Light and Dark Imagery in James Joyce's Araby
Throughout literary history, authors have been fascinated by the use of the light and dark to adjust mood and atmosphere. Light is often a symbol of pleasantness, contentment and joy, whereas dark more often represents hardship, frustration and confusion. The two images are contrasted frequently, both in modern and in classic works. In James Joyce's "Araby," light, dark and shadow are juxtaposed to accentuate mood and to illustrate the feelings of the narrator.In the story, the narrator, a young boy around the age of twelve, has fallen in love with one of his playmates' sister. The narrator says that just the sound of her name makes his heart leap, but Joyce chooses to never mention her name: he refers to her only as Mangan's sister. The fact that her name is never uttered adds to the mysterious air that surrounds her and captivates the senses of the narrator. When the narrator speaks of her, he often vales her in shadow, or eclipses her in light. His fascination with her, probably an older, more mature young woman, is that of child-like wonderment. He doesn't know much about her; in fact he's never so much as spoken to her, yet he is entranced by the mystery of her. He waits in his drawing room every morning before sch
He was thankful that he could not see because reversely, he could not be seen. Finally at nine o'clock at night, his uncle stumbles into the house drunk. When the narrator describes Magan's sister, he does so as a child who feels an adult emotion that he does not understand. If the bazaar closes at ten o'clock, the narrator would only have ten minutes to find something that was right for Mangan's sister and buy it, but given that the majority of the stands are already closed, this task is almost impossible. The light is also described as lighting up one side of her dress and catching the white outline of her petticoat. The story suggests that the narrator's playmates are just a bit younger than he. They would wait to see if she went back in, and if she stayed, they would approach the front step. At night when the boys would play, she would call Mangan in for tea, but the young boys would never obey immediately. He describes this routine with the blind being "pulled down to an inch of the sash so that I could not be seen" (691). After much drunken blabber, the uncle gives the narrator some money to go. He tried to obtain her affections through a vain, empty attempt by buying her an obsolete trinket. She unknowingly beckons the narrator to her world of maturity, but he is uncertain in this new stage of life. He illustrates the scene as being a dark rainy night. Joyce describes this scene with "her figure defined by the light from the half-opened door" (691). But Mangan's sister herself is probably at least three years older than the narrator.
Common topics in this essay:
Joyce's Araby,
,
mangan's sister,
Araby Joyce,
light dark,
dark imagery,
light dark imagery,
uncertainty leaving childhood,
leaving childhood,
boys play,
narrator narrator,
entering adulthood,
stands closed,
ten minutes,
bring bazaar,
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