The third-person limited point of view is a narrative device in which the reader is only privy to the protagonist’s perspective on the setting, other characters, and events. Everything in the story is channeled through the thoughts and consciousness of the protagonist. Sometimes included in this point of view can be called “free indirect discourse” or “free indirect speech.” This type of narrative point of view allows the reader to experience both distance from and intimacy with the main character and also is key in setting up irony.

In “Clay,” Joyce uses third-person limited point of view to show The Disparity Between Desire and Reality repeatedly throughout the text. Maria frequently describes people and locations as “nice,” something Joyce prompts the reader to question. Likewise, Maria tells herself “how much better it was to be independent and to have your own money in your pocket” (98). Joyce shows, however, that Maria has very little money to her name. The third-person limited point of view allows for readers to learn what Maria thinks about herself and her situation in contrast to the reality the reader understands as it happens around her.