"The Boarding House" Analysis

“The Boarding House” stresses the idea of being trapped in one’s own life because Mr. Doran becomes trapped after one mistaken night with Polly. Mr. Doran is a young man boarding in Polly Mooney’s mother’s boarding house. Polly flirts with the men, but Mrs. Mooney thinks nothing of it, she knows the men are just “passing the time away” (58). Eventually, though, Mrs. Mooney starts to notice something unusual going on between Polly and Mr. Doran. After observing the couple for some time, Mrs. Mooney finally deems it the "right time" to intervene. Knowing that neither youth nor ignorance could be pleaded as his excuse, Mrs. Mooney was “sure she would win” (59). Mr. Doran had “taken advantage of Polly’s youth and inexperience” (59), and for that, he would pay a reparation. The lone reparation that satisfies Mrs. Mooney is marriage. Mrs. Mooney felt confident she would be able to convince Mr. Doran to offer his hand in marriage to her daughter. Having gained much respect after working for 13 years in a wine-merchant’s office, Mr. Doran wouldn’t want to risk publicity of the affair for the possibility of a job loss. Meanwhile, Mr. Doran is anticipating the meeting because he knows he has only two options: running away, or marrying Polly. He realizes he is being trapped into marriage. Before Mr. Doran meets with Mrs. Mooney, he and Polly talk, and they both helplessly sat and cried to each other. After comforting Polly, Mr. Doran made his way to the living room to talk with her mother. Apparently, Mr. Doran is trapped into marrying Polly, for Mrs. Mooney seems highly satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. Neither Polly nor Mr. Doran wants marriage, but Mrs. Mooney forces the marriage because of their affair. All it took was one mistake to cause Mr. Doran to be trapped into a marriage with Polly Mooney.