, to blindly reach out and touch the clay means that death is in one's near future, just like the ring means the same for marriage and the bible going into the church. I feel like readers wouldn't get the full experience without knowing that.
"The smiles we affect,
The lies that we tell ourselves,
They're only skin deep."
Also, I'm just going to put it out there since neither of the other reviews touched on it, and I know that the game has gone out of popularity. In the game that Marie and the children play, to blindly reach out and touch the clay means that death is in one's near future, just like the ring means the same for marriage and the bible going into the church. I feel like readers wouldn't get the full experience without knowing that.
March 16, 2023
"Clay" is a short story by James Joyce that is particularly obscure to modern readers — who must be familiar with the details and significance of Irish cultural practices circa 1900 in order to extract any meaning. As well, one needs to be aware of the deep divide between Catholics and Protestants — the protagonist, Maria, who works at a Protestant laundry "used to have such a bad opinion of Protestants but now she thought they were very nice people".
Another indication of obscurity is the "laundry" itself. In the text it is simply a laundry; yet commentators describe the facility as a charity run to benefit women. If these clues are encoded somewhere in the text, even rereading did not help this oblivious reader locate them.
This short story, then, is something you have to research to understand. It takes place on Hallow Eve, and one initially tries to import modern notions of Hallowe'en and “trick or treat” to gain a rough template for the evening. Sweets are purchased for the children, and a game is played blindfolded. Maria's hand touches "a soft wet substance," there is muttering about the garden, and the game is replayed to select a more palatable omen. The word "clay" is not mentioned outside the title.
Maria sings a song: there is a "mistake": again this reader has no clue regarding the significance.
Maria is described as having a very long nose and a very long chin and several times she laughs so much the tip of her nose and the tip of her chin almost meet. That particular image evokes the profile of a stereotyped crone often seen at Hallowe'en.
Rating this one 3.5 stars rounded down because so much was obscure. Just reading the story is not that rewarding; one has to do research into portents, shades of meaning, and missing verses. The clay is raw material, and must be worked into meaning.
Somehow Joyce never thought to write this story to accommodate, 120 years in the future, a shallow unlearned Canadian reader.
Another indication of obscurity is the "laundry" itself. In the text it is simply a laundry; yet commentators describe the facility as a charity run to benefit women. If these clues are encoded somewhere in the text, even rereading did not help this oblivious reader locate them.
This short story, then, is something you have to research to understand. It takes place on Hallow Eve, and one initially tries to import modern notions of Hallowe'en and “trick or treat” to gain a rough template for the evening. Sweets are purchased for the children, and a game is played blindfolded. Maria's hand touches "a soft wet substance," there is muttering about the garden, and the game is replayed to select a more palatable omen. The word "clay" is not mentioned outside the title.
Maria sings a song: there is a "mistake": again this reader has no clue regarding the significance.
Maria is described as having a very long nose and a very long chin and several times she laughs so much the tip of her nose and the tip of her chin almost meet. That particular image evokes the profile of a stereotyped crone often seen at Hallowe'en.
Rating this one 3.5 stars rounded down because so much was obscure. Just reading the story is not that rewarding; one has to do research into portents, shades of meaning, and missing verses. The clay is raw material, and must be worked into meaning.
Somehow Joyce never thought to write this story to accommodate, 120 years in the future, a shallow unlearned Canadian reader.
February 18, 2025
The women of Dublin by lamplight (a charity place) were not just criminals and prostitutes. They were Irish women whom the society threw away, because they didn't fit any traditional roles.
In those times in Ireland women were placed in these charity houses by families and churches for offenses such as kissing, flirting, victims of rape and even being too pretty. They worked 12 hour days with no pay, and many died there.
In those times in Ireland women were placed in these charity houses by families and churches for offenses such as kissing, flirting, victims of rape and even being too pretty. They worked 12 hour days with no pay, and many died there.
October 30, 2022
"Maria had to laugh and say she didn't want any ring or man either; and when she laughed her grey-green eyes sparkled with disappointed shyness and the tip of her nose nearly met the tip of her chin."
October 18, 2020
A melancolia e o acomodamento.
December 13, 2025
Clay by James Joyce
Acts of Kindness
This is an excellent short story from The Dubliners by James Joyce.
Albeit simple and without any extraordinary plot, Clay is charming and loveable. In fact, it made me wonder why we have Ulysses and A Portrait of The Artist As A Young Man at number one and three respectively, on The Modern Library top 100 best books, and we do not have Dubliners anywhere there, or, to my knowledge on other major best books lists.
It is not on The Guardian, TIME or Friendswood lists.
“Maria was a very, very small person indeed but she had a very long nose and a very long chin... She was always sent for when the women quarrelled Over their tubs and always succeeded in making peace. One day the matron had said to her:
"Maria, you are a veritable peace-maker!"
Maria is the main character of the short story and, with her very long nose, we can’t help but like her.
„Everyone was so fond of Maria.”
So what can we do. I am known to be fussy and easy to pick a fight with neighbors, people at the gym, other drivers. My evil self would argue that Maria is dull, boring and with all her goodness I would not have much to talk about with her and therefore would avoid her.
After all she is not attractive and that is the main (sometimes the only) feature that I like in a woman. Or I used to, when I was younger and foolish? Who can tell?
There is however a sentence where a shade is cast over this angelic woman:
„...Often he had wanted her to go and live with them;-but she would have felt herself in the way (though Joe's wife was ever so nice with her)”
So what is the deal with Joe and Maria? Why would Maria be in the way? Only as a stranger, or a guest who stays for ever...or it could be more in the way of infidelity...
It is not crucial to solve this riddle, it is not a mystery climax in a story which moves away, without much emphasize on an aspect which finds a solution here:
"Mamma is mamma but Maria is my proper mother."
Then we move on to a religious issue and this is so interesting: in a tale that will take only a little over ten minutes to read, we are exposed to various aspects of life, inlcuding tolerance, compassion:
She used to have such a bad opinion of Protestants but now she thought they were very nice people, a little quiet and serious, but still very nice people to live with.
Maria has a secret that is hidden under her kind, warm appearance:
„...Maria had to laugh and say she didn't want any ring or man either; and when she laughed her grey-green eyes sparkled with disappointed shyness”
In other words, she had wanted a man and is now dissapointed. In fact, we can see that in the episode where an older man is nice to her and she kind of loses her head, not knowing what she does with the cake that had been meant to be a present.
In the face of this dissatisfaction in her life, the fact that she cannot make peace, with all her reputation as a peace maker, between the two brothers – Joe and Alphy, seems much less important.
she thought how easy it was to know a gentleman even when he has a drop taken.
It is interesting to admire the EQ, emotional intelligence of a simple, yet very smart woman.
Towards the end, there is a little mystery that I did not solve, but it is not a major event, it only has to do with a game they play and in which I do not see what the trick was. It may simply be a small secret, which even Maria does not know.
This a simple story, about average personages and yet so exceptional. You should read it if you ask me and you can do it legally and freely online at:
http://www.online-literature.com/jame...
Acts of Kindness
This is an excellent short story from The Dubliners by James Joyce.
Albeit simple and without any extraordinary plot, Clay is charming and loveable. In fact, it made me wonder why we have Ulysses and A Portrait of The Artist As A Young Man at number one and three respectively, on The Modern Library top 100 best books, and we do not have Dubliners anywhere there, or, to my knowledge on other major best books lists.
It is not on The Guardian, TIME or Friendswood lists.
“Maria was a very, very small person indeed but she had a very long nose and a very long chin... She was always sent for when the women quarrelled Over their tubs and always succeeded in making peace. One day the matron had said to her:
"Maria, you are a veritable peace-maker!"
Maria is the main character of the short story and, with her very long nose, we can’t help but like her.
„Everyone was so fond of Maria.”
So what can we do. I am known to be fussy and easy to pick a fight with neighbors, people at the gym, other drivers. My evil self would argue that Maria is dull, boring and with all her goodness I would not have much to talk about with her and therefore would avoid her.
After all she is not attractive and that is the main (sometimes the only) feature that I like in a woman. Or I used to, when I was younger and foolish? Who can tell?
There is however a sentence where a shade is cast over this angelic woman:
„...Often he had wanted her to go and live with them;-but she would have felt herself in the way (though Joe's wife was ever so nice with her)”
So what is the deal with Joe and Maria? Why would Maria be in the way? Only as a stranger, or a guest who stays for ever...or it could be more in the way of infidelity...
It is not crucial to solve this riddle, it is not a mystery climax in a story which moves away, without much emphasize on an aspect which finds a solution here:
"Mamma is mamma but Maria is my proper mother."
Then we move on to a religious issue and this is so interesting: in a tale that will take only a little over ten minutes to read, we are exposed to various aspects of life, inlcuding tolerance, compassion:
She used to have such a bad opinion of Protestants but now she thought they were very nice people, a little quiet and serious, but still very nice people to live with.
Maria has a secret that is hidden under her kind, warm appearance:
„...Maria had to laugh and say she didn't want any ring or man either; and when she laughed her grey-green eyes sparkled with disappointed shyness”
In other words, she had wanted a man and is now dissapointed. In fact, we can see that in the episode where an older man is nice to her and she kind of loses her head, not knowing what she does with the cake that had been meant to be a present.
In the face of this dissatisfaction in her life, the fact that she cannot make peace, with all her reputation as a peace maker, between the two brothers – Joe and Alphy, seems much less important.
she thought how easy it was to know a gentleman even when he has a drop taken.
It is interesting to admire the EQ, emotional intelligence of a simple, yet very smart woman.
Towards the end, there is a little mystery that I did not solve, but it is not a major event, it only has to do with a game they play and in which I do not see what the trick was. It may simply be a small secret, which even Maria does not know.
This a simple story, about average personages and yet so exceptional. You should read it if you ask me and you can do it legally and freely online at:
http://www.online-literature.com/jame...
October 30, 2023
There is a reason, why I am not too happy with all classics out there...a bag of meat cakes ?
April 23, 2024
Meh.
Not worth reviewing.
For the moment at least.
It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1914] [25p] [Classics] [Not Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Meh.
No vale la pena reseñarlo.
Al menos por ahora.
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1914] [25p] [Clásicos] [No Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Not worth reviewing.
For the moment at least.
It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1914] [25p] [Classics] [Not Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Meh.
No vale la pena reseñarlo.
Al menos por ahora.
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1914] [25p] [Clásicos] [No Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
March 30, 2018
Read in Dubliners.
An older, unmarried woman goes to a party at the home of a man she served as nurse when he was a baby. During a game, she chooses clay instead of a ring, prayerbook, or water. According to superstition, clay signifies death.
An older, unmarried woman goes to a party at the home of a man she served as nurse when he was a baby. During a game, she chooses clay instead of a ring, prayerbook, or water. According to superstition, clay signifies death.
August 25, 2024
Joyce has always been my blind spot, having been too intimidated by his intellect to read him. Looking forward to reading more!
September 19, 2019
*Read for class.
Read this for me Translation class. It's a very short story, but for some reason I quite liked it.
Read this for me Translation class. It's a very short story, but for some reason I quite liked it.
June 18, 2017
Use of free indirect discourse requires careful reading. Maria is not the jovial soul she appears. What was the man on the tram really up to and what was the substance she felt during the game.
January 3, 2025
2.75
This is a story that requires some context, without it there is very little meaning.
The story itself is called "Clay" because of a game that is played on Hallow Eve, whereupon the player places their hand into saucers containing an item. In this version, they choose to play it with a prayerbook (usually clay is used, but it seems it was not originally supposed to be involved in this exact game) but in a rather unsettling turn of events the book is switched out by someone... with clay. Or this was just an accident and the clay was supposed to be there (I can't figure that out). Touching the clay signifies future death for the player.
You would also need to know that the laundry that Maria works for usually takes in prostitutes or alcoholics. There's a also a theme of aging here and a decline Maria's performance (forgetting her cake, repeating stanzas in her song), hence foreshadowing her future passing.
It is sad, but not exactly bleak or depressing, as she is surrounded by people who love her.
The story itself was one of the lesser engaging in the collection, and of course it requires extra legwork to really understand it. Without prior knowledge, there isn't much to be found.
This is a story that requires some context, without it there is very little meaning.
The story itself is called "Clay" because of a game that is played on Hallow Eve, whereupon the player places their hand into saucers containing an item. In this version, they choose to play it with a prayerbook (usually clay is used, but it seems it was not originally supposed to be involved in this exact game) but in a rather unsettling turn of events the book is switched out by someone... with clay. Or this was just an accident and the clay was supposed to be there (I can't figure that out). Touching the clay signifies future death for the player.
You would also need to know that the laundry that Maria works for usually takes in prostitutes or alcoholics. There's a also a theme of aging here and a decline Maria's performance (forgetting her cake, repeating stanzas in her song), hence foreshadowing her future passing.
It is sad, but not exactly bleak or depressing, as she is surrounded by people who love her.
The story itself was one of the lesser engaging in the collection, and of course it requires extra legwork to really understand it. Without prior knowledge, there isn't much to be found.
December 24, 2021
The narration on the audio book was great, but I couldn’t for the love of my life understand what the ending meant 😅 might need to re-read it… but it does makes sense that I couldn’t understand what the overall story is all about, because in the story analysis it is said that the story is open and no matter how much we try to understand it, and that the writing or in the plot as a whole is open for us to understand it however we want to, which I find it so fascinating and unique for a book to have a plot an open plot I mean and an open ending and all that for the reader to analyze and understand based on his or her thinking and imagination. 👏🏻
August 28, 2023
I can’t quite give five stars—- but this is a wholesome and uncomfortable story about unconditional love, but also the dangers of an early spiritual death (the clay), and I adore the ending. The symbolism was also fun to unpack because I thought the themes were good. Good stuff Joyce!
July 27, 2025
(10/15 i Dubliners)
Veldig obscure, man trenger absolutt se fotnotene for å få noe særlig ut av denne, så takk for de. Men likevel interessant, spesielt med fotnotene, men også til en grad uten så er jo sjelettet ikke så dumt.
Veldig obscure, man trenger absolutt se fotnotene for å få noe særlig ut av denne, så takk for de. Men likevel interessant, spesielt med fotnotene, men også til en grad uten så er jo sjelettet ikke så dumt.
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October 23, 2019James Joyce 👎👎👎👎👎👎
November 12, 2022
Plotless, really.
March 9, 2023
A more slight story than some other entries in Dubliners, which uses a Halloween tradition as a metaphor to explore the religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants.
April 12, 2023
If I were Irish, also born around that time, I would have understood this better. But alas, am not. So two stars I regrettably have to place.
April 26, 2023
Where's the plot???
August 11, 2023
Sweet Maria. Everyone loves Maria.
Another grand little piece.
Another grand little piece.
November 2, 2023
all i could think about was justin bieber's maria and proceeded to play it seven times in a row
anyway as you can tell it was pretty dull to me
anyway as you can tell it was pretty dull to me
October 19, 2024
tenth story of the
Dubliners
the story was alright but the obscure/dated Irish cultural practices in this were delightful.
the story was alright but the obscure/dated Irish cultural practices in this were delightful.
January 16, 2025
So the opposite of the sound of music? How to not solve a problem like Maria.
August 21, 2025
Raised to 2.5 stars.
July 15, 2017
It seems sweet and simple by itself. Maria is an ordinary soul--though independent for a woman of her place and time--who organizes people's lives and lives tightly herself. She wishes the best for everyone, including feuding brothers she once nursed. She nearly cries over losing a plum cake on the tram, in part because of the two-and-four pence she spent on it, but also because she was so intent on offering it to her family friends. There are Halloween games, plain contrasts between Catholicism and Protestantism like reading the Bible in public after an omen and being surprised that Protestants can be genteel.
However, the story doesn't mean much by itself. I took a hint from someone's review and looked at Sparknotes to get the context. It's part of a much larger work, and Maria is meant to be a contrast to another female lead that's the opposite of her; the other woman emphasizes drama and major decisions. I would likely appreciate Clay more within the original work.
Another point that's important to know is what clay symbolizes. In the Halloween game, Maria touches a heap of clay. I had to look up why the other characters got upset at the young girls that set up the game. Apparently clay symbolizes an early death. Maria takes this literally and visits her Bible, but other sources point out that it symbolizes the death of Maria's soul since she doesn't live freely and feel broader joys.
I disagree. Many people enjoy simple lifestyles, which the story hints at in the beginning. Maria enjoys her small body, caring for others, and devising the best way to get the most done. It's naturally. It's simply her personality. It'd be forced and uncomfortable for her to live, say, for adrenaline or being the center of attention. Perhaps she could use more art, poetry, romance, or some other vehicle to enrich her life, but those things would be additions and not replacements to the traits and habits other analyses suggest make Maria's spirit dead.
I read more in interpretations of this story than the amount of content in the story, so I can't say it stands alone enough for me to like it; just the sweet and simple cliche.
However, the story doesn't mean much by itself. I took a hint from someone's review and looked at Sparknotes to get the context. It's part of a much larger work, and Maria is meant to be a contrast to another female lead that's the opposite of her; the other woman emphasizes drama and major decisions. I would likely appreciate Clay more within the original work.
Another point that's important to know is what clay symbolizes. In the Halloween game, Maria touches a heap of clay. I had to look up why the other characters got upset at the young girls that set up the game. Apparently clay symbolizes an early death. Maria takes this literally and visits her Bible, but other sources point out that it symbolizes the death of Maria's soul since she doesn't live freely and feel broader joys.
I disagree. Many people enjoy simple lifestyles, which the story hints at in the beginning. Maria enjoys her small body, caring for others, and devising the best way to get the most done. It's naturally. It's simply her personality. It'd be forced and uncomfortable for her to live, say, for adrenaline or being the center of attention. Perhaps she could use more art, poetry, romance, or some other vehicle to enrich her life, but those things would be additions and not replacements to the traits and habits other analyses suggest make Maria's spirit dead.
I read more in interpretations of this story than the amount of content in the story, so I can't say it stands alone enough for me to like it; just the sweet and simple cliche.
January 28, 2019
ES UNA HERMOSA HISTORIA DE UNA MUJER LLAMADA MARIA , SOLTERA Y MAYOR DE EDAD Y QUE OCUPA SU TIEMPO CUIDANDO Y CRIANDO A LOS NIÑOS DE UNA FAMILIA QUE LA QUIEREN Y ADORAN.-ES UNA LINDA HISTORIA DE UNA MUJER SENCILLA Y POBRE QUE AMA PROFUNDAMENTE AL PROJIMO Y NOS DEJA ESTA LINDA ENSEÑANZA.-SI BIEN ES CIERTO DE QUE NO TIENE EDUCACION ES UNA MUJER MUY HUMILDE.-
LA EXPERIENCIA QUE SE OBTIENE DE ESTE AUTOR ES EL HECHO DE ESCRIBIR EN MUCHAS DE SUS NOVELAS DE VIDAS PEQUEÑAS PRESENTADAS DENTRO DE SUS PEQUEÑECES.-
LA EXPERIENCIA QUE SE OBTIENE DE ESTE AUTOR ES EL HECHO DE ESCRIBIR EN MUCHAS DE SUS NOVELAS DE VIDAS PEQUEÑAS PRESENTADAS DENTRO DE SUS PEQUEÑECES.-
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2017
I found this short story rather dull, however after I looked up summary and observational notes, that made the story slightly more interesting. From what I understand, this is a section taken from a larger collection of Joyce's work, so perhaps if I was more familiar with his writing style and artistic language I may have enjoyed this a little more.
April 15, 2017
plumcake -> forgot in the tram or taken by "the gentlemen"?
wet clay -> early death
repetition of the first verse of I Dreamt that I Dwelt -> repetition of her life. And she doesn't realise that. She doesn't even care.
But she was happy and other people love her. Isn't it all we can hope from life?
wet clay -> early death
repetition of the first verse of I Dreamt that I Dwelt -> repetition of her life. And she doesn't realise that. She doesn't even care.
But she was happy and other people love her. Isn't it all we can hope from life?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews