Themes in James Joyce's Araby
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: Themes in James Joyce's Araby
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
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In the story of, "Araby" James Joyce concentrated on three main themes that will explain the purpose of the
narrative. The story unfolded on North Richmond Street, which is a street composed of two rows of houses, in a
desolated neighborhood. Despite the dreary surroundings of "dark muddy lanes" and "ash pits" the boy tried to
find evidence of love and beauty in his surroundings. Throughout the story, the boy went through a variety of
changes that will pose as different themes of the story including alienation, transformation, and the meaning of
religion (Borey).
The narrator alienated himself from friends and family which caused loneliness and despair, being one of the first
themes of the story. He developed a crush on Mangan's sister, who is somewhat older than the boys, however he
never had the confidence to confess his inner-most feelings to her. Mentally, he began to drift away from his
childlike games, and started having fantasies about Mangan's sister in his own isolation. He desperately wanted to
share his feelings, however, he didn't know how to explain his "confused adoration." (Joyce 390). Later in the story,
she asked him if he was going to Araby, the bazaar held in Dublin, and he replied, "If I go I will bring you
something.' (Joyce 390). She was consumed in his thoughts, and all he could think about was the upcoming
bazaar, and his latest desire. The boy's aunt and uncle forgot about the bazaar and didn't understand his need to
go, which deepened the isolation he felt (Borey).
During the second part of the story the boy goes through a big transformation
which is the second theme of the story. He quickly grew from an innocent, young boy into a confused,
disillusioned adolescent. The boy arrived ...
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