James Joyce's short story 'The Boarding House' is a story that broadly examines the nature of identity and perception. More specifically, the text examines the lack of autonomous identity as a self-defining idea in favor of a means of contextualizing oneself within society. Joyce says in this story that in order to maintain one's identity and perception within society, individuals can be manipulated via preconceived social notions of morality. This theme is demonstrated through Mrs. Mooney's shot for her conversation with Bob Doran and Bob's inner thoughts as he shaves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayMrs. Mooney is shown in this text as a calculating and cold woman, and nowhere is this better demonstrated than when she prepares for her conversation with Mr. Doran. It becomes clear that in this conversation Mrs. Mooney does not want Mr. Doran to marry her daughter for reasons related to love or emotions. She wants him to marry her because it would help her and her family socially. Mrs. Mooney runs a boarding house and had a notoriously abusive relationship with her husband, so her reputation isn't the best. This is demonstrated by Mrs. Mooney's distorted perception of her discussion, as something that must be earned rather than understood. Joyce writes of this: “She was sure of winning. At first, she had the full weight of social opinion on her side. This passage shows that Mrs. Mooney knew from the beginning that this conversation would not be limited to her and Mr. Doran. She knew that the opinions of the entire community would be taken into account and as such, she would have the upper hand. This is a very literal and stark example of how Mrs. Mooney uses external social views and ingrained morality to get what she wants. While Mrs. Mooney uses social opinion as a tool to get what she wants, Mr. Doran, conversely, is subject to it. His dilemma is summed up well as he anxiously attempts to shave. This shaving itself appears to be a subtle indication that an individual's projected identity is more important than the one contained within, as an anxious Mr. Doran strives to appear coherent. The most interesting analysis comes when we examine what he thinks while he shaves, as Joyce writes: “All his long years of service were for nothing! All his industry and diligence thrown into the trash! This passage makes it clear that Mr. Doran sees himself as the victim in this scenario, as he believes that his career and reputation will be destroyed no matter what. If he marries Mrs. Mooney's daughter Polly, he will be scorned for his association with a lower class of people, but if he does not, he will be scorned for his immorality. This dilemma provokes an interesting discussion, because it forces us to consider which is worse: risking one's position, or risking one's perceived good nature? The text definitely portrays the latter as more influential, as the ending implies that the two are in fact going to marry. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In this text, James Joyce depicts Mrs. Mooney and Mr. Doran as people on opposite ends of the same problem. Not only are they representative of the different facets of a class society, but they also represent the way in which this same system can be used to manipulate the opinion of the masses. If someone of lower class can use this position to control someone of higher class, does that ultimately mean that.