Araby By James Joyce

James Joyce was born in Dublin, in 1882 and subsequently became one of Ireland's greatest writers with books such as Dubliners' being hugely successful among many around the world. Still considered one of the greatest writers to this day, Joyce even succeeds in having a day dedicated to him named after one of his characters.

One of Joyce’ important traits was his ability to paint a realistic picture of Dublin through many of his stories. He believed in portraying Ireland as it really was.

The story of Araby is a portrayal of ‘first love’ and tells of a boy's powerful infatuation with a young girl whom he encounters. Joyce begins the story by creating a sense of a life and world that is both gloomy and trapped. The houses are described
as having ‘brown imperturbable faces’ and when he describes one of the backrooms where a priest has died it is ‘musty’. We are being shown an unattractive and dark world.

When the girl is first introduced in the story Joyce writes of how ‘her figure is defined by the light. The girl is associated with imagery of light throughout the story, perhaps bringing warmth into his dark world almost like an angel or holy icon.

We are told of how ‘her dress swung as she moved her body and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side.’ Her hair is described as being ‘soft’, a word associated with comfort and tenderness. The story vividly captures the boy's infatuation with the girl. Joyce conveys this through sentences such as ‘I pressed my palms together until they trembled and murmured o’love o’love over and over again.’r. When the girl eventually talks to the boy asking of whether he is going to Araby, he notices all the small details such as she presents herself, of how she ‘turns a silver bracelet around her wrist’ and how ‘the light from the lamp opposite the door caught the white curve of her neck and her hair.’ We are then told of Mrs Mercer, 'a garrulous old woman.' This reveals a sharp contrast to the beautiful girl and appears to make her beauty even more intense to the boy.

The boy acts on impulse when he is talking to his love and offers to bring her something back from Araby and in his mind, this promise to her has become a token or symbol of his love for her.
In his imagination Araby is an exotic land filled with mystery and excitement and ‘the symbols of the word Araby were called to me through the silence in which my soul luxuriated and cast eastern enchantment over me. However, after this point Joyce begins to portray a darker side to story and we are told of the boy's frustration when his uncle is late. We are told of how ‘the boy did not smile’ when his uncle apologizes for being late. Eventually however, the boy sets off for Araby feeling intense anticipation. Joyce describes the train journey as being ‘slow moving’ and ‘creeping’ creating an ominous sense of frustration. When the boy arrives at his destination Joyce uses the word ‘magical’ to convey a sense of excitement and
thrill.

The darker side of Joyce's writing becomes apparent again in his description of Araby itself. The boy is left slightly bewildered and wondering why he had come to Araby as the silence is compared to ‘like that which pervades a church after the service.’All magic seems to have vanished. We are told that 'nearly all the stalls were closed and the greater half of the hall was in complete darkness.' This suggests disappointment. As the girl is associated with light and happiness we can see that darkness will have the opposite effect on the boy. He tries with difficulty to remember why he had come as he realizes that Araby is full of disappointment and that it is not the escape that he had hoped for.

Finally, the story ends with an anti climax, the boy realizing ‘his stay was useless.’ We know of how the boy has been portrayed by Joyce as being ‘let down,’ by the true nature of Araby. His exotic dream proves to be nothing more than a fantasy and Araby did not provide the fulfillment he was looking for.

Joyce ends the story with a sentence reflecting the boys pain, ‘My eyes burned with anguish and anger.’ And it reveals a painful awakening to life’s realities.
Joyce was a writer of many stories and another of which he had written includes that of ‘Eveline’ a story written to portray an unfulfilled life. This story begins in a similar setting as Araby with, once again a life that is ‘gloomy’ and ‘trapped.’ The opening line is a strong one, ‘she sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue.’ I am given the impression of the search for something better within her life. The word ‘invade’ gives the impression that the lady we see does not want the evening to come, Joyce perhaps cleverly hinting at something she dreads.

The writer tells us how she observes the life outside her window, signifying a sense of imprisonment and wistfulness. We are shown the reality of what the woman is reflecting on about her past, through the sentence ‘they all seemed to be rather happy then.’ We are given the impression that in the past this woman was a happier one and more content. However, the line ‘everything changes’ suggests she has been plunged from her happiness into a darker and more hostile world. The following sentence, ‘she was going to go away like the others, to leave her home.’ Reveals to me the beginning of the woman’s story and the dread she faces as she leaves her comfort. We are told of how she looks round her room, in case she never sees her things again. This
shows her awareness of time, and the lack of it she may have with her precious things. I believe Joyce is portraying sympathy towards his character.

Frank represents a new and exciting lifestyle to Eveline. We are told how she is to 'explore' a new life with Frank which is something both exciting and frightening for Eveline. He is described as 'kind, manly and open hearted.,' someone who can offer Eveline means of escapism. However, it soon becomes apparent that Eveline is torn between her family and her love Frank, someone who can offer her a new life full of hope. Her excitement and love for frank is shown when Franks purchase of the seats are not back row of the theatre. Frank is perhaps her method of escapism and excitement, something of which she hasn’t had since taking on the role of the mother. Joyce, I believe, is not trying to imply that Eveline is in love with Frank, but that she is greatly excited by him. She is feeling that the situation is exciting and spontaneous. Frank is urging Eveline desperately to go to the station, but she wavers in her decision. When she does decide on leaving with Frank we are told of her 'sudden impulse of terror.' The word 'terror' reveals her inner emotional turmoil. Joyce tells of how Eveline 'wanted to live' and we are again shown the appeal of Frank. We can see that she feels guilty in her actions and tries to justify her leaving,'why should she be unhappy?' This reveals Eveline's inner insecurity's. She frantically reassures herself, 'Frank would take her in his arms, fold her in his arms. He would save her.'

Joyce gradually prepares the reader for his characters disappointment. The description of the boat is ‘a black mass,’ which gives it a dreading and ominous feeling. It also blows ‘ a long mournful whistle into the mist.’ This suggests both that the story will have a sad ending and the use of the mist image conveys her confusion. Joyce is able to capture Evelyn’s confusion in his writing, describing how ‘all the seas of the world tumbled about her heart.’ Instead of Frank saving her she feels he would drown her. The final image of Eveline is a clever one, associating her with paralysis. Joyce’s description of her compares her to a ‘helpless animal’.