Araby Literary Analysis

In James Joyce’s short story, “Araby,” the naïve romanticism the narrator has for the mysteriously alluring Araby bazaar and the seemingly pure sister of Mangan is symbolized by the grim reality of what the narrator truly desires. “Araby” is about a boy trying to buy something for a stranger with whom he is in “love” with. The boy has his reality crash down upon him once he realizes that his romanticized view of society is completely and utterly false. The narrator, being a child, has never actually experienced the real world and, therefore, has a very “childish” view of the world. The narrator is in mad “love” with a person with whom he has never talked to. He believes the Araby Bazaar to be an exotic and awe inspiring place from just the exotic name. And finally, he believes that he can buy a gift for Mangan’s sister that is more valuable than her silver bracelet, when he himself is actually

He uses her mere existence to add excitement to his mundane life by always “watching her door” and getting a rush of excitement “when she came out on the doorstep.” This happens every day as he walks to school. Another thing to note is that the narrator always “kept her brown figure in . . . [his] eye.” The narrator associates the “brown figure” of Mangan’s sister with a sense of exoticness. This exotic association comes from her brown figure being related to Araby. Araby refers to the Middle East and to the narrator this is exotic because it is foreign. Therefore, the narrator seeing Mangan’s sister’s “brown figure” feels as if he is chasing after an exotic princess, which in turn gives him a sense of adventure. Having this infatuation with Mangan’s sister gives the narrator’s otherwise mundane day-to-day life an exciting flare. The need for something new and exciting for the narrator emanates from Mangan’s sister’s high status that the narrator has given