James Joyce's "Araby"



Why do great writers often look back to their youth to find inspiration for their work?  Many have done this, ranging from
William Shakespeare to Amy Tan.  There are various reasons.  Firstly, we are all interested in childhood.  It is what 
makes us what we are.  Secondly, the memories of our childhood are, for some reason, very strong in most people's minds 
- it is the time of freedom and joy; a time when we did not have to go out to work and earn a living!  Thirdly, every 
adult has experienced childhood, and so writing about it is one of the sure ways of communicating with your reader.  

James Joyce's "Araby" is a short story which recalls an important incident in the author's life, and one which had a strong
effect on him.  We know this because the ending of the story is not one that he or we expected.  Instead of buying a 
present for the girl he "loves" he feels "anguish and anger" - the last three words of the story.  As the readers, we are 
left to wonder why exactly he feels this way.  This is the problem of "interpretation" we have - and in order to reach that
interpretation, we need to look at the evidence we have and come to our own conclusion.  So let's look at the evidence.

Clearly, the narrator is obsessed by Mangan's sister.  It is interesting that he talks about her name (bottom of p. 192) but
he never actually mentions what it is.  This may be significant because if we knew her name it may have made her more "real" 
for us.  Instead, the narrator keeps her as a kind of "object" - in fact, he tells us that he keeps looking at her, staring at
her.  She is not so much a human being but rather an object that he worships.  It is perhaps this that he comes to realise 
in the last lines of the story.  He has gone to "Araby" to buy something for Mangan's sister - to buy an object.  Maybe he
realises that all he is doing is judging by appearances ("vanity" p 196) instead of judging by real worth.  Just as he
looks at a pretty vase or tea-set, and thinks "That's pretty!" so he has looked at Mangan's sister and thought the same.  

But people are not objects; they are much more than that.  And beauty is more than skin deep.  He does not know 
Mangan's sister really, and has only spoken a few words to her.  How can he imagine all these things about her, pursue 
her day after day, believe that he is madly in love with her when, in fact, she is really a stranger to him.  What angers him 
and fills him with anguish may be the realisation that his behaviour has been foolish.





Back                                                    Home