Comparing Araby And A & P

It is known in life that an attractive female can distract or consume a young man’s mental processes. Some stories within literature show insight on young males dealing with having a crush, or just thinking about the young lady’s life and how they interpret their thoughts. In “Araby” by James Joyce, the narrator is a young man who is infatuated with this girl to the point that he becomes disgusted and angry because he is not able to provide her a gift from an Araby. In contrast, John Updike in his story “A&P” goes into the mind of a young man that is searching for a future identity and focuses on the rich, carefree lifestyle that a female customer has. While the stories take place in different countries, both short stories focus on a young man’s psychology when a female enters his mind. However, whereas Joyce gives insight to the impact that a youthful …show more content…
Why nit pick on two stories about boys handling different stimuli provided by females? A critical analysis, on short stories that are similar, can enlighten an individual to new viewpoints and perspectives about the subject matter. Comparing these two stories allows readers to understand how young men act and respond to different feelings and motives provided by a female's existence. If men compare and contrast the stories, they may realize or remember a time in their lives where they responded similar to the narrator at the Araby or Sammy. On the other hand, females may realize that they caused similar situations with boys in their childhoods, and now they can analyze how those boys responded according to the templates Joyce and Updike discussed. After reading deep into both stories, readers will be able to see and identify that Joyce wrote about a boy’s emotions rooted with love and Updike discussed Sammy’s choice to gain the attention and class from a