Araby By James Joyce Literary Analysis

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An intriguing yet commonplace subject in literature, childhood contains multiple themes—both subtle and blatant—that often illustrate a child's journey through and discovery of the world. Said themes include topics such as: love, loss of innocence, struggle with identity, and others. In one such story written by James Joyce, a few childhood themes are discussed through the lens of both direct and indirect characterization. Children playing in muddy alleyways, a profession of love in a veiled drawing-room, and a climax formed around the realization of blatant frustration all bring to light themes of epiphany, loss of childlike hope, and courtly infatuation with a young maiden in "Araby."
Out of these three themes, perhaps the most central is that of epiphany. As stated by Joyce towards the end of the story, "The upper part of the hall was now completely dark. Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger" (16). What is interesting is that in the last lines of the final story that Joyce writes dealing with childhood, he chooses to end on an epiphany. The character has already completed his journey, only to find that it was futile. However, it is the realization of futility that completes the …show more content…

On page 13, the description is as follows: "This happened morning after morning. I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood" (13). Since the literary theme of courtly love is commonly founded on loving a person without actually knowing or talking to that person, the case of the young narrator is a prime example. He is infatuated with a girl he has never talked to, let alone had a chance to love. However, it would seem that the narrator finds following the maiden around every day is sufficient for

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