In the literary analysis over "Araby", "The Structure of 'Araby'", author Jerome Mandel uses a multitude of outside sources to support his main idea: "Araby", similar to others in this genre, are structured to be like a medieval romance through the usage of a certain pattern. This pattern consists of enfance, an introduction of the damsel who clouds the main character's vision, commitment to the quest, obstacles that need to be conquered to succeed, and completion of the quest, in that order.
Throughout this analysis over "Araby", Mandel goes through the story chronologically, and at the same time going through the specific events in order, to show the structure of "Araby" is that of a medieval romance. To start, the author states his thesis: Joyce structures his short story to be that of …show more content…
Finally, Mangan's sister acknowledges our nameless main character, which is where the protagonist realizes that any wish that Mangan's sister shall have, he shall make his command. This is where the main character of "Araby" takes on the task of going to the Araby for his love. Compared to Le Chevalier de la Charrette, the nameless main character is like Lancelot in the way of giving complete allegiance to the love they give the woman of their stories. (Mandel 51) This step leads into the fourth step: the journey of the quest, and its obstacles. In this step, we see the challenges with nature, money, self-doubt, society, and time. The obstacle of self-doubt in "Araby" is compared to Gawain's in the quest for the Grail. "The boy is doomed to failure the moment he says, 'my heart misgave me.'" states Mandel. If the protagonists had a single drop of doubt, it showed the limitations of one's devotion to their love, and that shows that they are undeserving to fulfill the quest. He's showing that this one failure in this obstacle reflects on the overall outcome of the quest: failure. (Mandel
Throughout this analysis over "Araby", Mandel goes through the story chronologically, and at the same time going through the specific events in order, to show the structure of "Araby" is that of a medieval romance. To start, the author states his thesis: Joyce structures his short story to be that of …show more content…
Finally, Mangan's sister acknowledges our nameless main character, which is where the protagonist realizes that any wish that Mangan's sister shall have, he shall make his command. This is where the main character of "Araby" takes on the task of going to the Araby for his love. Compared to Le Chevalier de la Charrette, the nameless main character is like Lancelot in the way of giving complete allegiance to the love they give the woman of their stories. (Mandel 51) This step leads into the fourth step: the journey of the quest, and its obstacles. In this step, we see the challenges with nature, money, self-doubt, society, and time. The obstacle of self-doubt in "Araby" is compared to Gawain's in the quest for the Grail. "The boy is doomed to failure the moment he says, 'my heart misgave me.'" states Mandel. If the protagonists had a single drop of doubt, it showed the limitations of one's devotion to their love, and that shows that they are undeserving to fulfill the quest. He's showing that this one failure in this obstacle reflects on the overall outcome of the quest: failure. (Mandel