Literary Analysis of James Joyce
James Joyce's Araby is a story about the difficulties that must be faced when transitioning from youth into adulthood. The story is told using first person point of view by the protagonist, a young adolescent boy whose name is never mentioned. The boy tells his story using the past tense, so it is assumed that he is now a mature adult, and is reflecting back upon this particular event in his adolescence. We learn that the story takes place during a chilly winter in Dublin, Ireland, and we can also conclude that the time setting is sometime in the late nineteenth century by analyzing the relationships between the Irish and English characters in the story. The protagonist is actually on two separate quests which ultimately parallel one another. The first is a physical quest to the bazaar called Araby to purchase a gift for his playmate's sister, which he hopes will result in her attention and affection. What the boy is not aware of when he sets out on this quest, is that he is also on a psychological journey; an attempt to break out of his youth and enter into a more adult world. The word "Araby" means "Arabia", so journeying to Araby is not only a chance to browse and shop for a gift for a girl, it also represents the chance to exp
First, he realizes that with having to pay to enter Araby, he barely has enough money for the return trip home, let alone the luxurious porcelain pieces on sale. Whereas the boy has a hard time concentrating on anything else because he is so passionately focused on going to Araby, his uncle is extremely absentminded. The first book, The Abbot is a romance novel, which corresponds with the boy's romantic side, and the intense emotions he feels for his friend Mangan's sister. The boy attends the Christian Brothers' School, and much of his life and the lives of others in his area is devoted to religion. " (page 412) Since Araby turns out to be dark, it is, in essence, the very opposite of Mangan's sister, who is full of light, representing good. He entertains himself by reading some of the books left behind by a priest who lived in his home before passing away. This scene provides many disappointments for the boy. For example, "She was waiting for us, her figure defined by the light from the half-opened door. The last book is called The Memoirs of Vidocq, which is an autobiography written by Vidocq, the self-titled "master of crime", and one of the world's first private investigator/detectives. "I had hardly any patience with the serious work of life which, now that it stood between me and my desire, seemed to me child's play, ugly monotonous child's play. James Joyce also employs a lot of light/dark comparisons, to distinguish between "good" and "bad. The boy tells the girl that if he goes to Araby, he will return with something for her, and thus begins his quest. It is far more than just an unsuccessful journey to a flea market. But in reality, the journey to Araby did not answer any of the boy's problems, and may have even made them worse, for he is now full of sorrow and frustration with himself. "I heard a voice call from one end of the gallery that the light was out.
Common topics in this essay:
Memoirs Vidocq,
James Joyce,
Irish English,
Joyce's Araby,
Dublin Ireland,
mangan's sister,
Brothers' School,
Devout Communicant,
boy's uncle,
driven derided vanity,
story occurs boy,
bazaar called araby,
enter adult world,
adult world,
called araby,
enter adult,
neighborhood children,
child's play,
bazaar called,
creature driven,
creature driven derided,
physical quest,
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Acceptance Essays
