about joyce james

James Joyce is a world-renowned linguist with a distinctive literary talent. The artist is renowned for his ability to create great masterpieces that are both captivating and educational to the viewer. A keen focus is mirrored in the short story Araby in one of his great works of literature, The Dubliners, in which we get a snapshot of the author's life through the narrator. The author uses the life of an unknown character in the short story to relay the overarching message of disillusionment and youthful innocence. The plot of the narrative revolves around Mangan’s sister, and through this, we get the entire setting of the story, the social orientation, and the specific encounters that young people face in the society. The narrator is a young boy who is on the verge of growing up and is confronted with an enormous task of confessing the feelings he nurses to his friend’s sister. Therefore, this paper seeks to understand the plot interpretation of the short story Araby and the various themes (alienation, transformation, innocence, and traumatic memory) which are evident in the short story and portray the narrator’s growth from childhood into manhood.
James Joyce tries as much as possible to explain some of the ordeals which he encounters while growing up as a small boy. The short story starts in Dublin, specifically in North Richmond Street, and the narrator makes use of this to explain the condition of the area vividly. In this perspective, the author captures our attention by describing the status of the uninhabited two-floor building where he lived with his aunt and uncle. The narrator, who is unnamed, provides the reader with an overview of the previous tenant who was a priest and then died. The narrator further explains his social life and the boys he plays with. Soon after this, he introduces us to Mangan’s sister who he describes as an epitome of beauty. Through the narration, we learn that the narrator has never spoken to the girl until the time she enquired about the Bazaar (the Araby festival). After the girl explains that she will be unavailable for the retreat, the narrator volunteers to go to the fair and commits himself to bringing her a present. After the reassurance, the narrator grows fidgety throughout the week, and despite all the anxiety, his uncle fails him. After arriving at the Bazaar late, reality dawns on him that he has been living in a world of fantasy and disillusionment which is coupled up with the religious beliefs he upholds. James Joyce distinctively captures the emotions of the narrator, and this is fascinating to the audience. Krasny points out that the vivid description and the chronological arrangement of events serve to pass the intended message to the reader (Krasny 23). Hence, from the contextual analysis, it is evident that the author provides a firm basis of the various themes which he seeks to pass on to the readers.
From the excerpt, it is clear that change and transformation can be deduced as one of the dominant themes. The author uses the narrator to elaborate on this subject. Krasny in his analysis points out that the narrator lives in illusion and his dream world sees Mangan’s sister as an epitome of beauty. From the excerpt, Krasny points out that all the conflict affecting the narrator was all cupped up in his mind. In the story, the narrator notes, “…..I stare her from my window, think of her and secretly follow her down the street”. From this, it is clear that the narrator lives a lonely life, away from the distractions of other people and the chaos of the streets. He goes ahead to describe her and compare the feelings and their purity to that of the Virgin Mary (Krasny 33). In this perspective, we can deduce that the narrator was growing into manhood, and battling the inner feelings in a composed manner provides a presumption that he was handling the growth maturely.
Alienation and loneliness are also part of the process affecting the narrator in his quest to join manhood. The narrator passes through a critical time trying to figure out the state of feelings he has towards Mangan’s sister. Hence, through this, the narrator takes a lot of time searching to get in touch with the feelings he has towards the girl. With this, it is evident that the narrator separated himself from the rest of his friends in the process of trying to find out the real meaning of the feelings. Krasny points out that the alienation and loneliness part acts as an important hub in exposing the themes in the short story (Krasny 44). Krasny writes that in the entire narration, the narrator does not share the feelings he has towards Mangan’s sister with any person. Additionally, Mangan’s sister is unaware of the narrator’s feelings to her which trouble him. In another instance, from the narrator’s point of view, we learn that he lives with his uncle and aunt which means he lacks the love and affection of the true family. Therefore, through this, we get an overview of the challenges which the narrator faces: the loneliness and the alienation from other people in the society.
From the excerpt, it is also evident that the narrator is growing up because he tends to link the feelings in the religious perspective. In the story, at some point, the narrator observes Mangan’s sister as an accurate representation of the Virgin Mary, and he considers himself as a spiritual hero. In their contextual analysis, Gioia and Gwynn point out that an individual begins to familiarize with the spiritual side when he or she starts to grow and blend in the society (Gioia and Gwynn 12). In the deeper analysis of the life of the narrator, he chooses to compare the purity of the feelings and the beauty of the girl to the purity of the Virgin Mary. In this instant, he cannot be persuaded to think otherwise as the narrator is confident of his dreams and thoughts. Additionally, after a deeper analysis of the absurdities in life, he finally sees the realism of life. Soon after the disappointment at Bazaar, the narrator realizes that there is an enormous difference between the religious life and the secular life. In the spiritual life, there is the aspect of perfection which ceases to exist in the secular domain. In the last part of the story, the narrator is disappointed soon after reaching the Bazaar and finding that the place is closing up, and, as a result, he loses hope in almost everything, and this drives him to question his religious beliefs.
The short story also unearths the concept of traumatic memory which affects the narrator. The narrator undergoes a lot of stress while trying to cope with the changing environment. We learn from the story that the narrator lives with the uncle and the aunt which implies that he is not in contact with the biological parents. The uncle is naturally self-centered and does not consider the feelings of the narrator that much. The situation can be evidenced by the fact that despite he had informed him of the trip to the Bazaar, his uncle still does not return early and this angers the narrator. In this aspect, we can deduce that the narrator undergoes a lot of stress in his quest to maintain perfection and live up to the standards. At the end of the narration, the narrator talks of his despair and the way he sees life to be unfair. He comes to realize the fact that he can never have her and he also accepts the fact that he was living a dream all along (James 4). The narrator points out, “…gazing up into the darkness, I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger”. The statement implies that the narrator is indeed suffering from a lot a stress and the weight which has been posed to him.
The short story also highlights some minor issues which the author tends to pass to the readers. Love or infatuation comes out firmly as one of the elements that describe the narrator and the Mangan’s sister. The narrator realizes that he nurses deep feelings for the girl who he cannot express them to apparently. Another theme evident in the excerpt is religion and family relations, and this is clearly outlined through the life of the narrator. Krasny describes that the author makes use of the linguistic prowess which helps him to convey the intended message (Krasny 92). The theme of childhood innocence comes into perspective in the first paragraphs, but at the end, the author realizes the bitter side of life and this element is removed from his beliefs. At this juncture, he accepts he cannot share the feelings he has for the girl. Thus, it goes without question that all the aspects which the writer incorporates in the short story aim at denoting the growth of the narrator.
In conclusion, it is vital to note that indeed the narrator grows from his childish ways into the manhood state. James Joyce uses his prowess to connect the audience to both worlds while keeping the characters of the cast in their rightful place. The author provides a snippet of his life while growing in an Irish Estate and the problems which he faces soon after reaching the puberty stage. The short story Araby provides a clear angle of the troubles which young adolescents have to undergo in the quest to become adults. Therefore, basing our judgment on this short story manhood entails facing the reality of life, addressing the issues, and accepting things which we cannot change just as the narrator discovers at the end of the story soon after the lights are turned off at the Bazaar.




 
Works Cited
Gioia, Dana, and R S. Gwynn. The Art of the Short Story. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. Print.
Joyce, James. Dubliners. Tustin: Xist Publishing, 2015. Print.
Krasny, Michael. Masterpieces of Short Fiction: Araby. Chantilly, VA: Teaching Company, 2008. Print