Araby

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James Joyce was born on February 2, 1882, in Dublin. He wrote “Araby” based on his experiences as a citizen of Dublin. After Joyce’s birth, the family’s accomplishment and wealth declined, forcing them to move to the area of North Dublin which was not as comfortable as the place he was born. The harsh world surrendered him during his childhood. At this time Ireland was controlled by British and was irritating under British rule. The title “Araby” refers to an actual marketplace, Bazaar held in the periphery of Dublin. But the term “Araby” has the different meaning in this story. “Araby” is an erotic and romantic place where the narrator’s dream about his beloved girl became real. He is too shy and afraid to tell her about his feelings. Society and religion are one of the significant obstacles for the young boy at the age of twelve. The tension between the narrator’s sexual desire and his religious beliefs was the main conflict which kept the narrator away from his beloved girl. According to researchers, “The antagonist of the story …show more content…

When she spoke to him for the first time, the narrator was so excited. “All my senses seemed to desire to veil themselves and, feeling that I was about to slip from them, I pressed the palms of my hands together until they trembled…”(Joyce 727). This sentence is an example of a typical masturbatory position for a young boy at the age of twelve. The narrator was alone at home on a rainy day after speaking to the girl; he had hard times to suppressed his sexual feelings because of the religious beliefs. He was trying to hide his sexual feelings in his mind and his body by pressing the palms of his hands together. Now the narrator’s mission was to go to the Bazaar and bring the girl a gift to impress

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