Araby - Short story by James Joyce
Welcome readers! As a Part of my Bachelor's studies at shamaldas Arts college, affiliated with MK Bhavnagar university. In this Particular blog, I will discuss the short story 'Araby' by James Joyce, offering a comprehensive analysis enriched with additional insights.
Dubliners ( 1914) :-
“The Sisters”, “An Encounter”, and “Araby” are stories from childhood. “Eveline”, “After the Race”, “Two Gallants”, and “The Boarding House” are stories from adolescence. “A Little Cloud”, “Counterparts”, “Clay”, and “A Painful Case” are all stories concerned with mature life. Stories from public life are “Ivy Day in the Committee Room”, “A Mother”, and “Grace”. “The Dead” is the last story in the collection and probably Joyce’s greatest. As the title suggests, it is concerned with mortality, the culmination of life’s varied and bitter experiences. It stands alone as one of the greatest short stories ever written in the English language.
After seven years engaging in bitter disputes with various publishers, Dubliners was eventually published in 1914, not in Dublin as Joyce had originally hoped but in London by Grant Richards. Technical innovations of Joyce in the art of the novel include an extensive use of interior monologue; he used a complex network of symbolic parallels, drawn from the mythology, history, and literature, and he created a unique language of invented words, puns, and allusions.
About the Story :-
Summary :-
The nameless narrator of the story talks about life on North Richmond Street. The former tenant of their apartment was a priest who died. Some books have been left behind, and the young boy narrator sometimes looks at them. He is raised by his aunt and uncle. One of his playmates is a boy named Mangan , and the narrator develops a crush on his friend Mangan's sister. Mangan and his sister live in a building across the street. The narrator watches her stealthily, waiting for her to leave in the mornings so that he can follow her on part of his way to school.
One day, the girl finally speaks to him, to ask if he will go to Araby. Araby is the name of an upcoming bazaar with an Arabian theme. She can't go, because she is going on a religious retreat that weekend. The narrator, full of romantic notions, says that he will go and find some kind of gift for her.
The boy can think of little but the girl, the Orientalist bazaar, and the gift he will get for her. He gets permission to go, and for days he cannot concentrate. The day finally arrives, and the boy reminds his uncle that he wishes to go to the bazaar that night. His uncle will have to get home on time to give him the money for a ride to the bazaar, as well as a bit of spending money.
That night, his uncle is late. The boy despairs of being able to go at all, but finally his uncle comes home. His uncle has forgotten about the bazaar, and by now it is quite late. But the boy still wants to go, and he takes the small sum of money for the train and heads off.
He arrives at the bazaar just as it is closing. Only a few stalls are open. He examines the goods, but they are far too expensive for him. The lights are being shut off, and the narrator despairs: "Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger."
Araby contains themes and characteristics common to Joyce in general and Dubliners in Particular. This short story involves a character going on a journey that ends in futility. Boy's idealized vision of Araby is destroyed, along with his idealized vision of Mangan's sister - and of love. With shame and anger rising within him, he is alone in Araby.
Themes of the story :-
Araby touches on a great number of themes. Here are a few of the key themes in the story :
- Coming of Age: “Araby” is a classic coming-of-age story, as it follows a young boy’s journey from innocence to experience. The protagonist begins the story with a childlike fascination with his neighbor, Mangan’s sister. Still, as he becomes increasingly fixated on her, he becomes aware of the adult world around him. By the end of the story, he has learned some harsh truths about the nature of desire and disappointment.
- Love and Desire: At its core, “Araby” is a story about love and desire. The protagonist’s infatuation with Mangan’s sister drives the narrative, and his desire for her motivates him to go to the bazaar in the first place. However, the story ultimately suggests that desire can be cruel and unfulfilling and that pursuing love can lead to disappointment and disillusionment.
- Religion and Spirituality: Religion is pervasive in “Araby,” The story is steeped in Catholic imagery and symbolism. The protagonist attends a Catholic school, and his religious education informs his worldview. However, the story also suggests that religion can be confining and oppressive, as the protagonist feels trapped by the strictures of his faith.
- Escape and Imagination: The protagonist’s love for Mangan’s sister is an escape from his mundane and oppressive reality. He imagines a romanticized version of the girl and their relationship, and his trip to the bazaar represents a chance to escape the confines of his everyday life. However, the story ultimately suggests that escape and imagination can be dangerous, as they can lead to disappointment and disillusionment.
- Disillusionment and Disappointment: Perhaps the most prominent theme in “Araby” is disillusionment and disappointment. The protagonist’s journey to the bazaar is ultimately fruitless, as he discovers that the object of his desire is unattainable and that the bazaar itself is a tawdry and unremarkable place. The story suggests that life is full of disappointments and that pursuing happiness and fulfillment is often futile.
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