An Analysis of Araby in James Joyces Dubliners :: Joyce Dubliners Araby Essays

An Analysis of Araby There are many statements in the story Araby that are both surprising and puzzling. The statement that mayhap gives us the most insight into the narrators thoughts and palpateings is found at the end of the story. Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity and my eyes burned with anguish and anger. (32) By breaking this statement into sm all in all pieces and key words, we can see it as a summation of the storys study themes. At this point in the story, many emotions are swirling about in the narrators head. His trip to the bazaar has been largely unsuccessful. He was late arriving, was unable to find a gift for Mangans sister, felt scorned by the merchants, and suddenly found himself in a dark room. These surroundings left him feeling both derided, and with a sentience that this eagerly anticipated trip had been in vain. Many other situations caused him to feel driven and derided by vanity. His reflectio ns of the charitable life of the priest who occupied the narrators house ahead the narrator make us wonder if the priest led a life of vanity. His early obsession with Mangans sister now seems in vain. I had neer spoken to her ... and yet her name was like a summons to my foolish blood. (4) He feels ashamed and ridiculed by his earlier inability to communicate with Mangans sister. He sees how put off he was by his anticipation of the bazaar. He recalls that he had hardly any patience with the serious work of life. (12) The narrator is embarrassed by the time he had wasted, and the ease with which he became distracted. The near total worthlessness of the bazaar at the time the narrator arrives is an extreme example of vanity. Not only does the narrator feel ridiculed by the vanity involved in this situation, he also feels driven by it. The simple conversation he carries on with Mangans sister regarding the bazaar drives him to bespeak all his thoughts toward the glory th at will be the bazaar. A sort of irony can be found in the fact that something that he devoted all his waking and sleeping thoughts