There are a number of political representations in Dubliners by James Joyce, primarily driven through the idea of Irish nationalism. During the early twentieth century, the Irish found themselves searching for their national identity as the nation as a whole dealt with competing ideas. Many in Ireland celebrated their distinct language, culture, music, and literature and espoused the view that Ireland should secede to become a sovereign country, while others preferred to give up their sovereignty to the United Kingdom.

This theme is explored in “The Dead” when Miss Molly Ivors admonishes Gabriel Conroy as a “West Briton.” Conroy is described as someone who does not support Irish nationalism, as evident in his dress, his pro-British writing, and his lack of use of the Irish language.

Interestingly, Dubliners is not really a rally cry in favor of Irish nationalism; instead, Joyce critiques the culture as a powerless entity suffering through paralysis which has led to its decline.

In “Counterparts,” the main character, Farrington, is unhappy with his clerical job and with his boss, Mr. Alleyne. Instead of working hard to complete his tasks, Farrington sneaks out to drink at the pub. Farrington’s paralysis comes from his alcoholism, and for a brief moment in the narrative, he stands up to Mr. Alleyne but then quickly apologizes. His inability to change the power dynamics of this relationship negatively manifests in other aspects of his life, specifically when he beats his son.

If one defines politics in broad terms, there are numerous representations of political life in Dubliners. Sexual politics are much in evidence in "Two Gallants," for example. In this story, a young man named Corley gets his "slavey," as he calls her—a servant in a big house who also happens to be his girlfriend— to steal money from her employers and give it to him.

She steals a golden sovereign coin, a fair amount of money in those days, and her boyfriend is well-pleased. Of course, if her theft is discovered then she'll be the one who'll get into trouble, not Corley. And this is where sexual politics enter into the equation. The young servant woman is already exploited enough as it is, paid an absolute pittance to slave away for some well-to-do family. Yet now she's been doubly exploited by her boyfriend, who couldn't care less about her but just wants to use her to get his greedy hands on someone else's money.

So as well as society's general exploitation of women, the servant girl is subjected to the manipulation and control of a man who's supposed to care for her. Edwardian Dublin was clearly very much a man's world, and women occupied a rung at or near the bottom of society's ladder, especially poor women.

In "The Dead," Gabriel Conroy gets into a political clash with Miss Molly Ivors, an Irish nationalist. She calls him a "West Briton"—i.e., someone pro-English or English in outlook—because he does not support Irish culture or Irish nationalism. He shows his cultural difference by wearing galoshes (a continental European fashion), writing for a conservative pro-British publication, and saying he is going to Europe on vacation when Miss Ivors invites him to visit West Ireland. He also does not speak Irish.

These are all seemingly minor details, but they all suggest a person who is not politically in favor of Ireland's emancipation from Great Britain, which was a popular cause at the time. Gabriel shows through this political stance his paralysis, conservatism, and tendency to be caught in the past.

In "Ivy Day at the Committee Room," a group of men who support the Nationalist Party candidate Richard Tierney for Lord Mayor meet and talk. It is Ivy Day, October 6th, a day that commemorates the famous Irish Nationalist political leader Charles Parnell, who died on October 6, 1891. Although Tierney is running on the Nationalist Party ticket, some of his supporters believe he might secretly be pro-British, and most are lukewarm about him. As in "The Dead," this is a group of people paralyzed by being caught in the past, which is where they focus most of their attention.

As can be seen, issues of Irish nationalism form a backdrop for The Dubliners, and Joyce critiques the paralysis of those who are not helping Ireland move into the future.

In "Ivy Day" the entire story revolves around a group of canvassers who are supposed to be out soliciting votes from the people they represent. However, they are not doing that. They are hanging around talking about the state of Ireland. At the end of the story, one of the men reads his poem about Charles Parnell, who was an Irish Nationalist. The man reads the poem, which talks about how good things would have been had Parnell not been disgraced by his own people. In this way, it is illustrated that they had their hopes and dreams pinned on Parnell, but they don't do anything to keep that dream alive for themselves. They have given up. Their paralysis comes in the fact that they can't do for themselves what Parnell was unable to do for them.