29 pages 58 minutes read

James Joyce

Clay

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1914

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Essay Topics

1.

How would “Clay” change if it were told by a first-person narrator rather than in a third-person limited narration? Why might the author have chosen to use third-person limited narration?

2.

Describe the moments in the story where it is clear Maria is conflicted internally but presenting differently externally.

3.

The matron of the laundry calls Maria a “peace-maker.” What evidence is there in the story to support this label? Are there also moments in the story that seem to refute this label?