Clay is a short story by James Joyce published in his 1914 collection Dubliners. James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (February 2, 1882 – January 13, 1941) was an expatriate Irish writer and poet, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Dubliners audio book cover Dubliners is a collection of short stories by James Joyce, published in 1914. ...

The story

Maria, a spinster with a minor job in a rescue mission for prostitutes and alcoholic women, is looking forward to her evening out at the house of Joe, whom she nursed when he was a boy and who is still very fond of her. After attending to a tea service, she goes out to buy cakes for the Hallow Eve party that will be held at Joe’s house. Maria is a bit maliciously teased by the bakery clerk about whether she wishes to buy a wedding cake. During the tea a similar remark was made. On a tram, she has a bashful encounter with an elderly man who chats with her. She is welcomed warmly at the house by Joe’s family, but she is saddened when she realizes she has lost the plumcake she bought for Joe and his wife. Maria is soon enticed into playing a traditional Hallow Eve game with the children in which objects are placed in saucers and a blindfolded player has to pick among them. Each object is supposed to have a prophetic significance. When Maria chooses a lump of clay, everyone goes quiet as clay stands for death. She chooses again and gets a prayer-book, which indicates a future in a convent. Another object in the game is a ring, standing for marriage, which Maria fails to get during this game and during a similar game earlier in the evening at the tea service (where objects were baked into pieces of tea cake). After drinking some wine, Maria sings the aria “I dreamt that I dwelt in marble halls” from the opera The Bohemian Girl by Michael Balfe. She makes a mistake by singing the first verse twice, but nobody corrects her. The omission is significant as the missing verse imagines the suitors that Maria has not had in her life: Michael William Balfe (May 15, 1808 - October 20, 1870), was an Irish composer, best known today for his opera The Bohemian Girl. ...

I dreamt that suitors sought my hand,
That knights upon bended knee,
And with vows no maiden heart could withstand,
They pledg'd their faith to me.
And I dreamt that one of that noble host
Came forth my hand to claim;
But I also dreamt, which charm'd me most,
That you lov'd me still the same.

The story ends with a description of how moved Joe is by Maria’s performance.

References

• Joyce, James. Dubliners (London: Grant Richards, 1914)