Although Joyce titles his story “Clay,” the word does not appear once within the story itself. Like Maria’s true feelings, the motif of clay is most often between the lines of the story, never explicit in nature. Nonetheless, clay is a potent symbol in this work, functioning both literally and metaphorically. In the traditional Halloween game, blindfolded participants must choose among saucers holding a variety of items. Whatever they choose is predictive of what they can expect in the coming year. One of the items placed on a saucer is dirt, or clay. Should one of the players choose this saucer, the prediction is that they will die in the coming year. The next-door girls deliberately put a saucer with clay in front of Maria after insisting she be blindfolded. Their joke is both cruel and spiteful.

In addition to actual dirt from the garden, clay serves metaphorically as a symbol for Maria. Clay is a soft, malleable substance used by sculptors and potters to create objects they imagine. Like clay, Maria is constantly shaped by those around her. The matron, for example, shapes Maria as a peacemaker, while the rude shop assistant sees Maria as a troublesome spinster.