Light, Vision and Beauty in Araby

Light, Vision and Beauty in Araby

Have you ever wondered how people act when they fall in love, or think that they’re in love anyways? Sure, everyone will act differently but it’s safe to assume that one thing is common between everybody, which is we’ll all act a little differently than what we normally do. Have you ever wondered how it happens so fast? At the blink of an eye everything can change if because true love has happened. As said by Sarah Dessen, “There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment,” which we can see through the story “Araby” by James Joyce. Throughout this short story we see many examples of symbols, motifs, and themes that contribute to the thought of how true love happens so fast and can change how we think. But, the main thing we see throughout “Arabay” is imagery. There are examples of imagery throughout the story of how this apparent true love is described, which includes the use of light, vision, and beauty.

The first example used in the story is light. The use of light helps to develop the character of the narrator, by showing what his attitude is like, also showing his optimism and hope for this true love. Throughout the story we are presented with both the light in the form of happy light but also darkness. Darkness is used quite often, showing the tone of the young boy’s surroundings and how it’s always seems to be empty and filled with sadness. The narrator seems to always seemed to use dark words to describe things up until the middle of the short story. The form of happy light is able to overshadow the darkness. When Mangan’s sister finally notices our narrator, the surrounding darkness fades away and she shines above all. This can be seen through the quote "The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there and, falling, lit up the hand upon the railing.” He feels so in love with her that just being in her presence...

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