Mrs. Mooney, the protagonist in James Joyce's short story "The Boarding House," represents women who appear to be kept in their submissive and dependent places while under the thumb of the men in their lives, but emerge as strong, independent and manipulative once that thumb is removed. In fact, as Joyce makes clear, Mrs. Mooney is a "determined woman" even while controlled by her abusive, alcoholic husband, and it is his pushing her to the limits which forces her to take steps which liberate her. She is not a weak woman who suddenly becomes strong, but instead a strong woman waiting, even if unconsciously, for the opportunity to break free. That freedom, however, involves the control of others' lives. She is a victim who becomes a victimizer. The narration and its focus allow these facts to become clear to the reader, and to guide the reader from character to character. The attentive reader will not be particularly surprised by the process or outcome of the story, but will nevertheless enjoy the story precisely because he or she knows more than any of the other characters, and can see the transformation of
The story is told by an omniscient narrator. This approach allows the reader to know what is occurring within the character, which means the reader comes to know each of three characters well---their thoughts, their motivations, their strategy, their intentions.
The narration is mobile, moving from outside the characters to inside the consciousness of Mrs. Mooney, then from inside Mrs. Mooney to inside two other characters, her daughter and the man who has slept with her under Mrs. Mooney's very boarding house roof.
Joyce also uses this mobile and omniscient approach to keep the interest of the reader. Were to remain in the head of Mrs. Mooney throughout the story, we would see the daughter and her lover as little more than cardboard figures. Mrs. Mooney is a strong woman with a definite point of view, but her very st...