Wednesday, February 16, 2011

What impressions does the story give about early twentieth social customs in Ireland?

In that society marriage is more about social standards, public perceptions and formal sanctions than mere feelings. Mooneys belong to a lower class (Mrs Mooney is a butcher's daughter and married to father's foreman) So Mrs. Mooney's intention is to make some prosperous man marry her unfavourable child. Poor Mr. Doran becomes the victim. Doran realizes how his family would react to this marriage. For Mooneys this marriage is a profit (Mrs. Mooney make sure Doran has a steady job, salary and savings and he's form a higher class) whereas for Doran it's an entrapment. Maariage has commercialized in that society.


Joyce slaps at some extremities in the religion, prevailed in that society. Union of a female and a male was considered 'a sin'. The priest magnified it to  greater extent. People were stereo-typed in that society (Dublin is a city where everyone knows everyone else's business)Doran had two options, whether to marry Polly or to run away, but he feared the latter since it's going to destroy his sound reputation.Mrs. Mooney, unlike other mothers, demanded marriage (not money as a compensation) or to risk public disclosure. So those religious and social forces trapped this man, who was not in the need o initiate a relationship with Polly. He hd to wedPolly despite of her vulgerity, wrong grammer, unfavourablefamily and social class. What mattered to the pople most was reputtion. Joyce evidently provides impressions about early 20th social customs plus the pathotic lives of dubliners.

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