Mohammed El-Debs
Dr. Sharkey
Due September 2nd, 2013
“Araby,” Dubliners by James Joyce
The Confusion Between Religion & Love
The young character in “Araby” by James Joyce was disillusioned and confused at the conclusion because he wasn’t able to achieve his desires. The deep love that he felt towards Mangan’s sister was the reason that elevated his inner feelings. Being a young boy and experiencing love for the first time is why the character was so disillusioned. Progressing from being a child, and in essence growing up, added to the heightened emotions. All that was illustrated marvelously by the narrator’s tone in order to engage the readers with the story. Moreover, the most mysterious aspect that brought many readers attention was religion being directly related to the boy’s actions.
Starting with the narrator’s tone, it seemed that he is mainly depressed and sad. However, as the story progresses, the tone improves into a happier and more cheerful tone. For example, "Her image accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance" (31), here the narrator clearly shows that the girl’s image pleases the boy, making it deeply locked into his thoughts. Similarly, the story becomes more joyful when he describes the girl in detail. For instance, “Her dress swung as she moved her body and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side” (30). This shows how deep in love he is, which makes the rhythm of the story more happy and away from the depressing tone earlier. Nevertheless, as the story comes to the conclusion, when the young boy finds the bazaar closed, the tone starts to get gloomy and miserable. As mentioned, great use of tone engages the reader and speaks out the boy’s mind. If tone didn’t play any role in the story, the boy’s actions won’t be understood.
The unnamed boy in “Araby” lived in Dublin. A place that was described as “being blind” and depressing through the narrator description. It was covered by darkness that was...