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.
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3 thoughts on “Ismael Valerio Discussion 5”
I agree with you that he still gets caught up in his own delusions of grandeur by chasing the girl he has a crush on. An adolescent boy always has nice fantasies but rarely can he consider reality. He doesn’t think about what gift he should bring back for her. In his fantasy there is only the meeting with her, talking with her. It was only at the fair that he thought of the fantasy he had been chasing.
Yes, Jiaying, your last sentence in this comment to Ismael is well expressed. It is all a fantasy he has created in order to bring some spot of light into his very dark life.
Ismael, your post illustrates the dreamy nature of the boy very well. But I’m looking for a fuller character analysis. What other words would you use to describe him?