“CLAY" OR A MODEL OF REPETITION MELENO GoDoY* Two things have called the critics! attention! in Janos Joyce's "Clay," the tenth story in DubL ai the symbolic Guplicity of Maria, at the same time the witch and the Virgin, and the omission, when Maria singe "I Dresst that T Dwelt," of the second stanza of the song, the hit cune from the opera The Hohemian Girl Willian satte Libreceo by Alfred Bunn and susic by Michael Although Joyce presents this omis on fo an ambiguous way ("she sang again," "no ome tried to show her her 3), much attention ha heen given, in critical analysis ef the story, ta the stanza which fe not sung, whe there are references to marriage, something Maria, olé and ugly, could mot aspire to.4 According to these interpreations of Joyce! short story, Naria cam nor sing the second verse of che song because, “consciously or unconsciously she rejects such a direct statement af her own situation” (Hudson), “she sees herself ridiculous and Father ugly" (Hoon). Her omission of che cand verse of the fong constitutes “a Freudian accident," since Maria is “a Ubide-ridden old maid" (Covam). Tindall understands that the second verge Gf he song, "which concerns love snd suitors suits one who, lacking love and avoiding fertility, has chosen Prayer and 4 the second th." while Staley gays chat Maria “does nor sing ae with ies references ta marri and bappiness decause, for the First time, she sees her life fer what it i The diversity of interpretations demonstrates well tne ditticuity introduced by Joyce in his snort story, However, it {a not in the continual reference to the stanza which is not Sung that resides the key for a paseible interpreta a of lens Godoy (de Sousa) sidade Catélica de Gaia leciena Teoria da Literatura oa Univer- Tihs do Desterro, 29 semestre do 1984, p. 51 a 62 51"Clay," but in the ambiguity through which the story is presented, uous, for the narrative discourse in "Clay" 1a also as The first two paragraphs of the story cam be taken as an axanple, First, there is the opposition between "the matron” and Maria, The matron had given het Leave to go out as soon as the vomen's tea was ower and Maria looked forward to her evening out, The kitchen was spick and span: the cook said you could see yourself in the big copper boilers, The fire var nicesand bright on one of the side-tables were four very big barmbracks. These barmbracks seemed uncut; but if you went closer you would see that they had been cut inco tong thick even slices and were ready to a be handed round at tes, Maria had cut chem herself. (99) Any attentive reader can detect, in thie first pa tten Cinderella story: the young woman the signals of # re-w does everything right and, perhaps, lives who works very muct asad life. Since chere is a matron, there are alse the possible stepsieters ("The women"). The very choise of the name Maria is sugges is us of the Blessed Virgin, by 2 young. Since Maria “looked cradition represented as a. fervard to her evening out" (another sign of “cinderellaty"), ve 4 ball or a dance, perhaps? wait for the rei A surprise, Rewever, meets vs in the second paragraph, deteniliarising the process establiched by the first one. Maria vas a very, very small person indeed but she hed a very long nose and a very long chi She talked a little through her nose, always soothingly: Yes, my dear, and Mo, my dear. She was alvays at for when the wonen quarrelled over their tubs ucceeded in making peace. One day the d te her! — Maria, you are a veritable peace-naker! ning of the first sentence in this new paragraph destroys Maria's inage of a "pretty girl,” co insist on ber ugliness. What is surprising is not the fact that Maria is "a very, very small person,” an image that somehay can be broughttogether with that of a “pretty girl." after all, ey, oF vie repetition of the all persone What is defamiliarizing hore is "very," and che emphasis expressed by another adverb, “indes: as if the marrator, convinced that the readers will doubt him, wants to make Maria seem even smaller than she really ia. The second half of this # stre e sentence ex thie impression even more, for now Maria is described as having “a very long nose and @ very long chin,” with the emphatic repetition of “very long." As if still unconvinced, the narrator intreduces this part of the sentence as an adversative clause, which makes Maria's nose and chin even bigger. The image of a L1 person with a big nose and a big chin would not be so strange if intradue: by the conjunction “and,” which would only add one information to the other (small p on + big nose + big chin), However, the use of "but" in this sentence not only adds one information to the other, it also opposes this second information to the previous on LL person + (antithesis) + big nose + big chin, Thus, the sase and the chin are me. *rely big, con ing Maria's height, they also imtensify the een Maria's fi disparity > tures (very small, very ugly, a ch, as Marvin Hagalaner wants) and her personality (good,hard vorker, peace-maker). The process of defamiliarisation is then doubled, for it is introduced om the lewel of the story (when it defaniarizes the Cinderella figure through vhieh Maria ia wi presented in the first paragraph) and om the level of the discourse (through the repetition of the adverbs and the use of the adversative but"). The rest of the information given in the second paragraph only enlarges that opposition (aria talks the nose is given an ateribuce a little through her nose"), by its turn also opposed to another infa talk cion (although through her nose, Maria oothingly"); even though able ro speak, that express her own ideas, Maria ney r really expresses them, she has only "yes" and "no" answers, whatever the siteation is. This explains her description as a “peace-maker", and a "veri- table" one, her ability for waking peace being testable in its truth or accuracy through, fer instance, a comparison: Maria 3oppored to the “quarrelling women." ALL th Bicro-eppositions are a development of the macro- opposition between paragraph one, which presents Maria through her attributes of “{po ible) beauty," "goodness," “hard worker," sed paragraph two, which presents Maria through ber attributes of “shorenese," "ugliness," “peacemaker.” These oppositions constituee a first characteristic of the text of "Clay," for in this shore story, well ag in other works by Joyce, things are mot what they seem to be: Maria seems to be fragile, but she is a hard worker] she is ugly like a witch, but she is 4 goed person, aod so on. Maria's appearance and reality are, thus, ambiguous. In fact, there are two Marias, the outward ugly, witch-Like amall Person, and the invard good, caring, peace-naking person. Through the process of defamiliarization, the narrator of Lay’ able to establish that ambiguity which, as a matter of fact, had been introduced in the text of the story when the barmbracks were mentioned, for they “seemed uncu had be. cut" indeed, Here we find, for the fire but... they 2, the adversative “but,” the same conjunction used later in the second Parageaph. The difference is that here che use of "but" is not defamiliatizing, functioning supposities "if you vent @ warning ta the reader (the er"), a warning that something will acrike him later: the defamil cizing rupture that paragraph two establishes in relation to the context ef paragraph one. The Feaders to know that his text, bis narrative discourse, is not what it seens ta be. In order co narretor in "Clay" wante Find out what this text is, the reader must do what the sarraror the barmbracks are concerned: go ‘go closer” is somewhat illusive. We can not forget that other phe invites him to do ae far "closer." Byt even this © in paragraph o “you could see yourself in the big copper boilers." Since the boilers are round, they will reflect only a distorted image, an an im. then, the we could add. To go closer beco! disclose the text of “Clay.” However, to disclose the text of "Clay" ie precizely te ons. One of them, it hi find ove its structural reason, or rbeen mentioned, in the ambiguity through which Maria is presented at the beginning of the story, and which is in symnetrical relation to the a y threvgh which the fact that Maria repeats the firet verse of the song "I Dreamt that 1 Dwelt," at the end of the story, is described. Although a serles of symbolic interpretations has been proposed for that omission of the second verse of the song, no attention h piven to the fact that Mar! “nistake" i etitien,” tne of Balfe's seng. And this constitutes a difference which must also be explained. an repetition of the first ver We have already seen that two signals are common to the initial and final groups of information “clay,” repericion and ambiguity (om che level of the story as well as on the level of the discourse). The p Sage Crom one group to the other must reveal, Chen, the narrative coherence of the story, In other words, ite structural organization. If T. T. & in is right when be says that “in each process of elaborating tiv information, we cam identify a certain group A of ini 1 segnals and a certain group B of final signals observed," and that "the task of a scientific desctiption it to explain how the transition fron Ato Bis effected and what Links are between th groups,” then an explanation for the structure of "Clay' twa y be given from the discevery and analysis of other signals of repetition and ambiguity which would jus y Maria's “mistake in repeating the First verse of Balfe's song. In fact, the whole story is a series of correlative repetitions, im other words, the story is structured through a PF been mentioned. The others are: the reference to Mar tern of repetitions. Sone of these repetitions have already = big note and big chin (99) is repeated three ure Eines, for vhenever Maria laughs “the cip of her owe nearly met the tip af her chin” (ivice on 101, once on 105); the references to che Hallow Eves ganes (by Lizzie Fleming on 101) at the laundry, and the ganes themselves at Joe's house (105); the barmbracks Har in cuts at the laundry and the cakes she buys in two different shops while going to Joe" Ballsbridge, where the laundty she works in is, to Drumcondra, house (102); the eve trans Haria takes to go from 55,where Joe houre it, and the trip itself, in two sta each one taking twenty minutes (100), from Ballsbridge to Pillar and from Pillar to Drumeondra. The title of the story ready calls attention te repetition, since clay is a natural material that is used in eaking, among other things, bricks, tiles, and pottery, which can be done through modeling and repetition. But all this would still be mea glass woless we found the structure that unifies these tepetitions ia "Clay." The firee and the second paragraphs with theiz repetitions give us a hint of this structure. Pa: graph one begins with the matrom giving Maris permission to go out, and paragraph two ends with th trom saying that Maria is "a veritable p ™ Veferences to the barmbracks at the end of paragraph one. Mari name is twice ¥ er.* There are two references to ia as a peacemaker at the end of paragraph two, and wo ated in paragraph one, and twice in paragraph ated: “the o" "the fire was nice and bright, very, Very small person indeed," “a very lo two. Algo, some gti matical constructions are re bitches 4s spick and spa Rose and a very long chin." Another interesting repetition appears in "the big and barm - bracks). There is alse « repetition in the apposition in the example of how Maria talks through her nos: copper boilers" and "four very big barebracks: the conpous the plural forms (copper = boilers “Yes, my dear, and So, my dear." Thes wo initial paragraphs, built through 4 pattern of repetitions, are the basis for the structure of “Clay,” with and as ph on yas? we te, the firsr being che ves ui Maria at the laundry, and the second, the one vhich gives us Maria at Joe's house, In order to better déseribe the structui paragraph two reflecting, through ite own repeticien: if in a mirror, the structure of repetitions in para Since antithesis is 4 form of repetition, as Todorov ean divide Joyce's short story in two one which of the story, we can enumerate its paragraphs and group them. The text of “Clay” is composed of nineteen paragraphs. From paragraph 1 to paragraph 8 we have Maria at the laundry "Dublinby Lamplight" (100). Paragraph 9 presents Maria in the fiver tram she Cakes co go from Ballsbridge to Pillar. Paragraph 10 at Maria in the twa shope where she buys two differeot Pe kinds of cakes. Par: whe takes to go from Filler to Brumcondra, Fron paragraph 12 t¢ aph Ll presente Maria in the second tram aph 19 we have Maria at Joe's house. As in Che chart Ballobridge Druncondra 3 3 the Laundey 2 8 Joe's how * 3 B paragraphs oof @ paragraphs (1 ee 8) « a 2 (2 te 19) ° = . ft é i oa ae = ro ss : = ac = a a a Part 1 - « - Part 2 We find, thus, the x of paragraphs (eight) in the two parts of the story, plus one more paragraph in each part, t Maria in the two trans. There is « similarity of paragraphs 1 and 0 nue whieh pre between the repetitive/oppositive structure 2, and the division of the text af "Clay," that is, the text of the story ie divided in two parts which are also in relasion chrough repet (second tran — Joe's house) reflects the first part (the laundry — firet te tary section between then (paragraph 9). ionfopposition: the second part of the story » vith am intern cuuse of this geometrical structure, the process af ent. There are references tition in "Clay" becomes more ev in the story to: the barmbracks (paragraph 1), the mixed penny cakes and the plumeake (paragraphs 10 and 13); Maria's ugliness STin opposition te her kindness (paragraphs 2 and 3), Maria's kindness in opposition to her awkwardness — she forgets the Plumcake in the tram to Drumcondra and, at Jee"s house, accuses the children of atesling it (paragraphs 12 and 13); the fact that “everyone vas so fond of Maria” (100; paragraph 3), and that “she said they were all very good to hee" (105), which means they were “fond of" her (paragraph 17); Maria thinking about the relationship between Joe and Alphy, his brother, and wishing overything to be fiae (paragraph 4), Ma mentioning Alphy to Joe, upsetting him, but, at the sane time, wishing everything to be Fine at the party (paragraph 15); Mari out how she would like fo, but would never live with family (paragraph 3), Maria feeling happy at che thinking Jee and hi ‘party, but getting the prayer-book in the games, where it means “go to a convent" and is equivalent to "not te live vith Joe and a Catholic, thinking of hew the Protestants are "very nice people to live with" (tog; his fanity" (paragraph 17); Hari h 6), the next-door girls playing a trick on Maria, aking her get the saucer with elay (paragraph 16) the women! at the laundry getcing together for ce Lizzie Fleming wishi. Maria to get the ring in the games at Joe's house (paragraph 7), and the next-door girls preventing her from getting it (paragraph 16)); Maria geteing © dy to go out and looking, in the mirror, at her “nice tidy little bedy" (101; paragraph 8), Moria singing, at Joe's house, "in a tiny quavering voice" (106; Paragraph 18); Maria taking the first tram ané thinking of Joe and Alphy now, when they are old and enemies, and then, when they were boys and “the best of friends" (102; paragraph 9), Marie taking the second tram and confronting a group of impolite young men and "an elderly gentleman" who “nade room for her” (102 Paragraph 11). Io paragraph 10 there are ¥ aoing to two cak rences to Maria hops and buying two kinds of cakes — Maria repeats her actions twice. The most significant of these repetitions, however, is the opposition between the senes of remenbrauce, vhich pervade Part when he and Alphy had gone ta Belfase™ the had nursed him and Alphy too" (100; 1 ("five years beta! (100; paragraph 4), "aragraph 5), "remembering that the next morning was 4 nase morning” (101; p paragraph 9)], and the sem Part 2 ("she ‘agraph 6), "when they were bays to) of fer cher" (102; fulness, which pervade an to look for her plumcake... but nowhere could she find it" (104; paragraph 13), "nobody could find che nutcrackers” (104; paragraph 14), “when she came to the second verse she sang agaia... her mistake" (106; paragraphs 18 and 19), “he could not find what he was look i). for" (106; paragraph We can conelude Maria's “mistake” in repeating the firet verse of “I Dreamt that I dwelt" is coherent with the structure of, repetitions om which the story is built, On the other hand, if we insist on the fact that Matia, consciously or unconsciously, forgets to sing the second verse of alfe's sang, her forgerfulnoss is also coherent vith the structure of the stary, for the 6 be Te turns owt to be irrelevant to insist om the eof marriage, present in the "forgotten" verse of the song, and Maria's inability to sing it because of that, Maria can mg that second verse because, in Che structure of "Clay," the pattern of repetitions established in the initial paragraphs ¢ feasen, fepetition, in opposition to rem of the story must have ite correlative in the final paragraph In other word: to sin but becaus the structure of the story does not allow Maria that second vers » Rot because it refers to marriage, wore important than the the of marriage is the ce and forgetfula » whieh represence the transition from a "group A of isitial signals" of repetition (in the first two paragraphs), and “a group 8 of Final signals" of repetition (the first verse of the song in the two final paragraphs). This transition is what I vanted to xplain here senic opposition between remembr On a symbolic 1 el, Maria's forget fulne is another development of the thene of "noral paralysia" present in Dubliners. Thus, Maria “is not only a poor old woman, Maria is Like the Poor Old Woman or Ireland herself,"? an Ireland who Forgot “that knights... p ged their faith tom an¢ can only 9Temenber, ironically, "rich too great to coune” (106), an Ireland ruled (moulded as/ia clay) by Bricish hands and sendemaed, as it must have seemed to Joyce fin 1905, when the Short story was written), to an endless subm: sion (® pattern of don). This is the reason why Maria touches the b clay inthe structure of the story Maria and clay are equivalent. Jam inclined to believe Thomas Staley right when ho says Fhat "there is no conflict of focus between the touching of the clay and the gong," and that “che episode with the clay is che dramatic climax of the story. However, in che light of my Feeding of "Clay," Maria does not reach “an understanding of herseli" nor is she "confronted with the cerrible emptiness of her life," as Prof, Staley argues!” oeherwise she vould have Fung the second ver of the song. Maria/treland can not sing ‘hat second verge because she can not remember (or is not aware ef if anyoore — ueral paralysis) her “knights on bended koe. The epiphany, 1 agree with Prof, Tindall (although for other reasons), is Jo, » Is this not the reason why Joe cries? a's/ireland‘s submissive life, aolded agfin clay? NOTES Tse, for example, Cleanth Brooks et 4l., An Approach to Litereture, Sch ed. (New York: appleton-Century-Crofts, 1964), Pp- 80-655 David Madden, “Janes Joyce's ‘Clay,'* The University Review, XXXII (Spring 1967), 229-233; Florence L. Wala, “Joyce's 'Glay,'" The Explicator, Xt (Feb. 1942), ices 46; G. ye!" James Joyce Quarcerly, 2 (Winter 1965), 133-134; Marvin Magalaner, “The Other Side of James Joyce," arizona Quarterly, IX (Spring 1953), 57185 Norman Helmer Pearson, “Joyce's 'Clay,'” The Explicator, WIE (Oct. 1948), item 9; Phillipe George Davies, "Maria's Song in Joyce's ‘Clay,'" Studies in Shore Fiction, I (winter 1964), 153-154; Richard B. Hudson, “Joyce's 'Clay,'" The szplicaror, WI (Mar. 1948), item 30; Richard Carpenter and Dani Aulph Smith, “A Superstition in Joyce's ¢ Leary, "The 60Witch Meria," The James Joyce Review, 3 (1959), 3-7; 8. AW Cowan, “Joyce's 'Clay,'" The Explicator, XXIII (Har. 1965), item $0; Thomas E. Connolly, "Marri Studies in Short rictio ge Divination in Joyce's '€lay,'" III (Spring 1966), 293-299; Thomas F. Staley, "Moral Responsibilicy in Joyce's "Clay,'" Renascence AVILE (Spring 1966), 124-128; Willian T. Neon, "Joyce's "Clay, aa Interpretation,” College English, 17 (Nov. 1955), 93-95; William York Tindall, A Reader 1971), ppe29-31, Guide to James Joyce (New Yor! Noonday Pre: bon Gifford, Motes for Joyce (New York: Dutton, 1967), pe ane 3yames Joyce, Dubliners, ed. Robert Scholes in consultation with Richard Ellmaaa (New York: Viking Proms, 1967), p.106; subsequent references parenthetical by page number. “the second verse of the song says ( rt for Joyce, ps 54): "I dreamt that suitors sought my hand,/That knights on bended knee,/And vith vows no maiden heart could vithstand,/ They pledged their faith to me.//And I dreamt that one of that noble band,/Came forth my hs rt to clain,/But 1 also dreamt, which charned me most/That you loved me all the me.” Sthe notion of defamiliarization is in Victor Shklovaky, “art as Technique,” Russian Porealist Criticism: Four © cra re, Lee T. Lenon and Maria J. Reis (uincon: University of Nebraska Press, 1965), pp.5-24, Spor che notion of repetition, used here, see Trvetan Todorov, "The Categories of Literary Narrative, Kestner, PLL, in July, 16 (1980), 3-38. rans. Joseph Tqucted by Roland Barthes, "Where to begin?," New Critical Essays, trans. Richard Howard (New York: Hill and Wang, 1980), p. 80. Surhe Categories of Literary Narrative," pp.6-7; the other forms of repetition are "paralelism” and “gradation.” lian York Tindall, A Reader's Guide to James Joyce, p- 30; in the T h folklore, Ireland is always represented by & poor old woman, See, for example, the character "Poor Old 61Woman", in Yeata* Play "Cathleen Mi Hoolihan,” Eleven Playa of Willige Butler Yeats, ed. A. Norman Jeffares (New York: Collier Books, 1978), pp.221-251, Ono rat Responsability in Joyce's ‘clay,'™ p.126. “yor the notion of pipbany, see James Joyce, Stephen Hero, St» Theodore Spencer (New Yorks New Directions, 1963), pp.210. 212; im thie part of the novel which later became A Portrale ef the Artist as « Young Man, Stephen Dedalus explains to Granly his theory of epiphany.