The short story Araby by James Joyce isn’t a love story as it would appear on a surface level it’s more of a story about a child who is infatuated with Mangan’s sister he is obsessive and even goes to the point of wanting to get her something from the Bazar when she hasn’t really shown much interest in him but after his uncle gives him money he goes to the Bazar but realizes it is closed and it disappoints him because he couldn’t get her something when he promised her he would. He also started to realize he had too high of expectations when he was the only one that was showing interest and was infatuated her which causes him to lose hope and be disappointed in the end because his love wasn’t reciprocated and it seems that he was more so obsessed with her than in love with her for who she was as he didn’t really know her well in the grand scheme of things which is why Araby is not a love story.
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3 thoughts on “Steven Falcon Discussion 5”
Hi Steven,
I agree with your answer to this discussion, I also said that he became obsessed with her. I also said that his idea of love was only him showing it, the girl didn’t have the same feelings as he did.
Furthermore, I found it pretty funny that towards the end of the story, he felt sort of embarrassed for doing something late at night for basically achieving nothing in the end. It definitely isn’t a love story if only one person in the relationship is attracted to the other, in this case, the narrator and the girl.
Steven, Your comments are well taken; however, I wish you could take this just a bit further. Yes, the boy is obsessed, but the question is why. Why does the boy need this fixation in his life? How would you describe the life he lives? What is his life like? What is the nature of this boy? What words do you feel best describe him? The answers to these questions will shed a little more light on what happens in the story and what it means.
hi Steven,
I also relate to your take on the interpretation on this short story. While reading it I was definitely very intrigued by the character. His emotions are just so powerful and intense. His impression about his surroundings is pretty hopeless, dark and uninspiring and it’s a huge contrast with his feelings about Mangan’s sister. When he talks about his feelings they sound obsessive and confusing but it doesn’t strike me as romantic obsession. She is almost a symbol of hope and purpose for him in a way.