James Joyce -- "A Mother"

What was the social scene in Dublin at the time James Joyce wrote the Dubliners and in particular his iconic short story "A Mother" -- one of the most debated tales in the Dubliners? The emphasis in this paper is on the role of women portrayed by Joyce in "A Mother" -- in particular Mrs. Kearney, whose daughter Kathleen Kearney is given a strong boost in her education and music career thanks to her mother's persistence and ambition.

Numerous scholarly explanations have been put forward through the years to explain the motivation -- within the context of the social scene in Dublin -- the willful behavior of the story's protagonist, Mrs. Kearney. This paper takes the position that Joyce created Mrs. Kearney in the image of a 19th century heroine, Anne Devlin, for reasons that will be presented in full.

"A Mother" -- What the...
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