Anais Salcedo Discussion 5

The short story, “Araby”, is about a young boy who is in love with a girl, Mangan’s sister. One day, Mangan’s sister mentions to the young boy that she would like to attend the Araby bazaar but can’t. The young boy tells the girl that he will attend and will bring something back for her. He thinks that if he buys the girl something from the bazaar that it will impress her. The young boy develops an obsession with the Araby and Mangan’s sister. On the day of the Araby, the young boy’s uncle arrives home late after he had promised to give him money for the Araby. When the boy arrives to the Araby, it is already too late and most of the shops are closed. The young boy is extremely disappointed and wasn’t able to buy the girl something. In the end, the young boy has an epiphany, he had fantasized about Araby so much just to be disappointed. He realized he was foolish for being so focused on his “love” for Mangan’s sister. The young boy doesn’t know what love is. This story shows the theme of coming of age and also maturing. The boy sees “love” and the Araby for what they truly are, instead of just his fantasized version of them. His experience at the Araby is like a teaching moment for him and a way of maturing him. Which is why “Araby” is really a coming of age story.