The Boarding House

As Mr. Doran goes to meet Mrs. Mooney at the end of the story, Joyce offers the following description: “Going down the stairs his glasses became so dimmed with moisture that he had to take them off and polish them” (Paragraph 23). The fogging of Mr. Doran’s glasses symbolizes his lack of clarity about his decision, even as he is about to meet Mrs. Mooney. The stairs represent the liminal space between the past and the future, and the dim glasses prevent him from seeing clearly. This dimming effect is passed on to the reader, who is left in the dark about what the future holds for Mr. Doran and Polly.

Both Polly and Mrs. Mooney look at their reflections in mirrors at crucial points in the story. These are moments of decision or indecision, creating a motif. Polly looks into the looking glass when Mr. Doran leaves her to speak with Mrs. Mooney: “Then she dried her eyes and went over to the looking-glass” (Paragraph 25). Mrs. Mooney “stood up and surveyed herself in the pier-glass” after deciding to speak to Mr.