Essay on "James Joyce's "Araby"

Essay 3 pages (1045 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

James Joyce's "Araby,"

There is a definite sadness that rings throughout the vast majority of the passages in James Joyce's Araby, which details the romantic feelings of the narrator for the feelings of the sister of one of his friends. The futility of life of the narrator, of his family, his friends, their acquaintances -- even that of the desired girl -- is distinctly palpable and hints at an undesirable existence of days to come. The narrator places all of his aspirations and passion for life in the hopes of this young woman as a means of escaping this banality, even if any relationship with her exists only in his mind. Yet the author consistently informs the reader, in ways overt and subtle, that to aspire towards happiness, towards a life of fulfillment and realization of passion, is to ask too much of it for the narrator and those like and around him, who are instead fated for mediocrity, dinginess, and stubborn complacency.

None of the characters in Araby are able to achieve the things that they actually want, not even Mangan's sister, the young woman whom the narrator idolizes. She is devastatingly beautiful, with a grace and demeanor befitting that of many sought after women, yet cannot indulge in even the simplest pleasures -- such as attending a social event, which the following quotation alludes to. "It would be a splendid bazaar; she said she would love to go. 'And why can't you' I asked…She could not go, she said, because there would be a retreat that week in her convent" (Joyce). This quotation is important to this story because it indicates two disappointments for Mangan's sister. On the one hand it demonstrates that she cannot fulfill a relatively simple desire to go to a bazaar, which she views as "splendid" and wants to attend. Yet the more important disappointment is that the reason she cannot attend is because she is part of convent that has a scheduling conflict that weekend. The implications of this engagement are powerful -- as beautiful and as desirous as Mangan's sister is, she is promised a life of solitude and isolation from men by becoming a nun. This is a loss for her, as there are many pleasurable things in life this occupation will prevent her from engaging in. and, it is a loss for the narrator, because it means no matter what he does, he will never be able to actualize his feelings for her.

There are numerous indications that the narrator is destined for a life of mediocrity in which his lofty feelings of passion will not produce happiness at their achievement, but instead despair at his inability to realize his goals. Chief among these is the fact that he is unable to afford a gift for Mangan's sister at the bazaar. Were he capable of purchasing her some souvenir, perhaps the "porcelain vases" or "flowered tea-sets" (Joyce) that he considers, such a gesture would have symbolize some means of demonstrating his affection as well as his prowess as a boy/male to Mangan's sister. Yet the fact that his funds are… READ MORE

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