Illusion and Reality in "Araby"

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that in James Joyce's short story "Araby", the narrator's view of the world seems to be that it is a relatively mundane, routine and unexciting place except when interrupted by his adolescent sensual thoughts and therefore rises a fresh, new and exciting reason to hope, dream and fantasize beyond his usual and predictable home, school and church routine. The writer notes that Joyce develops within this story counter-themes of illusion and reality: the illusion on the boy's part of romantic love for "Mangan's sister" juxtaposed against the more mundane realities of his true everyday existence, including the reality that the boy's own actions and mobility are determined by others.

From the Paper:

"Soon the boy cannot extract his sensual images of Mangan's sister from his mind, even long enough to say his prayers. Thoughts of Mangan's sister interfere impede his concentration at school. Neither God nor his studies is in his own mind any match for Mangan's sister. Soon, and without understanding why, the picture inside his head of Mangan's sister, distorted or real, takes on iconic significance, substituting for reality in a way far more, in fact deliciously, exciting. However, by the end of the story, the young boy's reality, which has to do with acquiescing to priorities of those older than himself than it does fulfilling his own desires, pulls him back, and much-cherished hope of buying and presenting Mangan's sister with a special gift from Araby is destroyed by the simple fact that his uncle's tardiness has caused him to arrive to late to Araby to buy her a gift.
"When the boy becomes fascinated with Mangan's sister, his mind wanders far from his usual reality, which consists of school, church, home, and the authority of others - religious, parental, and otherwise."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "'Araby: James Joyce." Emotes. 9 December 2007 <http://www.enotes.com/ short-story-criticism/araby-james-joyce.html>.
• Fuhrel, Robert. "The Quest of Joyce and O'Connor in 'Araby' and 'The Man of the House.'" In Frank O'Connor: New Perspectives. Robert C. Evans and Richard Harp (Eds.). West Cornwall, CT: Locust Hill Press, 1998. 173-87.
• "James Joyce: 'Araby'." Literature Annotations. 10 Dec 2007 <http://www. endeavor.med.nyu.edu/lit-med/lit-med-db/webdocs/webdescrips/joyce11970 -des-.html>.
• "Joyce." Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam Webster, 1995. 611.
• Joyce, James. Araby." [online text]. WWDubliner's Reference. 10 Dec 2007 <http:www.mendele.com/WWD.html>.

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