“Araby” by James Joyce is a story about a young boy who finds himself in a profound and confusing adoration with his neighbor, described as “Mangan’s sister”. And how this obsessive passion became the main source for his desperate attempts to show his feelings for the so divine girl.
When they spoke for the first time, the boy promised to bring her a gift from the Araby bazaar, known as being a splendid place, since she could not go for herself due to a retreat happening on her convent at the same time. However, due to the intense nature of the boy’s feelings, he becomes obsessed with the chance to impress her somehow.
Later, already at the bazaar by himself, after the disappointment of having to wait for his drunk uncle to come home and take him to the station, the boy finds out that most of the stalls are already closed and the darkness took place in the walls of the place. That is the moment when he realizes his own vanity intentions, and let himself feel anger for it.
One thought on “Hayra Fabri Guimaraes, Discussion 5”
Hey Hayra, I agree with your response about the story “Araby”. The young boy was definitely miserable after waiting so long, then comes to find out that most stores are closing and unable to purchase anything for Mangan’s sister. I found really intriguing on how you mentioned Mangan’s sister by saying “described as”. I thought this gave your response a really good and practically professional response.