Araby Literary Analysis Essay

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John Milton once said,“Innocence once lost, can never be regained. Darkness once gazed upon, can never be lost.”.This statement proved to be true for the boy in Araby, where the boy goes through one his darkest experiences, learning about the true harshness of life. In Araby, by James Joyce, the author conveys the message “Innocence is often lost due to the realities of life” by using characterization, such as the boy’s thoughts and actions. To start with, the author changes the way the main character thinks to show his message. Joyce starts the story by showing the peaceful and playful life of the boy and his dream of talking to his crush. By the end of the story, he not only talks to his crush, but also tries to get something for her from Araby, a …show more content…

Joyce displays his message is through the main character’s actions. The most evident examples of this are in the middle of the story, when the boy talks to the girl for the first time, and towards the end of the story, when the boy talks to a vendor. The author says on page 2,” When she addressed the first words to me, I was so confused that I did not know what to answer.”(2). The boy’s reaction seems a little uneasy when he talked to the girl; thus, it can be inferred that the juvenile is innocent in relationship kinds of matters.Secondly, at the end of the story, after the boy was not able to obtain what he wanted for his crush, the text says,”I lingered before her stall, though I knew my stay was useless.”(4). This evidence is taking place after the boy is intimidated by the woman. This part of the story distinctly shows that the boy knew his action were clearly a mistake. To be more specific, he realizes that his nervousness took over him, making him realize what he did wrong, therefore, making him less innocent. All of this was caused by a crude experience, or “realities of life”. To sum everything up, the boy’s actions help prove the point, “Innocence is often lost due to the realities of

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