Clay

by

James Joyce

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Joe Donnelly Character Analysis

Joe Donnelly, Maria’s closest friend, is the host of the Hallow Eve party at the center of the story. He is the wife of Mrs. Donnelly and the father of several children. Maria has known Joe his whole life, as she cared for him and his brother Alphy when they were young. Joe sees Maria as his “proper mother,” and he tries to help her: he got her the job at the laundry, he invites her to spend time with his family, and he has even repeatedly asked Maria to come live with him, which she refuses to do. While Joe and Maria are certainly close, Joyce does hint at tension in their relationship. Maria implies that Joe has a drinking problem, and she laments that he no longer speaks with his brother. Furthermore, although Joe tries to include Maria in the festivities, his efforts often make her uncomfortable. When he talks to her, for example, she sometimes doesn’t understand the point of his stories, and he pressures her to participate in games and sing an aria for the group, which she would rather not do. Joe seems aware that Maria’s life has not been all that she hoped, and the story’s final moment—when Joe tears up watching Maria sing—shows that, while he cares deeply for Maria and sees that she is suffering, he is ultimately unable to provide the healing she needs.

Joe Donnelly Quotes in Clay

The Clay quotes below are all either spoken by Joe Donnelly or refer to Joe Donnelly. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Loneliness and Estrangement Theme Icon
).
Clay Quotes

What a nice evening they would have, all the children singing! Only she hoped that Joe wouldn’t come in drunk. He was so different when he took any drink.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly
Page Number: 96
Explanation and Analysis:

Often he had wanted her to go and live with them; but she would have felt herself in the way (though Joe’s wife was ever so nice with her) and she had become accustomed to the life of the laundry. Joe was a good fellow. She had nursed him and Alphy too; and Joe used often say:

—Mamma is mamma but Maria is my proper mother.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Alphy Donnelly
Page Number: 96
Explanation and Analysis:

She arranged in her mind all she was going to do and thought how much better it was to be independent and to have your own money in your pocket. She hoped they would have a nice evening. She was sure they would but she could not help thinking what a pity it was Alphy and Joe were not speaking. They were always falling out now but when they were boys together they used to be the best of friends: but such was life.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Alphy Donnelly
Page Number: 98
Explanation and Analysis:

He was very nice with her. He told her all that went on in his office, repeating for her a smart answer which he had made to the manager. Maria did not understand why Joe laughed so much over the answer he had made but said that the manager must have been a very overbearing person to deal with.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly
Page Number: 100
Explanation and Analysis:

[…] Maria thought she would put in a good word for Alphy. But Joe cried that God might strike him stone dead if ever he spoke a word to his brother again and Maria said she was sorry she had mentioned the matter. Mrs Donnelly told her husband it was a great shame for him to speak that way of his own flesh and blood but Joe said that Alphy was no brother of his and there was nearly being a row on the head of it. But Joe said he would not lose his temper on account of the night it was and asked his wife to open some more stout.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Mrs. Donnelly, Alphy Donnelly
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 100
Explanation and Analysis:

The two next-door girls had arranged some Hallow Eve game and soon everything was merry again […] The next-door girls put some saucers on the table and then led the children up to the table, blindfold […] when one of the next-door girls got the ring Mrs Donnelly shook her finger at the blushing girl so much as to say: O, I know all about it! They insisted then on blindfolding Maria and leading her up to the table to see what she would get; and, while they were putting on the bandage, Maria laughed and laughed again till the tip of her nose nearly met the tip of her chin.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Mrs. Donnelly, Next-Door Girls
Related Symbols: Rings, Blindfold
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 100-101
Explanation and Analysis:

They led her up to the table amid laughing and joking and she put her hand out in the air as she was told to do. She moved her hand about here and there in the air and descended on one of the saucers. She felt a soft wet substance with her fingers and was surprised that nobody spoke or took off her bandage. There was a pause for a few seconds; and then a great deal of scuffling and whispering […] Maria understood that it was wrong that time and so she had to do it over again: and this time she got the prayer-book.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Mrs. Donnelly, Next-Door Girls
Related Symbols: Blindfold, Clay
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 101
Explanation and Analysis:

[…] Maria, blushing very much, began to sing in a tiny quavering voice. She sang I Dreamt that I Dwelt, and when she came to the second verse she sang again:

I dreamt that I dwelt in marble halls
With vassals and serfs at my side
And of all who assembled within those walls
That I was the hope and the pride.
I had riches too great to count, could boast
Of a high ancestral name,
But I also dreamt, which pleased me most,
That you loved me still the same.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Mrs. Donnelly, Next-Door Girls
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 102
Explanation and Analysis:

But no one tried to show her her mistake; and when she had ended her song Joe was very much moved. He said that there was no time like the long ago and no music for him like poor old Balfe, whatever other people might say; and his eyes filled up so much with tears that he could not find what he was looking for and in the end he had to ask his wife to tell him where the corkscrew was.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Mrs. Donnelly, Next-Door Girls
Page Number: 102
Explanation and Analysis:
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Joe Donnelly Quotes in Clay

The Clay quotes below are all either spoken by Joe Donnelly or refer to Joe Donnelly. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Loneliness and Estrangement Theme Icon
).
Clay Quotes

What a nice evening they would have, all the children singing! Only she hoped that Joe wouldn’t come in drunk. He was so different when he took any drink.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly
Page Number: 96
Explanation and Analysis:

Often he had wanted her to go and live with them; but she would have felt herself in the way (though Joe’s wife was ever so nice with her) and she had become accustomed to the life of the laundry. Joe was a good fellow. She had nursed him and Alphy too; and Joe used often say:

—Mamma is mamma but Maria is my proper mother.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Alphy Donnelly
Page Number: 96
Explanation and Analysis:

She arranged in her mind all she was going to do and thought how much better it was to be independent and to have your own money in your pocket. She hoped they would have a nice evening. She was sure they would but she could not help thinking what a pity it was Alphy and Joe were not speaking. They were always falling out now but when they were boys together they used to be the best of friends: but such was life.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Alphy Donnelly
Page Number: 98
Explanation and Analysis:

He was very nice with her. He told her all that went on in his office, repeating for her a smart answer which he had made to the manager. Maria did not understand why Joe laughed so much over the answer he had made but said that the manager must have been a very overbearing person to deal with.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly
Page Number: 100
Explanation and Analysis:

[…] Maria thought she would put in a good word for Alphy. But Joe cried that God might strike him stone dead if ever he spoke a word to his brother again and Maria said she was sorry she had mentioned the matter. Mrs Donnelly told her husband it was a great shame for him to speak that way of his own flesh and blood but Joe said that Alphy was no brother of his and there was nearly being a row on the head of it. But Joe said he would not lose his temper on account of the night it was and asked his wife to open some more stout.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Mrs. Donnelly, Alphy Donnelly
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 100
Explanation and Analysis:

The two next-door girls had arranged some Hallow Eve game and soon everything was merry again […] The next-door girls put some saucers on the table and then led the children up to the table, blindfold […] when one of the next-door girls got the ring Mrs Donnelly shook her finger at the blushing girl so much as to say: O, I know all about it! They insisted then on blindfolding Maria and leading her up to the table to see what she would get; and, while they were putting on the bandage, Maria laughed and laughed again till the tip of her nose nearly met the tip of her chin.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Mrs. Donnelly, Next-Door Girls
Related Symbols: Rings, Blindfold
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 100-101
Explanation and Analysis:

They led her up to the table amid laughing and joking and she put her hand out in the air as she was told to do. She moved her hand about here and there in the air and descended on one of the saucers. She felt a soft wet substance with her fingers and was surprised that nobody spoke or took off her bandage. There was a pause for a few seconds; and then a great deal of scuffling and whispering […] Maria understood that it was wrong that time and so she had to do it over again: and this time she got the prayer-book.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Mrs. Donnelly, Next-Door Girls
Related Symbols: Blindfold, Clay
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 101
Explanation and Analysis:

[…] Maria, blushing very much, began to sing in a tiny quavering voice. She sang I Dreamt that I Dwelt, and when she came to the second verse she sang again:

I dreamt that I dwelt in marble halls
With vassals and serfs at my side
And of all who assembled within those walls
That I was the hope and the pride.
I had riches too great to count, could boast
Of a high ancestral name,
But I also dreamt, which pleased me most,
That you loved me still the same.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Mrs. Donnelly, Next-Door Girls
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 102
Explanation and Analysis:

But no one tried to show her her mistake; and when she had ended her song Joe was very much moved. He said that there was no time like the long ago and no music for him like poor old Balfe, whatever other people might say; and his eyes filled up so much with tears that he could not find what he was looking for and in the end he had to ask his wife to tell him where the corkscrew was.

Related Characters: Maria, Joe Donnelly, Mrs. Donnelly, Next-Door Girls
Page Number: 102
Explanation and Analysis: