Pursuit For Love In James Joyce's Araby And A & P

James Joyce’s “Araby” and John Updike’s “A & P” are both stories about confused young men. Both of the main characters are on a pursuit for love, and they are both left with the feelings of failure and hopelessness in the end. While in comparison the story lines are the same, many contrasts exist between their quests for love. The similarities and differences between the speakers in “Araby” and “A & P” can be found in the nature of their pursuits, and the outcome of what they learn in the end. First, the difference between the speakers in “Araby” and “A & P” exists in the nature of their pursuits. The character in “Araby” is a young boy that has a crush on a girl that lives next door. His pursuit for love is very innocent; he spends most

In a desperate attempt to get the attention of the girls, Sammy quits his job because his manager has embarrassed them. When he gets outside looking for the girls, they are nowhere in sight. This daring attempt at being the hero leaves him standing outside watching his manager as he notices “his face was dark and gray and his back stiff, as if he’d just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (324). Sammy learns that his heroism is actually immaturity, and it will make life harder for him later on. He is not as high-class as the girls are; therefore, their lives will go on and Sammy will have to begin looking for a new job. Sammy will struggle in the next chapter of his life because of a decision he made in haste. In conclusion, although “Araby” and “A & P” tells a story of love, they the differences can be found in the nature of the speaker’s pursuits, and the outcome of what they learn in the end. Both of the narrators go through a change within themselves that shape them into better people. These stories are significant in the world today because often people do make hasty decisions and live in fantasies. It is hard to see realities through the illusions in one’s head, and it can lead to rash decisions that can negatively affect life later