He is a 12-year-old boy growing up in early 20th century Ireland, where religion was still a big part of society. He enjoys playing with his friends, when he starts to develop feelings for one of his friend’s older sister. His feelings are romantic and full of good intention, which can be explained by his young age and the religious influence. He watches the girl frequently, describing the experience in sentences such as “When she came out on the doorstep my heart leaped” (Joyce 87) which shows how much he truly cares about the girl, although he doesn’t actually know her. “What innumerable follies laid waste my waking and sleeping thoughts after that evening” (Joyce 88) is how the boy describes his feelings at the opportunity to get the girl a gift, and take a step towards adulthood. He is excited, thinking that it will impress her. He spends every waking moment thinking about the girl after that, not being able to focus correctly on anything. When he finally arrives at Araby, he is disappointed at the sleazy market place before him. He realizes that it is not the romantic place he thought it was and that his Holy Grail quest would fail. Therefore, it is the character’s good intentions towards the girl that makes him so distinct from
He is a 12-year-old boy growing up in early 20th century Ireland, where religion was still a big part of society. He enjoys playing with his friends, when he starts to develop feelings for one of his friend’s older sister. His feelings are romantic and full of good intention, which can be explained by his young age and the religious influence. He watches the girl frequently, describing the experience in sentences such as “When she came out on the doorstep my heart leaped” (Joyce 87) which shows how much he truly cares about the girl, although he doesn’t actually know her. “What innumerable follies laid waste my waking and sleeping thoughts after that evening” (Joyce 88) is how the boy describes his feelings at the opportunity to get the girl a gift, and take a step towards adulthood. He is excited, thinking that it will impress her. He spends every waking moment thinking about the girl after that, not being able to focus correctly on anything. When he finally arrives at Araby, he is disappointed at the sleazy market place before him. He realizes that it is not the romantic place he thought it was and that his Holy Grail quest would fail. Therefore, it is the character’s good intentions towards the girl that makes him so distinct from