Joyce's Use Of Conflict In Araby

Joyce uses conflict to convey the idea that a virtuous life does not necessarily result in a happy one in his modernist book, “Araby”. In the story, the unnamed boy falls deeply in love with his friend Mangan’s sister. When he discovers that she cannot make it to a bazaar that she was excited to go to, he thinks that he can win her over by bringing back something to give to her. However, when he fails to bring her something, he finally realizes that he is “ a creature driven and derided by vanity”(7). He is so vain, that he thinks simply by acting virtuous around her, that she will immediately fall in love with him, and make him happy, though as he learns, this is not often the case. To get to the bazaar, the boy needed money from his uncle. However, on the night of the bazaar, his uncle comes home late after spending most of the night at a bar getting drunk. …show more content…
However, he still forgot, and made the boy run out of time at the bazaar. He learns that even though he is virtuous, other people will not necessarily act the same way towards him. Through both experiences, he learns that morality and kindness will not necessarily result in happiness in life, a mark of loss of innocence, and becoming an adult. He is forced to face the harsh reality of life, that not everybody is good. Though some might believe in karma, often people are not rewarded for doing good, and people are not punished for doing bad. This thinking is modernist because it reveals the pessimistic side of life, contrasting ideas such as predestination and religion, especially effective ideas after World War 1, when many lost faith in a higher power. Through conflict in “Araby”, James Joyce conveys the idea that a virtuous life does not necessarily result in a happy