James Joyce is a complex writer. Through my analysis of his short story The Boarding House, underlying meanings are exposed. Emphasizing a woman's (mrs. mooney's role) in a chauveenistic society.

Mrs. Mooney: The Business Woman in James Joyce's "The Boarding House" A close examination of James Joyce's "The Boarding House," reveals Polly to be a mere ploy for Mrs. Mooney to achieve her goal and prove herself to be a real entrepreneur in finding a suitable husband for her daughter. In "The Boarding House," mothers are presented as dominating, manipulative figures that are in control of their own fates and the fates of those surrounding …

…ves in a deceitful manner. The madam, Mrs. Mooney is the primary source for initiating manipulations. She manipulates both Polly and Doran into fulfilling her expectations and the expectations of the Irish society. "The Boarding House" is Mrs. Mooney's property; thus it is vital to her livelihood that the others believe her business is properly run and decent establishment. Through manipulations, Mrs. Mooney successfully closes her primary business deal with a marriage proposal for Polly