Araby And A & P Comparison

A Comparison of “Araby” and “A&P” In the short stories “Araby” and “A&P”, both Joyce and Updike deal with the familiar theme of loss of innocence in a coming of age in a similar vein with a few major disparities. To begin with, both works share a multitude of similarities, from the choice of narrator to the handling of the thematic conclusion. When viewed objectively, the plot points in both stories almost perfectly mirror each other; the exposition follows a young teenage boy, the conflict arises with the introduction of an attractive girl, the climax appears at the brash action of the infatuated protagonist, and the falling action shows the main character develop and regret his decision in a final epiphany scene. However, while the similarities may seem to surpass the differences, a closer study …show more content…
On one hand, “A&P’s” theme also incorporates a class struggle conflict in the form of an upper class girl characterized through appearance, gait, and “herring snacks” versus the rest of lower-middle class suburban Americans. However, in “Araby,” both the narrator and the girl whom he loves live on the same dingy street, and thus, their socio-economic status must be similar. In addition, Joyce writes in “Araby,” “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger” (Joyce 5). Here in this final line, the narrator’s experience with his disillusionment of the dilapidated bazaar shrouded in “darkness” prompts him to introspection as he sees himself “as a creature driven and derided by vanity”. As a result of profound self understanding, he feels “anguish and anger” as he realizes that the fault lies only with him. In contrast, although Sammy underwent a similar predicament, the ending of “A&P” states, “I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (Updike 7). Unlike the narrator of “Araby”, Sammy reaches a different conclusion when he