“Araby”

“Araby” by James Joyce is a short story about a teenage boy’s love for Mangan’s sister and his disappointment when he cannot buy her something from Araby.

Level 1 – Why does the boy feel for Mangan's sister?
Level 2 – What kind of role does the uncle play in the story?
Level 3 – Have you ever found yourself in a situation like the boy? Have you ever felt a loss of hope? Explain.

This short story was amusing to read. At first glance, I wondered why Joyce had written the piece with one sentence quickly following another. For example in this paragraph Joyce writes, “…I watched my master’s face pass from amiability to sternness; he hoped I was not beginning to idle. I could not call my wandering thoughts together. I had hardly any patience with the serious work of life which, now that it stood between me and my desire, seemed to me child’s play, ugly monotonous child’s play.” It feels rushed and does not leave time for the reader to digest. I then realized after reading the story a second time through that the author is mirroring the feeling the teenage boy has with this girl. He is infatuated and fantasizes about her; she is constantly on his mind.

The story moves on to a quest for the boy, which leads to the theme of the story of escape and fantasy. He wants to see the bazaar at Araby and views it as an opportunity to win her over; he fantasizes about bringing her a gift from the bazaar as a way to capture her heart. He promises her a gift, however they’re several obstacles that get in the way, the most prominent being money.

Asking his uncle for money to go to the fair that night, he seems less than interested and returns home later without it. The uncle does not care that he has disrupted the boy's fantasy. This angers him and so he gathers what little money he has in his pockets and runs off to Araby. After facing the cost of the train and the admission price though, he is nearly broke and cannot afford a gift for the girl. This upsets the boy quite a lot and becomes hopeless. He acknowledges that his stay was useless and leaves Araby with “anguish and anger”. Kind of sad, but the boy had to face reality at some point.