How Does Mrs. Mooney Decide To Trap Mr. Doran?

Moreover, Von Uffel is correct that Mrs Mooney plans to trap Mr Doran into marriage using the city’s concern for preserving social appearances. We begin to suspect that Mrs Mooney is up to something when she “[notices] that something was going on between Polly and [Mr Doran]” but “kept her own counsel” (58). Even when people in the boarding house gossiped about an affair between the two, “still [she] did not intervene” (my emphasis, 58). It seems very strange for a mother, particularly a determined woman, to allow an atrocious situation to continue unless she was up to something. After some time, we recognize that Mrs Mooney’s strange actions are attributed towards her desires of giving Polly a husband: “Polly [begins] to grow a little strange
For Mr Doran, Mrs Mooney understands he would want to prevent the destruction of his reputation and offers him an option to compensate for his actions, leading him to her goal: “There must be reparations made in such cases…. Only one reparation could make up for the loss of [Polly’s] honour: marriage” (59-60). Her strenuous strategy to exploit social perception of her and Polly’s characteristics highlights her determination and ambition to marry Polly into a good life. Before sending the servant, Mary, to get Mr Doran, Mrs Mooney reviews her plan once more: She felt sure she would win…. She did not think he would face publicity” (my emphasis, 60). Mrs Mooney knows Mr Doran works in a “great Catholic wine-merchant’s office” and if word of the affair reaches his employer, he would lose his job (60). If Mr Doran agrees to marry Polly, then “all might be well” (60). Mrs Mooney attempts to threaten Mr Doran with the loss of his job as well as the disgrace upon the Catholic Church if he would not marry Polly, thus completely Mr Doran as he would not dare face publicity with the destruction of his social