“A Mother” is set in Dublin, Ireland at the turn of the 20th century. The story specifically focuses on the social dynamics within the Irish Nationalist movement in Dublin at the time. The Nationalist movement—which was centered on pushing for independence from England’s colonial rule—had built some power in the late 1800s, only to lose it after the social ruin and death of its leader, Charles Stewart Parnell. While the movement was ultimately successful—the Republic of Ireland gained its independence in 1922—there were several decades in which the movement was plagued with apathy, corruption, and ineffectual leaders. This is the particular historical moment in which "A Mother" is set.
Most of the characters in Joyce’s story represent different players and patterns in the then flagging Nationalist movement. For example, Mr. and Mrs. Kearney represent the upper-class members of the movement who—because of their wealth and social standing—don’t have a personal stake in the independence movement and join merely for the social clout. Mr. Holohan, on the other hand, represents well-intentioned (lower- to middle-class) leaders of the movement who are inexperienced and therefore ineffectual (as seen in his inability to plan the four concerts successfully). Mr. Fitzpatrick and Mr. Henderson, for their part, are stand-ins for movement leaders who simply don’t care about the movement's success—they enjoy gossiping with their friends and flirting with women rather than making the concert series profitable.
Joyce also shows off his knowledge of the Dublin classical music scene in the early 1900s in this story. The singer Mr. Bell is described as having “competed every year for prizes at the Feis Ceoil.” The Feis Ceoil was a well-known and competitive classical music festival in Ireland. Like the character Mr. Bell, Joyce himself was once awarded a bronze medal at the Feis Ceoil for his singing.
