Ivy Day in the Committee Room

How do Joyce’s often contradictory physical character descriptions aid in developing the respective characters’ personalities? For example, describing Mr. O’Connor as a “gray-haired young man”?

Why is the brief encounter with Father Keon, the “black sheep,” included in the story? What political alignment does his character represent?

How does Joyce utilize humor when his characters are discussing politics? Does it diffuse the tension or distract from the problem at hand?