Themes in James Joyces Araby Essay - 667 Words

In the story of, Araby James Joyce concentrated on three main themes that will explain the purpose of the narrative. The story unfolded on North Richmond Street, which is a street composed of two rows of houses, in a desolated neighborhood. Despite the dreary surroundings of dark muddy lanes and ash pits the boy tried to find evidence of love and beauty in his surroundings. Throughout the story, the boy went through a variety of changes that will pose as different themes of the story including alienation, transformation, and the meaning of religion (Borey). The narrator alienated himself from friends and family which caused loneliness and despair, being one of the first themes of the story. He developed a crush on Mangans†¦show more content†¦Two men were flirting with a women and counting money which in turn ruined his thought of Eastern enchantment. After seeing the women shamelessly flirt with the men, he realized that he allowed his feelings for Mangans sister to get carried away with. He was angry at himself for acting like a fool. Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger. (Joyce 392). The last line says a lot about the story and the complexity of his feelings. However, the fact that he realized he was acting foolishly, showed that he was maturing from an innocent young child, into a man( Sample Essays Analyzing James Joyces Short Story-Araby). The last theme of the story and probably the most important is God and religion. To better understand the complexity of the story you have to know the historical content of Dublin at the time the narrative was written. During the 1900s Ireland was under British control and Irelands main religion was Roman Catholicism. Most families sent their children to schools that where taught by Jesuit priests and convent schools run by nuns. Ireland also had a lot of poverty in it and because there werent any TVs or radios for entertainment, so they relied on folklore and storytelling to pass the time . As you can see, its clear why such a big event like Araby held great expectations(Show MoreRelated Themes of Alienation and Control in James Joyces Araby Essay examples1849 Words   |  8 Pages Alienation of â€Å"Araby† Although â€Å"Araby† is a fairly short story, author James Joyce does a remarkable job of discussing some very deep issues within it. On the surface it appears to be a story of a boys trip to the market to get a gift for the girl he has a crush on. Yet deeper down it is about a lonely boy who makes a pilgrimage to an eastern-styled bazaar in hopes that it will somehow alleviate his miserable life. 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One of the comparisons between the storiesRead MoreParalysis In James Joyces Dubliners1086 Words   |  5 Pagesthat Shakespeare never explored: to remain paralyzed between the two states, unable to commit to either. James Joyce’s Dubliners is a collection of short stories first published in 1914, that follows the inhabitants of Ireland. Published nearly a half a century before the Republic of Ireland would be recognized as an independant country, many of Joyce’s short stories in Dubliners explore the theme of Irish paralysis, that Joyce found afflicted both the whole of Ireland and its individual citizens. Many