Compare And Contrast Araby And A & P

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A False Reality According to Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of the word “Infatuation” is, “to inspire with foolish or extravagant love or admiration” and “to cause to be foolish: deprive of sound judgment.” This uncontrollable and intense feeling of desire and affection can often engender rash decisions to be made by the infatuate. One’s imagination will run wild and his or her fantasies will interfere with daily life. A young boy in the short story, “Araby,” by James Joyce (61-66), is so incredibly immersed with infatuation for a young girl that his daily life becomes intoxicated with thoughts of her. Likewise, in the short story, “A&P,” by John Updike (18-23), a young boy named Sammy becomes infatuated with three girls, specifically …show more content…

His infatuation provokes the urge to quit his job in hopes of gaining the attention of the girls. Not only does he fail to acquire their attention, but he also realizes this, only to then quickly regret his decision. These two stories showcase how both characters become self-deluded and “blind” to reality when they are faced with infatuation and, as a result, they make ill-judged decisions. Both boys are young and therefore experience a confused image of the world around them. These views may be the reason for the intense infatuation that leads to decisions they wished they had not made. Sammy in the story, “A&P,” works the monotonous job of a cashier inside the A&P market where only run-of-the-mill events take place due to the small town in which it is located. He describes the customers as …show more content…

He so badly wanted to buy her a gift in hopes of winning her over, that he can’t even concentrate in school. He explains that “her image came between me and the page I strove to read,” and he even stood watching her house for an hour “seeing nothing but the brown-clad figure” that was derived by his own imagination (Joyce 63-64). After his uncle comes home later than intended, the young boy unfortunately arrived too late to buy a gift for the girl at the bazaar. “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger,” this quote shows how he is unhappy with the infatuated thoughts that took over him for many days (Joyce

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