A Boy's Initiation Into Reality In Araby By James Joyce

In James Joyce’s short story “Araby” he explores a boy’s initiation into reality. The Boy (who is never named) is infatuated with a girl who lives on his street. One day she mentions how she wants to go to a bazaar called “Araby” but is unable due to prior obligations. the Boy sees this as an opportunity to impress his beloved by not only going there but also buying her a treasure. The Boy is an aggrandizer meaning he views any event in his life with a magnificence beyond the capacity of the event. The underlying story in this piece is about this Boy’s realization that life is not as grand as his mind makes it out to be. Joyce writes “Araby” in such a way that we can track the Boy’s initiation into reality.

At the onset of the novella the Boy can only be described as a hopeless romantic. Joyce writes with the poetic vocabulary of a master writer to illustrate the inner workings of the protagonist’s mind. For example, when talking about playing during the winter, it is written, “the space of sky above us was the colour of ever-changing violet and towards it the lamps of the street lifted their

That is to say he jumps in his mind, as the Boy lacks the gumption to act on his furious imagination. When asked by his love if he is going to the bazaar, he does not summon up his grand words or pious demeanor to his goddess, but flatly states: “If I go…I will bring you something.” (Joyce,2280) no pomp no circumstance, just a plain kind offer. In his world however, he has made an oath like a knight to his queen. The journey to Araby, that mystical land full of enchantment and luxury, begins to fill his every waking thought. Schoolwork became a chore and any other activity with friends or family a haze when compared to the enchanting Araby. O, how glorious his return will be, and how this adventure would be the proof that no man has ever so loved a woman like he loves Mangan’s