Araby Literary Analysis

Foolish desires often blind their beholder. An unwise student’s desire to procrastinate can blur their view of their true goal, their education. Clouded by romantic aspirations, Romeo and Juliet ultimately go down the path of their inevitable ruin. Likewise, deceived by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve receive punishment for their temptation and desire. However, not only do foolish desires blind, they also take away from the stagnant reality of life. In James Joyce’s short story “Araby,” the protagonist advances toward the bitter, realistic world of adulthood as his quest on behalf of an idealized girl ends in failure. His infatuation with the girl next door triggers the young and immature protagonist to embark on a delusional and chivalrous quest that causes him to act childish. When he “imagined that I [he] bore my [his] chalice safely through a throng of foes” (347), the protagonist exaggeratedly casts himself into the role of the knight …show more content…
However, he comes to term with the bitter reality when he finds out that the vision he conjured up will always be unattainable. Although, the narrator has an epiphany about reality, one might argue that he decides to leave Araby because he lacks the money to buy a gift for Mangan’s sister since he lingers remorsefully at the stall for some time. The protagonist only had a florin that he received from his uncle and he uses some of it for the train-fare and he uses a shilling for the entrance fee to Araby. He ends up with less than half the money he had. Therefore, at the end of the story, he may have developed anger and angst possibly about his financial status which causes him to give up on his dream. In this case, the protagonist comes to the conclusion that his socioeconomic status deters him from his dreams. Either way, Araby turns into a graveyard of dreams, a place where dreams die and reality sets