As for Mr. Doran, he is obviously the victim and being manipulated throughout the affair. He was being seduced by Mrs. Mooney’s daughter and lured into having sex with her daughter. Society puts extra pressure on Mr. Doran and forces him to accept the reparation proposed by Mrs. Mooney. His promising social position makes him fail to withstand publicity nor risk the loss of his job as “a great catholic wine-merchant.” (pg.56) Moreover, the church also weighs heavily upon his decision, constantly reminding him of the sin he has committed. Not only are Mrs. Mooney and Mr. Doran’s lives being determined by religious aspects and social conventions, Polly also faces the same fate. Her life is pretty much predestined. She is a puppet being controlled and spied by her protective mother. She sends Polly “to be a typist in a corn factor’s office,” (pg.54) hoping that she will be wedded by some well off boss. However, her mission fails. Therefore, she takes Poilly to the boarding house, “giving her the run of the young man” (pg.54) and she weeds out candidates who do not mean business. These three principal characters are typical prototype of the people under the society of Dublin.
It is ironic to end with the prospect of marriage as the scenario seems like a perfect setup for a comedy. However, there is nothing to be comic about as Mr. Doran is trapped inside Dublin society with mixed feelings and the bond between Mr. Doran and Polly are superficial, lacking solid affection towards each other. Besides, in the first place, Mr. Doran is not eager to marry but to remain free. “Once you are married you are done for.” (pg.57) Mr. Doran marries Polly due to false consciousness, he is convinced that he has sinned for making Polly pregnant and he will be guilty if Polly put an end to her life.
The image of “mist” elucidates Mr. Doran’s obscured vision and inability to critically analyze his situation and carry out introspection. When he attempts to shave, a mist gathers on his glasses so that he has to take them off and polish them with his pocket handkerchief.” Besides, when he is going down the stairs to converse with Mrs. Mooney, “his glasses become so dimmed with moisture” again that “he has to take them off and polish them.” All these images is a premonition of his downfall and reflect how short sighted he is not to observe the leverages being applied by astute Mrs. Mooney. Comparatively, Mrs. Mooney is unambiguous about her vision. She has explicit target to achieve and is aware of the affair escalating between Mr. Doran and her daughter though there is no “open complicity” and verbalization between them. Her decisive and imposing character is insinuates through her surveying of herself in the pier- glass, providing her with reliable images. “The decisive expression of her great florid face” (pg.56) signifies that “she is sure she will win.” (pg.55)
All in all, The Boarding House is about how Mrs. Mooney ‘s life is governed by the power of materialism and how she traps Mr. Doran into a dilemma and treats him as a means to get her daughter off her hands. She is focusing on her own interest and neglecting the feelings of Mr. Doran and her daughter, which is a typical product of the society of Dublin.
