Through the Eyes of the Innocent
Written in 1905, and first published in 1914, James Joyce’s “Araby” is the tragic story of a young, nameless boy’s first infatuation with an older neighborhood girl. He lives in a dreary world dominated by the Catholic Church. Without understanding, the boy’s great adoration for the girl quickly becomes an obsession. As the narrative progresses, the boy thoughtlessly swears to the girl he will bring her back a present from the town’s bazaar. Because of his youthful ignorance, the boy experiences a life-changing epiphany that completely darkens his childhood innocence. In James Joyce’s “Araby,” a young boy living in a dark and grave world develops an obsessive adoration with an older girl who lives in his neighborhood, …show more content…
Winter is frequently associated with gloom and depression; it is a strong indicator of the dreary world the boy lives in. According to the narrator, the unnamed boy lives on the “blind” or dead-end North Richmond Street (Joyce). Blindness corresponds with darkness and lack of light, and by James Joyce’s use of “blind” rather than dead-end or cul-de-sac to describe the street contributes to the increasingly dreary mood of the story. Likewise, the house itself has an unwelcoming feeling to it with its “musty” air circulating through each room and the knowledge that the previous tenant, a charitable priest, died in the house the boy now lives in with his aunt and uncle: “…a priest, had died in the back drawing-room” (Joyce). Death now taints the story, adding to the smothering darkness found in “Araby”. He lives in a strict Catholic ruled world, and the death of the charitable priest occurring in the house …show more content…
Despite living in a depressing world, boy ignores the oppressive darkness because he concentrates his attention on Mangan’s older sister, unable and unwilling to think about anything or anyone else. The more he obsesses over her, watching and following her to school every morning, the more he neglects his studies at school, ignoring the demands of everyday life. Consequently, his unhealthy infatuation forces him to make a vow he is all but capable of keeping. At the end of the story, the young, naïve boy has a great, life-changing epiphany; he mistook the power of love for puppy-love, a mere adolescent
Written in 1905, and first published in 1914, James Joyce’s “Araby” is the tragic story of a young, nameless boy’s first infatuation with an older neighborhood girl. He lives in a dreary world dominated by the Catholic Church. Without understanding, the boy’s great adoration for the girl quickly becomes an obsession. As the narrative progresses, the boy thoughtlessly swears to the girl he will bring her back a present from the town’s bazaar. Because of his youthful ignorance, the boy experiences a life-changing epiphany that completely darkens his childhood innocence. In James Joyce’s “Araby,” a young boy living in a dark and grave world develops an obsessive adoration with an older girl who lives in his neighborhood, …show more content…
Winter is frequently associated with gloom and depression; it is a strong indicator of the dreary world the boy lives in. According to the narrator, the unnamed boy lives on the “blind” or dead-end North Richmond Street (Joyce). Blindness corresponds with darkness and lack of light, and by James Joyce’s use of “blind” rather than dead-end or cul-de-sac to describe the street contributes to the increasingly dreary mood of the story. Likewise, the house itself has an unwelcoming feeling to it with its “musty” air circulating through each room and the knowledge that the previous tenant, a charitable priest, died in the house the boy now lives in with his aunt and uncle: “…a priest, had died in the back drawing-room” (Joyce). Death now taints the story, adding to the smothering darkness found in “Araby”. He lives in a strict Catholic ruled world, and the death of the charitable priest occurring in the house …show more content…
Despite living in a depressing world, boy ignores the oppressive darkness because he concentrates his attention on Mangan’s older sister, unable and unwilling to think about anything or anyone else. The more he obsesses over her, watching and following her to school every morning, the more he neglects his studies at school, ignoring the demands of everyday life. Consequently, his unhealthy infatuation forces him to make a vow he is all but capable of keeping. At the end of the story, the young, naïve boy has a great, life-changing epiphany; he mistook the power of love for puppy-love, a mere adolescent