Post on 14-Apr-2018
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
1/44
Araby by James JoyceAraby by James Joyce
SummaryThe story Araby conveys the
idea that the personal feelings
of a person and the real world
are two different things. First,
we do not understand this
difference but when we come
to understand that, we are
disillusioned. Then we are sad.The narrator of the story is a
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
2/44
schoolboy and lives with his
uncle. He plays with hiscompanions in the street until
dusk and then they return their
homes.Mangan is his playmate. He
falls in love with his sister.
However, he cannot express
his love to her. He keeps
looking at her from a distance.
He keeps on thinking about her
all the time. Her image is
always before his eyes. He is
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
3/44
very intense in his love. Tears
fill his eyes but he does notknow why.
Once she talks to him and asks
him to go to Araby. Araby is abazaar. He promises that he
will bring something for her if
he goes there. Now going to
Araby becomes his business.
He takes permission to go. He
waits for the appointed day
impatiently. Now everything
appears to him unimportant
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
4/44
and a childs play.
On the appointed day, heleaves for Araby very late with
a very little money. He goes to
a shop, looks at things.However, he cannot buy
anything because of his little
money. He repents on his
promise and his eyes burn with
anger and anguish. (235)
1. With reference toAraby, discuss the
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
5/44
intensity of the schoolboyslove.Describe narrators attitude
towards Mangans sister.The schoolboy is a passionatelover. Discuss.
James Joyce shows theeffect of love on its victims.The writer has described the
intensity of the schoolboys
love at various places in the
story. From his description, the
schoolboy appears to be a
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
6/44
passionate lover. We also
come to know the effect of loveon its victims.
The schoolboy is a teenager.
He loves Mangans sister verypassionately, but he cannot
express it. Therefore, he looks
at her from a distance without
saying anything. He wants to
be around her. At school time
as soon as she comes out of
her house, he takes his books,
rushes out and follows her
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
7/44
without letting her know. The
narrator says, I had neverspoken to her, except for a few
casual words, and yet her
name was like a summons toall my foolish blood. He keeps
on thinking about her even in
the classroom. Her image
comes between him and the
pages he tries to read.
He keeps on thinking about her
even in the market. He is so
intense in his love that he
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
8/44
cannot understand his prayers
and praises for her. He cannotunderstand why his eyes are
full of tears. He says about his
condition: But my body waslike a harp and her words and
gestures were like fingers
running upon the wires.
Sometimes he wants to get rid
of his senses too. He usually
murmurs O love! O love!
Sometimes form the window of
his house he looks at her
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
9/44
house. He had become so
much intense in his love thatnow her image is always
before his eyes.
Therefore, we see the intensityof the schoolboys lover. His
love had become his whole
business. This is the effect of
love on its victims. (280)
2. What were feelings ofMangans sister for thenarrator and what did shetalk to him?
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
10/44
The narrator used to watch
Mangans sister from adistance. She used to come at
the doorstep of her house to
call Mangan to his idea. Hewatched her in fascination.
Slowly he started liking her. On
the other hand, she was
unaware of his liking. She did
not pay any special attention to
him.
No doubt, she talked to him
once but she did not talk about
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
11/44
anything except Araby. Her
talking proves tht she wascompletely unaware. The
narrator of the story was
confused when she talked tohim. He did not know what to
answer. However, she was
quite normal. She asked him if
he was going to Araby. She
further told him that Araby
would be s splendid bazaar
and she would like to go there.
The narrator asked her why
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
12/44
she could not go to Araby. She
answered that she could not goto Araby because there would
be a retreat that week in her
convent.When she was talking, the
narrator was looking at her in
fascination. He was looking at
her neck, hand, and dress that
were lighted by the light. She
said that if he went to Araby, it
would be good for him. She
meant to say that he would
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
13/44
enjoy there. The narrator
promised her that if he wentthere he would bring something
for her. After that, their talk
ended and they departed.(234)
3. Write a note on themental condition of theschoolboy after his talk withMangans sister.Why were the schoolboys
teachers annoyed with theschoolboy?
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
14/44
After his talk with Mangans
sister, he started thinking aboutAraby all the time. He thought
about that not only during
daytime but also in his dreams.He was so impatient that he
could not wait. He wanted to go
to Araby at once.
He was to go on the next
Saturday and a few days were
left. He wanted to destroy
these few days to go to Araby.
He lost interest in everything
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
15/44
else. Now he was annoyed
with his schoolwork. Even inthe classroom, he thought
about her. Her image came
between him and the pages hetried to read. He answered a
few questions in the classroom.
Before that, his teacher used to
like him. Now he was very strict
with him and thought that he
was becoming idle.
He remained so absorbed in
his thoughts that he could not
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
16/44
concentrate on his studies. He
had no patience for his workbecause he could not go to
Araby because of this work.
Now his class work seemed tohim childs play.
When he was, alone he
recalled the syllable of the
world Araby. As Araby was an
eastern word, he thought he
was under eastern
enchantment. He asked for
leave to go to Araby on
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
17/44
Saturday. (209)
4. How did the schoolboybehave on Saturday whenhe was to go to Araby?Describe his feelings.
The writer has described the
feelings of the narrator soon
before leaving for Araby very
beautifully.
On Saturday, he was very
restless and impatient. He
wanted to go at once.
Nevertheless, he had to wait
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
18/44
the whole day. He had to go to
school and he had to wait forhis uncles return. Before
leaving for school, he reminded
his uncle that he wished to goto Araby that day. He was not
in a good mood when he left.
His uncle did not return until
dinnertime. He wanted money
from him. Therefore, he had to
wait.
First, he sat staring at the
clock. When its ticking began
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
19/44
to irritate him, he left the room.
He went upstairs. He wasfeeling cold and gloomy. He
went from one room to another
singing. From the front window,he saw his companions
playing. He looked at the dark
house of the girl. He started
imagining that the girl was
standing and before him. He
saw light touching her neck,
her hand, and her dress. He
stood there for an hour.
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
20/44
Then he came down. He saw
Mrs. Mercer sitting at the fire.She had come to see his uncle.
He was so impatient that he did
not want to talk to her.When she left, he started
walking up and down the room.
At nine Oclock, his uncle
returned home. At the dinner
table, he asked for money. His
uncle said in a funny way that
people were in their beds and
after their first sleep. However,
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
21/44
the boy did not enjoy the joke
and did not smile. His auntasked his uncle to give him the
money and let him go. His
uncle gave him one florin andstarted reading a poem, but he
did not listen to it and started
for Araby. (302)
5. Describe the schoolboysdeparture, feelings and visitto Araby in your own simpleEnglish.
The narrators visit to Araby
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
22/44
proved useless because he
could not buy anything for thegirl. Therefore, he was very
disappointed and angry and his
eyes burned with anguish.He got one florin from his uncle
and went to the station. He was
in a state of absent-
mindedness. He got a seat in a
third class carriage. The train
was deserted because there
were no passengers. He
wanted to reach Araby very
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
23/44
soon but the train left very late.
It was a special train for Arabyso the porters did not let the
crowd of people gets into the
train. He remained alone in thecarriage.
When he reached Araby it was
ten minutes to ten. Therefore,
he was too late. He entered the
bazaar by handling a shilling to
a weary looking man. Most of
the shops and stalls were
close. The boy went to an open
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
24/44
stall and looked at vases and
tea sets. Three shop assistantswere arguing. A young lady
came over to him and asked
what he wanted to buy.Perhaps he had read the prices
written on the vases. He had
come to know that he did not
have enough money, so he told
her that he did not want to buy
anything. He was very much
disappointed now. He stayed at
the stall for some time and then
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
25/44
turned away.
Now the upper part of the hallwas completely dark. He
touched the little money in his
pocket. He had realized hisfoolishness. He should not
have promised the girl to bring
something for her. Therefore,
his eyes burnt with anger and
anguish. (270)
6. The schoolboy of thestory Araby is therepresentative of the
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
26/44
adolescence. Discuss.The schoolboy is therepresentative of his class.
Discuss.No doubt, the schoolboy of thestory Araby represents the
adolescence. It is an age when
boys are not mature. They are
inexperienced and sentimental.
They do not know anything
about the bitter realities of life.
To them their subjective world
is everything. They want such
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
27/44
things as are out of their reach.
However, they do not come toknow their real position until
they are face-to-face wit bitter
realities.We see that the boy or the
protagonist is just like that. He
is immature and inexperienced
and only a schoolboy. He is
sentimental too. He falls in
love, but does not know how to
express it. He looks at his
beloved in fascination from a
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
28/44
distance. He keeps on thinking
about her not only at night butalso during the daytime. He
remembers her when he is in
his classroom and even whenhe goes to market with his
aunt. Her image always
remains before his eyes. His
eyes are full of tears and he
does not know why he is
weeping. Now the serious work
of life seems to him childs
play.
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
29/44
He does not know anything
about the bitter realities of life.He promises to the girl that he
would bring something for her.
He forgets that he depends onhis uncle and he does not have
any money with him. He does
not realize that until he stands
at the shop and perhaps sees
the high prices of things written
on them. Now he is face to
face with the bitter realities of
life. He comes to know that he
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
30/44
has very little money and with
that money, he cannot buyanything for the girl. (279)
7. How does the schoolboycome to know that he iswrong and he should nothave promised to bringsomething for the girl?Why is the protagonist angry
at the end of the story and whydo his eyes burn with anguish?Araby describes a conflictbetween the subjective feeling
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
31/44
of the protagonist and theobjective world.What is the disillusionmentof the schoolboy or theprotagonist?Discuss the narratorsmental condition and the gapbetween his hopes and theirfulfillment.Conflict is a state of
disagreement between
opposing ideas. When we read
the story Araby carefully, we
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
32/44
find that two opposing ideas
have been presented. The firstidea is schoolboys subjective
feelings and the second idea is
his objective or real world.There is a conflict between the
personal feelings of a person
and the real world.
The boy falls in love with his
friends sister. To him his
subjective feeling of love is the
only reality. All the other things
have no importance for him. To
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
33/44
him the serious work of live is a
childs play. He keeps onthinking about her all the time.
Even when he goes to market,
he thinks about her.In the classroom, he cannot
pay attention to his studies.
Nothing is important for him
now. He usually weeps without
knowing why he is weeping. He
promises to buy a gift for the
girl. These are the subjective
feelings of the boy. This is his
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
34/44
illusion. His objective world is
that he is just a schoolboy.Perhaps he is an orphan too.
His uncle is his patron. He
should not have promised thegirls to bring something for her.
He cannot buy anything for her
because he himself is
dependent on his uncle.
Therefore, we see that there is
a big disagreement between
his subjective feelings and
objective world.
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
35/44
It is only at the end of the story
that he comes to know what heis and what he should not have
done. He is disillusioned. With
his little money, he cannot buyanything for her. It was his
vanity when he promised to
bring something for her. It is
the sense of reality that makes
his eyes burn with anguish and
anger. (289)
8. What is the theme of thestory Araby?
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
36/44
The theme of the story Araby
is that the subjective feelings ofa person and the objective
world are two opposing things.
There is no agreementbetween them. First, we do not
understand this disagreement,
but later we come to
understand that, and we are
disillusioned. Then we are sad
and dejected.
When we read the story
carefully, we see the subjective
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
37/44
feelings of a schoolboy. He is
in love with his frieds sister. Tohim his subjective feeling of
love is the only reality. All other
things have no importance forhim. To him the serious work of
life is childs play. He keeps on
thinking about her all the time.
Even when he goes to market,
he thinks about her. In the
classroom, he cannot pay
attention to his studies. Nothing
is important for him now. He
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
38/44
usually weeps without knowing
why he is weeping. These arethe subjective feelings of the
boy. This is his illusion.
His objective world is that he isjust schoolboy. Perhaps he is
an orphan too. His uncle is his
patron. He should not have
promised the girls that he
would bring something or her.
He cannot bring anything for
her, because he is himself
dependent on his uncle.
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
39/44
We see that is a great
disagreement between hissubjective feelings and the
objective world. First, he does
not understand thisdisagreement, but later he
comes to understand that and
he is disillusioned. Then he is
sad and dejected.
It happens to all of us.
Sometimes we wish for such
things as are out of our reach.
We keep on thinking about
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
40/44
them, but at the end, we are
disillusioned. (277)9. What are symbolic
meanings of the desertedtrain and dark bazaar in thestory Araby?
The deserted train and the dark
bazaar have great symbolic
meanings in the story Araby.
The deserted train is one of the
means that can take him to his
most serious place Araby. It
also symbolizes gloom and a
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
41/44
kind of disappointment that the
schoolboy is going to face.Writers always set the situation
for the end of the story. The
setting of story always foretellsthe end of the story. If the end
is pleasant, the writer always
talks about light, day, and good
things. If the end is tragic, the
writer always talks about night,
darkness, cold, gloom, death
and other bad things.
Therefore, the desertedness of
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
42/44
the train, its delay, and
slowness all symbolize thetragic end and the
disappointment that the boy is
going to face.The dark bazaar symbolizes
the narrators ignorance. He
promises to the girl that he will
bring something for her from
Araby. He does not know that
he cannot buy a gift for the girl
with his little money. Therefore,
the darkness of the bazaar
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
43/44
shows his ignorance. The
darkness of bazaar alsosymbolizes the bitter realities of
life. It is a reality that he is
immature and inexperiencedand does not know anything
about the power of money.
Therefore, by looking into the
darkness, he realizes his
foolishness. This darkness also
symbolizes that we cannot
fulfill all wishes. Various things
that are out of our reach and
7/27/2019 Araby by James Joyce.docx
44/44
we cannot get them.
Therefore, we see that thedeserted train and the dark
bazaar are highly symbolic.
(255)