Darkness In Araby

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In the short story "Araby" by James Joyce's a boy that is constrained by the boring rituals of everyday life begins to become infatuated with one of his friends sister, as he becomes increasingly obsessed he eventually has a brief conversation with her and becomes intent on going to a bazaar the girl wanted to attend called Araby to bring back a gift to impress her but upon arrival he begins to realize the folly of his feelings. The boy's quest for fulfillment of his feelings towards the girl is the premise of the story. The boys confused emotions and feelings towards the situation as they escalate invoke a kind of attraction that the boy finally realizes is a facade being empty and dark. Joyce invokes a dark somber atmosphere throughout most of the story…show more content…
And similarly the boy's feelings are analogous to this theme building up the boys feelings of confusion and difficulty seeing clearly even in regards to his glimmer of hope in the dark. The concept of blindness and darkness is a central theme that contrasts with the hope and excitement Mangan's sister represents. Through the use of setting Joyce conveys a sense of the mundane being ubiquitous in the boy's life. Araby through its contrasting themes of darkness and light, James Joyce illustrates the implications of realism and romanticism and an individual and societies discontent with reality and quest for the ideal which ends in disappointment if mistaken for reality. From the beginning Joyce establishes the darkness of the setting. The boy's outlook on his neighborhood seems to be one of indifference.

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