Though Joyce is sympathetic to Mrs. Kearney as a character, there are a few ways in which he gently mocks her for her upper-class elitism. One of the ways he does this is by repeating her use of the French word artiste throughout the novel whenever he refers to the musicians involved in the Eire Abu Society’s concert series—a subtle example of verbal irony. Take the following passage, for example, in which Joyce introduces readers to the musician Mr. Duggan:
From this humble state [Mr. Duggan] had raised himself until he had become a first-rate artiste. He had appeared in grand opera. One night, when an operatic artiste had fallen ill, he had undertaken the part of the king in the opera of Maritana at the Queen’s Theatre. He sang his music with great feeling and volume and was warmly welcomed by the gallery; but, unfortunately, he marred the good impression by wiping his nose in his gloved hand once or twice out of thoughtlessness.
When Mrs. Kearney uses the word artiste, it is not an example of verbal irony—she genuinely believes her daughter to be such a high caliber musician that she deserves to be referred to via a stylized French phrase. But when the narrator uses it in this passage—referring to Mr. Duggan as a “first-rate artiste” and noting a different “operatic artiste” whom Mr. Duggan knew—they are using it in a sarcastic way.
This comes across in the way that the narrator calls Mr. Duggan an artiste and then describes how he “wip[ed] his nose in his gloved hand once or twice out of thoughtlessness” during his appearance in the grand opera—something a “first-rate artiste” would not do. It’s important to note that Joyce is not mocking Mr. Duggan here—rather, he's mocking Mrs. Kearny for her elitist orientation to music and the arts.
The situational irony at the heart of “A Mother” is the fact that every action Mrs. Kearney takes in the story is to further her daughter Kathleen’s musical career and yet, by the end of the story, she has completely sabotaged it. For most of the story, Mrs. Kearney is doing everything she possibly can to help Kathleen become a successful pianist: she hires a teacher so that Kathleen can learn Gaelic (and therefore appeal to all of the people embracing the Irish nationalist movement and Irish Revival), she puts time and money into planning the concert series organized by a Nationalist organization, she negotiates for a contract in which Kathleen will make eight guineas for her four performances (a very high rate), and more.
Of course, all of Mrs. Kearney’s efforts end up being in vain when, at the end of the story, her advocacy on behalf of her daughter goes too far. After she pushes for Kathleen to receive the full eight guineas she was owed (despite the fact that the concert series had low turnout and therefore made very little money), the Nationalist organization turns on her, as captured in the following passage:
Mr O’Madden Burke said it was the most scandalous exhibition he had ever witnessed. Miss Kathleen Kearney’s musical career was ended in Dublin after that, he said.
In this passage, one of the leaders of the organization declares Kathleen’s career over because of her mother’s actions. The irony of this plot twist is Joyce’s way of communicating that Mrs. Kearney is overly stuck in her upper-class ways, refusing to be flexible as the financial situation around her changed. He is highlighting the lack of morality wealthy people have when it comes to engaging with progressive political movements, showing how Mrs. Kearney cared more about her family’s financial and social standing than about the movement and, in the end, is punished for that.
