James Joyce (Araby and Eveline Essay Example

In "Araby" and "Eveline" Joyce uses religious symbols to show the importance of the Catholic religion in both of the main characters' lives. Both of these stories take place in Dublin, Ireland, a place that is very strong in its belief in the Catholic religion. In "Araby," the imagery of the infamous "Fall" is presented to the reader within the second paragraph to indicate its importance. The themes of religious masses can be found in "Eveline." The concept of the Catholic Ash Wednesday is presented throughout both "Araby" and "Eveline." The second paragraph of "Araby" presents the idea of the Adam and Eve story known as "The Fall." "The wild garden behind the house contained a central apple tree and a few straggling bushes under one of which I found the late tenant's rusty bicycle pump." (21/14-17). In the Catholic religion, the Adam and Eve story is thought to be the time when sin became present in the world. It is the time in Catholicism when the innocent life that Adam and Eve shared in the beautiful garden, violently changed into a life of responsibility, pain, heartbreak, suffering, and most important in the Catholic religion, separation from God. This transformation can not only be seen in the story of Adam and Eve, but in the change from the innocent life of a child to the turbulent life of an adult. The latter change is the one that the main character of "Araby" is going through. Joyce is trying to show how important this theme was by repeating the word "fall" throughout the entire story. Catholic religion plays an important role in the main character's life, because the Catholic religion gives specific standards for believers to follow. This religion, along with its rules and regulations, is the one that the main character was raised by, and he feels obligated to follow them, even through the very tough time of adolescence. In the story, the boy becomes infatuated with a girl. This crush on Mangan's sister is very tough on the main