It was not altogether his fault that it had happened.
He is trying to convince himself that this thing he has with Polly was a mistake, that he doesn't have to take any responsibility because he didn't mean to, after all. It just happened, right?
16 Matching Annotations
- Feb 2019
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www.gutenberg.org www.gutenberg.org
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“Come down, dear. Mr Doran wants to speak to you.” Then she remembered what she had been waiting for.
Also, is it possible that Mrs. Mooney's failed marriage has an effect on what she views as a healthy relationship for her daughter?
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He had money enough to settle down on; it was not that. But the family would look down on her. First of all there was her disreputable father and then her mother’s boarding house was beginning to get a certain fame.
Mr. Doran can afford to settle down with Polly, only he is unsure if those around him will approve of her. Irony here: Mrs. Mooney thinks that him marrying Polly will prove his faith.
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“Come down, dear. Mr Doran wants to speak to you.” Then she remembered what she had been waiting for.
Lots of irony here: Polly is going to marry Mr. Doran, and Mrs. Mooney is going to think that this is a perfect example of his faithfulness. In reality, Mr. Doran thinks lowly of her. Polly is being used as a tool and her mother and Mr. Doran's ploys. Her mother wanted to keep her from being used, but in the end contributed to it.
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The recollection of his confession of the night before was a cause of acute pain to him; the priest had drawn out every ridiculous detail of the affair and in the end had so magnified his sin that he was almost thankful at being afforded a loophole of reparation
So he knows what Mrs. Mooney is about to offer and even though he doesn't really want to marry Polly, he is grateful he's being given the chance to.
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She counted all her cards again
Her "cards" are a metaphor for her tactics and power
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For her only one reparation could make up for the loss of her daughter’s honour: marriage.
A lot going on here. Mrs. Mooney views Mr. Doran as having "taken advantage of Polly's youth" and the only way to make up for him doing that is for him to...spend the rest of his life with her?? It seems odd by today's standards, but it really goes to show how marriage was viewed in this setting -as a contract of money and security more than anything to do with love.
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Mr Doran
Polly's man
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She was sure she would win. To begin with she had all the weight of social opinion on her side: she was an outraged mother.
Mrs. Mooney views this whole interaction as a competition of sorts, her influence on her daughter's life is some game she can "win"
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At last, when she judged it to be the right moment, Mrs Mooney intervened. She dealt with moral problems as a cleaver deals with meat: and in this case she had made up her mind.
She lay in wait to find the best moment/way to control Polly, and did so expertly
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As Polly was very lively the intention was to give her the run of the young men. Besides, young men like to feel that there is a young woman not very far away. Polly, of course, flirted with the young men but Mrs Mooney, who was a shrewd judge, knew that the young men were only passing the time away: none of them meant business.
Mrs. Mooney does not intend for Polly to have a relationship with any of the men she flirts with, she only wants the men to "feel like there is a young woman not very far away". She uses her daughter almost as a prop for the men, and disregards Polly's own feelings.
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Polly Mooney, the Madam’s daughter,
Polly is Mrs. Mooney's daughter
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Jack Mooney, the Madam’s son,
Jack is Mrs. Mooney's son, had a reputation for being profane
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He drank, plundered the till, ran headlong into debt. It was no use making him take the pledge: he was sure to break out again a few days after.
Mrs. Mooney's husband was a complete mess and did not treat her well.
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All the resident young men spoke of her as The Madam.
She is well respected among the men she houses
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She was a woman who was quite able to keep things to herself: a determined woman.
It's interesting that she is described as "determined" at the same time she is being described as "able to keep things to herself" as though these two things are related
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