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.
