Childhood notions foster attributes of romanticism, which life disrupts and exchanges with cynical realism. Joyce’s protagonist clearly exemplifies the romanticized characteristics common of immature adolescents in the beginning of the story. The boy’s fantasy of love and his longing for adventure are perverted and distorted by illusions. Events in the story lead to a pivotal awakening to reality and an end to the false and foolish imaginations. The innocent outlook of youth is replaced with a more realistic life view. The journey in “Araby” from childish naïve thinking to mature sensible reasoning is shown in the story by inspecting the symbolic meaning of Mangan’s sister and Araby, comparing the initial setting with that of the bazaar, and
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The neighborhood is a dead end, or blind, street similar to the blindness and innocence with which the boy views the world. His world is sheltered and secluded from outside influences, comparable to the houses on the block. Resemblance between the setting and the protagonist is intentional by the author. The environment where he is raised directly determines his early beliefs. Everything is as a traditional Irish neighborhood should be, and the boy resembles this backdrop. However, he secretly harbors disdain for his simple life and he dreams of escaping to a glorious …show more content…
Digging down in the story reveals the death of innocence and imagination the boy experienced. The author presents a universal occurrence that people experience all over the world. His character experiences all of the typical adolescent fantasies and perceptions, but eventually must face his own foolishness and a coming of age rite of passage. The journey is an unpleasant one, that requires sacrifice and pain, and even though the boy feels betrayed his world is real now. His experience ultimately leaves him with a very different outlook and erases all romantic notions of life. The fantasies and illusions are gone and he is free from the distorted sense of reality. Perhaps we regret the fading idealism, but at least our vision is
The neighborhood is a dead end, or blind, street similar to the blindness and innocence with which the boy views the world. His world is sheltered and secluded from outside influences, comparable to the houses on the block. Resemblance between the setting and the protagonist is intentional by the author. The environment where he is raised directly determines his early beliefs. Everything is as a traditional Irish neighborhood should be, and the boy resembles this backdrop. However, he secretly harbors disdain for his simple life and he dreams of escaping to a glorious …show more content…
Digging down in the story reveals the death of innocence and imagination the boy experienced. The author presents a universal occurrence that people experience all over the world. His character experiences all of the typical adolescent fantasies and perceptions, but eventually must face his own foolishness and a coming of age rite of passage. The journey is an unpleasant one, that requires sacrifice and pain, and even though the boy feels betrayed his world is real now. His experience ultimately leaves him with a very different outlook and erases all romantic notions of life. The fantasies and illusions are gone and he is free from the distorted sense of reality. Perhaps we regret the fading idealism, but at least our vision is