Araby by James Joyce is a story about a boy who lives in Dublin at the beginning of the 20th century. The boy appears in a very depressed setting. The city of those years is as dry as dust, every meter of the streets breathes with hopeless and “preserved” immutability. The boy, as a young explorer, is having fun in the dull neighbourhood. He is a cheerful kid. The character is inspired by the image of a girl who lives in the house opposite his. The boy is full of hope and expectations, even being loaded like a cargo ship making his way through the dirty and smelly quarter full of dirty winos “I imagined that I bore my chalice safely through a throng of foes” (2). It characterizes him as a great dreamer. Sometimes in an excessive way, he prefers to live in his dream world, and doesn’t know how to act in the real one. He can see the “light” in this place, it is enough to be happy. After a much-desired conversation with his “muse”, a new aim appears in his life. It is a magical and mysterious Araby bazaar. The boy is inspirited by that wonderful image. He desperately follows his ideals, treats the images and ideals as a shrine his thoughts and words leave his lips like a prayer. It defines him as a idealistic and romantic boy. Sometimes he feels something great and sad, that “fills” all his heart. Such a wide range of feelings shows that the character is a highly sensitive person. Finally reaching the bazar, which is not the bazar he dreamed, all his hopes, dreams and ideals are broken. He meets the dry Dublin reality. The beautiful veil that covered the magnificent images had been torn off. He’s matured, in […]
Daily Archives: February 22, 2023
The unnamed protagonist of “Araby” is introduced to us as a young Irish boy who goes to school and plays in the street outside his house with his friends. When he begins to see a girl in the neighborhood, Magnan’s sister, in a different light, we are shown another side of the narrator. His character becomes shy, sensitive, and obsessive. This confused adoration he gains for Magnan’s sister completely preoccupies his thoughts. He is unable to focus in school, and he cries and sings thinking of her. He is also unable to speak to her. When he finally does, after she approaches him about the bazaar she is unable to visit, he promises to go there and buy her something. When he arrives at the bazaar, it is not the exotic sales stalls he is expecting, and he does not find a suitable gift for Magnan’s sister. This raised expectation caused by his romantic feelings that have grown for her is not met and is ultimately the reason for his frustration as he stands in the darkness. You realize how innocent he truly is, and how he is not ready to experience real love yet.
In my opinion, the boy in the story “Araby” by James Joyce is benevolent, the boy is learning and mentally maturing throughout the story. Although the boy may become more aware of his surroundings, he still falls into his own delusion by chasing a girl he had a crush on. The pursue of a girl lead to the realization that the boy was only chasing a fantasy. His arrival at the bazaar was a sign of the darkness, since his high hopes for a relationship with the girl, Mangan’s sister, was just an idea and it was never going to happen. The author stated, “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.” Furthermore, people experience new things and the desire to find love, therefore at some point everyone feels the emotions the boy felt. The inexperienced boy learned a life lesson early.
