Araby, By James Joyce - 1013 Words

James Joyce’s short fiction, â€Å"Araby†, speaks of the loss of innocence when one enters adulthood. The narrator of â€Å"Araby† reflects back to his childhood and the defining moment when he reached clarity on the world he stood before. The young boy, living in a world lifeless and religious influence, becomes consumed with the lust of a neighbouring girl. The girl, Mangan, is symbolically the narrator’s childhood obsession with growing up. As she resembles the desire to become an adult, the Araby is the enchanted vision of adulthood. By the end of the short story, he realizes the bareness of everyday life. In fact, the disappointment that is Araby awakens the boy to the fact that his immature dreams have blinded him to the cold and stagnant†¦show more content†¦Like his feelings, he does not grasp what Mangan is completely. Joyce describes her in bursts, â€Å"her figure defined by the light of the half-opened door †¦ [h]er dress swung a s she moved her body, and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side† (1). The description is an idea of the girl but not the girl as a whole. She has no personality, no hopes and dreams, dictated to the reader. Mangan is simply the embodiment of temptation for the young narrator. The temptation, however, turned into pure lust at the thought of her since â€Å"[h]er image accompanied [him] even in places the most hostile to romance† (1). The daydreams are not as innocent as Joyce would like to believe. They are the sexual longings of an adolescent boy. It becomes so overwhelming that when he is alone he comes to his sexual peak in a very religious manner: â€Å"All my senses seem to desire to veil themselves and, feeling that I was about to slip from them, I press the palms of my hands together until they trembled, murmuring: ‘O love! O love!’ many times† (2). This chaste, yet sexual, action brings him into the honeymoon of adulthood. Mangan â€Å"[a]t last she spoke to [him]† (2), only due to him finally reaching adulthood status. She finishes her place as the serpent giving the narrator the fruit of knowledge by tempting him with the idea of the Araby. She speaks of it being a wonderful place, while spinning her silver bracelet around her wrist, likeShow MoreRelatedAraby and James Joyce1207 Words   |  5 PagesThe short story â€Å"Araby† is clearly identifiable as the work of James Joyce. His vocalized ambition of acquainting fellow Irish natives with the true temperament of his homeland is apparent throughout the story. Joyce’s painstakingly precise writing style can be observed throughout â€Å"Araby† as well. Roman Catholicism, which played a heavy role in Joyce’s life, also does so in the story which is another aspect which makes Joyce’s authorship of the story unmistakable. As a result of Irish heritage displayedRead MoreAraby, By James Joyce917 Words   |  4 PagesA raby is a short story by James Joyce about a young boy who is infatuated a young woman who is the older sister of one of his friends. He watches her from afar and believes that his feelings are true love. He lacks the confidence to speak to her or confide in anyone else. The narrator speaks of her as if she were the most beautiful and wondrous human on earth, however, he does not realize that he is in love with the thought of her and not necessarily her. The narrator lives in Ireland as James JoyceRead More`` Araby `` By James Joyce1315 Words   |  6 PagesThe short story â€Å"Araby† by James Joyce is a young boy who has such an infatuation for his friend Mangan sister, he begins to idolize her as if she was a saint. This is when the idea of love and desire come into play. He simply can’t stop thinking about her and sees her in a godly like way. As the story begins to unfold the realization that the young boy doesn t quite understand the concept of the illusion and the reality of what Mangan’s sister really means to him. The young boy realizes that hisRead MoreAraby, By James Joyce956 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short story â€Å"Araby,† James Joyce uses religion to give a the story deeper meaning. The narrator of the story finds himself in a confusing love that is unrealistic and distorted. In â€Å"Araby,† Joyce uses an underlying theme of religion to portray a confusing admiration that is bro ught to a twisted end. Throughout â€Å"Araby† there is an underlying theme of religion. The boy himself lives with his uncle who is feared by the other kids on the street. If he is seen the kids â€Å"hid in the shadows† untilRead More`` Araby `` By James Joyce1885 Words   |  8 PagesJohn Updike and â€Å"Araby† by James Joyce both introduce two young protagonist who both share in blinded adoration for young women. Both young men attempts to woo the young woman by proving their nobility. Both efforts go completely unnoticed by both girls and both young men are left alone dealing the aftermath of their failed nobility, which changes the way they view themselves. James Joyce’s â€Å"Araby† is a medieval romance set in Dublin, Ireland. As we are introduced to the story, Joyce describes theRead MoreAraby, By James Joyce869 Words   |  4 Pages Araby In the short novel, Araby by James joyce which was one of the most influential writers in the modernist era of the early 20th century. In Araby, Joyce highlights a young boy who describes the North Dublin Street where he lives in a house with his aunt and uncle. The narrator recalls when he and his friends used to run through the dark muddy lanes of the house to avoid his uncle or when Mangan’s sister came out on the doorstep to call her brother in to his tea. He is obsessed with the youngRead More`` Araby `` By James Joyce843 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"Araby†, James Joyce uses the young unnamed boy as her main character. Representing himself in this first person view, the main character takes us on a journey that suggests the verge of adolescence. The events that take place in this story create a very clear image for us, reflecting the difficulties a young boy may undergo during the last years of his juvenile life. The awakening is sometimes unknowingly refreshing. He would watch the girl he most desires at times throughout the day as if mesmerizedRead More`` Araby `` By James Joyce1451 Words   |  6 PagesJames Joyce, an Irish novelist, wrote fifteen short stories that depict Irish middle class life in Dublin, Ireland during the early years of the twentieth century. He entitled the compilation of these short stories Dubliners. The protagonist in each of these stories, shares a desire for change. This common interest motivates the protagonist and helps them to move forward in their lives. Additionally, the protagonist has an epiphany, or moment of realization or transformation. In â€Å"Araby†, the narratorRead MoreAraby, By James Joyce Essay1888 Words   |  8 PagesJames Joyce’s, Araby, is an emotional short story that centers around a nameless boy living in Dublin, with his aunt and uncle, who has a consuming crush on his friend’s sister. His love for her leads him to the Araby bazaar, and there he comes to a realizat ion about his immature actions. This event is the basis for the entire story, but the ideas Joyce promotes with this story revolve around the boy’s reactions to his feelings about his crush. Joyce spends much of the story describing the boy’sRead More Araby by James Joyce Essay620 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Araby† by James Joyce   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There seems to be a great deal of controversy surrounding the short story, â€Å"Araby† by James Joyce. This isn’t controversy dealing with various political issues or controversy involving issues of free speech or anything related to these things. It is of a more simple matter: whether the young boy in this story is capable of having a deep emotional realization at the conclusion of the story. It is obvious to me via the final sentence, (Araby, 398), that he does not make