Araby by James Joyce

Araby by James Joyce is an amazing story about a boy that falls in love and slowly transitions to a young man. We can see how the story begins with the point of view of a boy that has no worries and slowly grows up and becomes a young man who is confused about his feelings and his life. First, he explains his careless childhood and then his love story with Mangan’s sister. In the end we see a young man whose illusions about life and love are destroyed.
Even though, in the beginning of the story the narrator shows us the dark conditions of the neighborhood, what he really shows us is the world through the children’s eyes. “Our shouts echoed in the silent street. The career of our play brought us through the dark muddy lanes behind the houses where we ran the gantlet of the rough tribes from the cottages, to the back doors of the dark dripping gardens where odours arose from the ashpits, to the dark odorous stables where a coachman smoothed and combed the horse or shook music from the buckled harness” (Joyce, p. 95). No matter how dark and scary the street was, all that kids wanted to do is play. Shows their careless and free of worry childhood that we all go through but quickly forget about once we grow up. Life becomes full with responsibilities and worry.
Moving ahead of the story the narrator describes in details his confusing and painful feelings for Mangan’s sister. This shows us the slow transition from careless childhood to a young boy in love. “My eyes were often full of tears (I could not tell why) … I did not know whether I would ever speak to her or not or, if I spoke to her, how I could tell her of my confused adoration. But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires” (Joyce, p. 96). The boy doesn’t even know why he feels the way he does, it seems like these feelings are new to him. Once again, this clearly shows us the period of change from a boy to a young man.
At the end of the story the narrator explains his experience at the bazaar which by the description shows us that it wasn’t very pleasant. It was another new experience that totally transformed the vision of the boy of life and love. Especially when he saw the woman flirting with the two men: “At the door of the stall a young lady was talking and laughing with two young gentlemen… she seemed to have spoken to me out of a sense of duty… The young lady changed the position of one of the vases and went back to the two the two young men” (Joyce, p. 98). This experience has crushed the boy’s allusions of love. Suddenly love is not what he thought it was, thinking about one woman for the rest of your life, observing her every time he had an opportunity, walking on clouds of love and being faithful to her for the rest of his life. Another shocking experience that helped the boy see life as it is once you grow up.
In conclusion, we can clearly see how the boy is slowly opening his eyes to the world that is not the same as children see it. All these experiences taught him that love is not as beautiful as he was imagining it. Life as an adult is quite different than when you are a child. In the end he sees himself “gazing up into the darkness…as a creature driven and derided by vanity” (Joyce, p.98), an angry young boy that realizes how empty and dark the world and life is.
Reference:
Stories of Youth. Araby by James Joyce 1882 – 1941. Pages 95 - 98