James Joyce's, Araby (a paper on setting)
             According to many critics, James Joyce believed greatly that the Dublin of the 1900's was a center for spiritual ritualistic occurrences. He has written a great collection of short stories, including "Araby" that show just this. The boy in the story "Araby" is center to the city's dark, hopeless conformity. "Araby" can be analyzed on three different levels: a journey of a boy to man, the illusions of what one wants to see and what actually is, and an epiphany of life. The boy in "Araby" goes through these stages throughout the story. Each successive paragraph is filled with more context clues than the last that lead us up to our climatic point, one may even call this the "tragic point." This point is simply where a young, innocent boy has seen the harsh reality of life and has to learn to somehow deal with his new surroundings. Growing up is something that should be done with ease and that is something that we learn through "Araby". The boy in the story is in such a rush to move on from his friends, that he fails to recognize what may follow afterward. Going through life without knowing the hardships that can occur would be a great thing. It seems more and more now that children are in an enormous rush to become adults, but it is unknown to them what they will really face in the end. Many people often wonder how they can find true happiness in their lives. Perhaps if they took a step back to their youth, they'd find that the answer is swinging on a swing set, skipping through the streets, or maybe its the smile on a little one's face when she takes the first lick off of an ice cream cone.
             On its simplest level, "Araby" is a story about a boy's first love. On a deeper level, however, it is a story about the world in which he lives; a world contrary to ideals and dreams. This deeper level is int...