The thirteenth of fifteen stories in James Joyce's Dubliners collection, "A Mother", can be seen as something of a break from the heavy and serious vignettes in its vicinity. It can be seen as a story to laugh at; after all, the title character is a domineering "stage mother" who demands that her daughter be paid full price to perform at a series of concerts where she accompanies on the piano. Everyone, including possibly his family, feels that he is not only overreacting but ruining the show for everyone. It is possible to read this story and conclude that it is simply a case of a shrill, uptight woman trying to live vicariously through her son. Upon a closer reading of “A Mother,” however, it is apparent that there is more than meets the eye. Joyce includes intricately placed symbols and metaphors that allude to Irish tradition and references Irish history several times. In the following essay I will argue that Joyce constructs social commentary within “A Mother,” invoking a progressive mentality in Ireland. To do this, Joyce addresses three main themes: death, Irish nationalism and feminism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, death is represented symbolically throughout the narrative, with Mrs. Kearney symbolizing life. This topic requires more than a cursory reading of his character. Regarding Mrs. Kearney's marriage, Joyce writes that she married "out of spite" (91) and that she jumped at the opportunity to marry her husband to silence her friends' gossip. His marriage is suitable, but moribund. Mr. Kearney was very serious and pious and had a "large brown beard" (91), brown being a universal color of decay and death. He lacked romantic inclinations while his wife still harbored them. Mr. Kearney proved to be a good father in this respect, but the bond between the two was emotionally lifeless. After opening the story with a description of her mother and her marriage, Joyce enters into setting up the plot. We learn that Mrs. Kearney signs a contract for her daughter to perform in four concerts: upon completion she will receive eight guineas. Kathleen, the daughter, is not present when the deal is made, but is encouraged by her mother. Mrs. Kearney even goes out and buys expensive charmeuse fabric for Kathleen's dress in anticipation of the performances. The mother and daughter enter the concert hall with high hopes, only to find the auditorium dead and lifeless: almost no one is present. Mrs. Kearney is upset by the lack of turnout and is told that they had too many shows scheduled. He believes that Mr. Fitzpatrick, the Society Secretary, has a “vacant” smile (93) in response to this obvious failure in planning. The next day, the evening of the second show, the audience is loud and behaves rudely. . Tonight Mrs. Kearney discovers that the shows are so poorly attended that they have canceled the third night. This sends her into a panic, because she signed a contract to get paid for four nights. The cacophony at this point sets a heartbreaking tone. Mrs. Kearney, "beginning to become alarmed" (93), could find no one to answer her question. On the evening of the concert it rains and everyone hopes that the "melancholy of the wet street" (93) does not ruin things. Later, to get away from everyone, Mr. Holohan leads the man from the newspaper "along some winding passages and up a dark staircase... to a secluded room..." (97).This description of where the men go to drink has a double meaning, because in one scene they enter a place with a death-like description, and on the other hand, the darkness is a metaphor for the roles of men in this story, which I'll talk about it later. The room is a gathering place for the men, who prove to be ineffective spectators throughout the story, never managing to accomplish anything. Finally, death is referred to in the description of the performance of soprano Madam Glynn. She is described as "bodiless" and "breathless," "with all the old-fashioned mannerisms of intonation and pronunciation which she said gave elegance to her singing... She seemed to have been resurrected from an old-fashioned wardrobe" (98). These allusions to old age and decay are in direct opposition to those of Mrs. Kearney, who can be seen with her daughter judging Madam Glynn before the performance. In this section I will examine the references Joyce makes to Irish culture of the time. At the beginning, before observing the meeting between Mrs. Kearney and Mr. Hollohan, Joyce states that this is happening during the Irish revival. Nationalism and classical Irish culture are very important to the characters. Children send Irish picture postcards and learn from Irish teachers. The entire premise of the performance hall is an homage to the Irish Revival, as Ireland has seen so many new theaters and performance halls in Dublin gain popularity with the renewed love for all things quintessentially Irish. I found Mrs. Kearney quintessentially Irish. She struck me because she is not someone who goes with the flow, but rather charts her own path – even if it upsets others, she keeps going, because she seeks truth and justice. Her detractors try to derail her, but she has her sights set on what she wants and is steadfast in her belief that she is right. That pride was an extraordinary part of Irish nationalism at the time, and I can't help but see Mrs. Kearney as the embodiment of this emerging zeal. As for the last point, I felt that the scene in the dressing room in The End was significant in regards to Joyce's references to Ireland. The room is divided in two: Mr. and Mrs. Kearney, Mr. Bell, Miss Healy, and another young woman are standing together, and everyone else is on the opposite side of the room. The two groups are at odds at that point, and although Joyce does not mention it directly, the reader can infer that tensions are high and some unpleasant looks are thrown. For me this was directly symbolic of the struggle between Irish Catholics and Protestants. Catholics are being oppressed and told that they will be marginalized if they do not conform to the new “way.” This is their faith, however, and while it is not as binding as a legal document, it is more or less set in stone. It's a nice microcosm of religious struggles; both sides think they are right. In this sense, I believe that Mrs. Kearney is a vague representation of Mother Ireland; she is seen as crazy and overly emotional and, like Joyce's Ireland in “Ireland at the Bar,” seeks validation from those around her. Finally, there is a feminist slant to the story. Most critics agree that Joyce demonizes the title character, advising by the end of the story that women need to be "put in their place". Suzette Henke claims: “Mrs. Kearney…is so obsessively motivated by greed and financial ambition that she compromises her daughter's musical career to boost her own ego and maintain a self-righteous principle.”1 However, I believe she accomplishes something very different. First of all, Mrs. Kearney is portrayed as a woman from the beginning.