Araby Reflection

James Joyce’s Araby was thought provoking and I enjoyed it very much. My initial impression of Araby was that it was a dark, and dismal story with little significance on the surface. However, as the story progressed it became evident that there were significant hidden meanings within the text. Joyce’s ability to create this hidden meaning results in an interesting story with no parameters. I thoroughly enjoyed Joyce’s appeal to emotion in Araby and how the protagonist has the ability to influence the mood of the reader from the start of the story.

The first line of the story “North Richmond Street being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brothers School set the boys free” seems unimportant but later, it actually becomes very significant. Joyce cleverly provokes confusion in the reader with his use of eccentric language that is hard to recognize at a first glance.  This ambiguity contributes to the beauty and mystery of the story.  The priest was described as “a very charitable priest” when in fact he had just been giving his belongings away because he was no longer alive. The last line of the story, “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.” was very odd and appealed to me because of its ambiguity. It is the darkest point in the story when the narrator is showing maturity by blaming himself for his actions.

The first time I read Araby I thought it was very different and thoroughly enjoyed it. . It did not make much sense at first and seemed like it did not have much of a purpose. After analyzing the deeper meaning of the text and contributing to a Harkness discussion on Araby, I have come to enjoy and have a better understanding of the story.

After thoroughly studying and analyzing Araby, the hidden meanings became more clear. This gives the story more dynamic and flexibility. Readers can take more out of a story that includes this. I learned how the Holy Grail relates to Araby and what it really means. The quest for the Holy Grail is relatable to the story because the narrator is on a quest for a girl and goes to extreme measures in an attempt to impress her. I have taken a lot out of the analysis of this story and enjoyed the process. The use of implied language demonstrates the ability of the author to provoke the reader’s thoughts through indirect description and is significant in creating a meaningful impression.