Araby by James Joyce

 

Araby is one of the stories in James Joyce's book The Dubliners, which was released in 1914. Joyce explains the enchantment of childhood and the perceptions of love for those on the verge of becoming adults in it.

The story begins in the first person and follows the mundane lives of the residents of North Richmond Street. The sole source of illumination is children's imaginations, who, even in the dead of winter, insist on playing outside till their "bodies gleamed." Joyce takes great pains to illustrate the magic of their imaginations, as well as the way their dreary surroundings transport them to fantastic realms of fantasy and magic.

The boys are still young and play in the streets, but they are on the verge of becoming adults. They've developed an interest in the adult world, and they're observing the people around them. They keep an eye on the narrator's uncle when he returns home from work, as well as Mangan's older sister. They are fascinated by the mysteries of the opposing sex and want to learn more.

On a rainy evening, the narrator isolates himself from the rest of the world and declares his love for her. He idealizes her and romanticizes his affections for her. He can barely put sentences together when he speaks to her because he is overpowered with these feelings. She finally asks if he's heading to the Araby market, and he's stumped for an answer. When she regrettably admits she is unable to go, he promises to bring something back for her when he ultimately says yes.

 The narrator is eager to get to the market and buy something wonderful for his beloved. His aunt is concerned about safety, and his uncle is late from work and almost misses it; the narrator leaves the house with a florin (two shillings). The bazaar is almost closed, and the narrator's romanticized visions of it are dashed. The most of the stalls are closed, and when he comes to one of the few that is still open, the woman serving him is too preoccupied with two young males to serve him. She merely acknowledges him unwillingly and abruptly before continuing to her chat.

 This incident shatters his romanticized notion of Mangan's sister and the Araby bazaar. He rethinks his romanticized views of love, and he is left alone in the market with humiliation and wrath. The story is about growing up and losing one's childhood fantasy. The narrator is a grownup reminiscing about a formative period in his youth. His developing interest in the adult world at the time led him to idealize Mangan's sister to the point where he began to alienate his pals and ignore his studies. This is his first experience with adult love when he is unable to find something fitting for the object of his loves at the market.

In contrast to previous coming-of-age stories, the narrator's newfound adulthood leaves him dissatisfied rather than satisfied. We don't get to see the progression of his pivotal encounters leading up to his epiphany. Instead he was disillusioned with his childlike aspirations because of his experience with the Araby market. He would put Mangan's brother on a pedestal, and his ambitions would be shattered if he didn't get a trophy for her.

The experience of the narrator indicates that his loss of innocence does not necessarily deserve the experience. The understanding of adulthood and adulthood is not something somebody should expect. His understanding is a form of darkness, one that tears our curtain away without better things. The tone of the author is melancholy and apparently pining for youthful magic. Another prevalent belief is that doing something different provides an escape from the monotony of daily life. The author sees the exotic aspect of the Araby market as a method to escape his daily dullness, and he may achieve this idea because it is a genuine place. Mangan's sister, on the other hand, is a mental diversion that can only be experienced in dreams. He begins to imagine her in settings that are even unfriendly to romance, and he becomes unable to concentrate on his daily chores.

When the narrator enters the market, he quickly discovers that its foreign allure is just a thin veneer over what he already knows. It appears to be exotic, but it is simply a continuation of his current reality. Men and women have British accents, and there are inexpensive tea sets for sale. When the narrator is confronted with the harsh reality of his situation, he understands that neither the Arab market nor his idealistic love for Mangan's sister can help him escape his predicament.

Many coming-of-age novels are hopeful, but James Joyce's Araby explores the idea that not all of our lost innocence is worth the epiphanies we have. We sometimes wish we could reclaim the innocence of childhood.

 Themes

1. Coming of age: The storey is told from the perspective of an adult. The vocabulary employed to describe a mature man's youthful experiences can be found. It's based on the protagonist's interactions with his friends and family. He no longer enjoys playing outside, and he doesn't laugh at his uncle's cheesy jokes. Rather, he cultivates a rebellious demeanour toward them.

He also develops feelings for a friend's sister and begins complimenting her physical attractiveness. This storey is about the narrator's developing sexuality. Furthermore, his desire to escape from his monotonous life demonstrates his maturity. However, the aforementioned events are only the beginning of his adulthood.

2. Love and Sexuality: When the narrator developed feelings for his friend's sister, he mistook it for love. He began to think about her and expresses his admiration for his physical beauty, which, albeit expressed in religious words, reveals his developing sexuality. He seemed to be troubled by the concept of love. He recognised at the end of the storey that whatever he was thinking was incorrect.

3. Escapism: Readers may find Mangan's sister and the Araby market to be a welcome respite from the narrator's monotonous life in Ireland. The narrator begins by recounting his daily routine. The narrator then turns to Mangan's sister as a mental retreat.

Even in locations where romance is forbidden, he thinks of her. He is taken away from his daily routine by her ideas. He was caught thinking about that girl at one point. When Mangan is depressed by his ordinary life, his sister helps him to relax.

Similarly, the narrator considers something unfamiliar from the Araby market. However, he discovered that nothing in the Araby market matches the mental image he had created. He listens to others speak English. He realised that while some of the items are not particularly unique, they all have a thin veneer of exoticism. Finally, he learns that all of his fantasies were really false beliefs.

4. Religion and Catholicism: The narrator is constantly surrounded by catholic characters throughout the novel. He goes to a Catholic school as well. His background is heavily influenced by Catholicism. In addition, he thinks of Mangan's sister in religious terms. His entire life is entwined with the Catholic faith. However, when he began idolising Mangan's sister, all of these things became contradictory on the ground.

He gives her a religious explanation. As a result, he believes his studies are pointless now that he has fallen in love with the girl. In light of this, it raises issues about the narrator's connection with religion.

Because of his crush on Mangan's sister, the narrator's obsession and distraction show a lack of faith. In the storey, Joyce appears to condemn Catholicism and religion. The priest, who was formerly a renter in the narrator's home, also shows signs of shaky faith or phoney Catholicism. His possessions reveal his moral flaws, such as his proclivity for reading novels of crime and romance that are inappropriate for a priest.

Sources:

https://www.supersummary.com/araby/summary/

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/d/dubliners/summary-and-analysis/araby

https://www.litcharts.com/lit/araby/themes

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/dubliners/themes/

https://litpriest.com/short-stories/araby-summary-themes-characters-analysis/