Alienation of Araby Essay - 1884 Words

Alienation of Araby Although Araby is a fairly short story, author James Joyce does a remarkable job of discussing some very deep issues within it. On the surface it appears to be a story of a boys trip to the market to get a gift for the girl he has a crush on. Yet deeper down it is about a lonely boy who makes a pilgrimage to an eastern-styled bazaar in hopes that it will somehow alleviate his miserable life. James Joyces uses the boy in Araby to expose a story of isolation and lack of control. These themes of alienation and control are ultimately linked because it will be seen that the source of the boys emotional distance is his lack of control over his life. The story begins as the boy describes his neighborhood.†¦show more content†¦At night in my bedroom and buy day in the classroom, her image came between me and the page I strove to readÂ… I had hardly any patience with the serious work of life which, now that it stood between me and my desire, seemed to me childs play, ugly mon otonous childs play (Norton Anthology 2238). To make things worse, he can not possibly expect to have any control over the girls feelings. As it is, he can barely speak to the girl, and when she finally does talk to him he is overcome with confusion. He is so desperate for recognition and care, that when he concludes that Mangans sister is a potential source, he becomes fixated with her to the point of alienating himself from everything else in his life. Throughout the story virtually all adults ignore the boy. Even his uncle rarely pays any attention to him. And when he does, it seems that it is only to bore him or recite tired sayings like All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. This is an endless source of frustration for the boy because his uncle has the greatest control over his life. Going to the Araby is of supreme importance to the boy, and while he petitions this to his uncle at least four times, each time his uncle forgets. The boy cannot resist feeling helples s; he has put all of his hopesShow MoreRelated Themes of Alienation and Control in James Joyces Araby Essay examples1849 Words   |  8 Pages Alienation of â€Å"Araby† Although â€Å"Araby† is a fairly short story, author James Joyce does a remarkable job of discussing some very deep issues within it. On the surface it appears to be a story of a boys trip to the market to get a gift for the girl he has a crush on. Yet deeper down it is about a lonely boy who makes a pilgrimage to an eastern-styled bazaar in hopes that it will somehow alleviate his miserable life. James Joyce’s uses the boy in â€Å"Araby† to expose a story of isolation andRead MoreModernism - Araby and the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay1382 Words   |  6 Pageswidespread disillusionment in society that resulted from contextual events. This allowed an altered view of the world as fractured and chaotic, especially due to paralysis and alienation in modern society. This newly perceived reality is reflected through techniques of fragmentation in modernist works such as James Joyce’s short story â€Å"Araby† and T.S. Eliot’s poem à ¢â‚¬Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock†. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, fundamental and far-reaching changes in society often made individualsRead MoreThemes in James Joyces Araby Essay667 Words   |  3 Pages In the story of, Araby James Joyce concentrated on three main themes that will explain the purpose of the narrative. 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To create a genuine sense of mood, and reality, Joyce uses many techniques such as first person narration, style of prose, imagery, and most of all setting. The setting of a short story is vital to the development of characterRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Stone Boy 1954 Words   |  8 Pagesthe realization that nobody’s going to take care of you.† This statement caused me to cogitate the potential aspects that cause one s shift from childhood into adulthood.Within the four short stories â€Å"Initiation†( Plath, Sylvia.) by Sylvia Plath, â€Å"Araby†(Joyce, James.) by James Joyce, â€Å" Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been† (Oates, Carol Joyce.) by Joyce Carol Oates, and â€Å"The Stone boy† (Berriault, Gina.) by Gina Berriault, each of the authors conveyed the theme of coming of age to shed lightRead MoreJames Joyce and the Dead Essay897 Words   |  4 Pageswriting short stories that engraved, with extraordinary clarity, aspects of Dublin life. 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He then went onto write the following novels: A Portrait of the Artist as aRead MoreEssay on James Joyces Araby3507 Words   |  15 PagesJames Joyces Araby I doubt there are book logs that commence with a note directing a reader, specifically you, even though I get the impression from Mr. Little to whom riding between pairs of glasses suggesting that in order to gather a bounty against my beloved head I must be obliged to fathoming on how to receive topic sentences with cradling arms and craters of dimples (have to love formalities, even of those lolling head-stumps, after all, it keeps NATO all triteRead More James Joyces Ulysses - Balancing Information in Ithaca Essay3248 Words   |  13 Pagesinformation offered in Ithaca resolves these questions. We realize how separated the married couple are as they sleep with their heads at opposite ends of the bed. No other episode would expose the tremendous extent of Bloom and Mollys sexual alienation by supplying us with a 10 years and five months figure. By offering such information, Joyce both prepares us for the sexual assault of Penelope and creates the space for some concrete conclusions about their relationship to be made. The narrative