Found in James Joyce’s Dubliners, “Clay” captures multiple layers of class, religious stratification, alcoholism, and quiet, casual cruelty in a handful of pages with astonishing economy.
Our protagonist, Maria, is a tiny, gentle woman who works at Dublin by Lamplight, a Protestant-run laundry aimed at reforming “fallen women.” Prior to this, Maria spent years as a beloved nanny for a Catholic family, helping raise two brothers, Joe and Alphy Donnelly. Though the brothers have since grown up and fallen out with each other, Maria maintains a fond, maternal bond with Joe and visits his household for Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve).
On her way to Joe’s house, Maria stops to buy a dozen penny cakes and a special, expensive slice of almond-plum cake. On a crowded tram, she is flattered when an elderly, slightly tipsy gentleman—who looks to her “like a colonel”—offers his seat and chats with her about the weather. Unaccustomed to male attention, Maria becomes flustered, and in her distraction, she leaves the plum cake behind on the tram.
When she arrives at Joe’s house, her dismay over the lost cake is smoothed over by the festivities. During a traditional Halloween game, a blindfolded player reaches into saucers to foretell their future: water signifies emigration, a ring or prayer book signifies marriage or the church, and clay portends early death. A neighbor’s child maliciously places a bowl of wet clay on the table. When Maria’s hands touch the cold, squishy earth, a hushed shock falls over the room. Mrs. Donnelly quickly scolds the girls, throws the clay away, and puts a prayer book in its place so Maria can try again.
To restore the party’s cheerful mood, Joe asks Maria to sing. She sings “I Dreamt That I Dwelt in Marble Halls,” but in her subconscious repression, she skips the second verse—the verse that speaks of suitors and romantic love—and sings the first verse twice.
Unlike typical Joycean protagonists, Maria herself experiences no grand epiphany; she remains blissfully, pathetically unaware of her error and the tragic nature of her isolated life. Instead, the epiphany lands entirely on Joe. Moved to tears by the song, his deadened brotherly affection, and the tragic sight of his former nanny, Joe is so overcome with emotion that he can barely ask his wife for the corkscrew to open another bottle.