James Joyce's Araby

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Araby by James Joyce

In "Araby" James Joyce explores the theme that adulthood is not always what it seems. The narrator in the story is the main character and he demonstrates this theme when he falls in love with the girl in his neighborhood. In the beginning the young boy is too shy to express his feeling towards her. Later in the story he tells her of a present that he is going to bring her from the bazzar. Lastly he realizes that he has failed and now has lost his chance with this girl and is "driven by anguish and derided by vanity" (Joyce).

From the beginning of the story we can notice the affection that this young boy has for the girl. He is so moved by her that he notices every little detail, such as how "her dress swung as she moved her body". This girl is the only thing on his mind, and her image persues him wherever he is. He has begun to experience strong feeling of love, and he is just too shy to speak to her and let her know how he feels. When the boy sees her he becomes so shy, and "when she came out on the doorsteps my heart leaped" is what he said as soon as he saw her in front of him (Joyce).

In the article entitled "Dream Versus Reality" the author states that this story is about a boy's first love. On a deeper level, this story is also about the the world in which this boy lives with his ideals and dreams. N...

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