James Joyce's Araby

Novel : Araby

Author : James Joyce

Synopsis

Araby is about a taciturn and shy boy who lived in Dublin. He is somewhat introverted too. He loved a girl, Mangan’s sister, who lived across the street. But, he had no courage to express his feeling. He just could be a secret admirer. One evening the girl asked him if he planned to go to a bazaar called Araby. She would be away on a retreat when the bazaar was held and therefore unable to attend. The boy promised if he went he would bring her something for Araby. The boy’s aunt and uncle permitted him to go on Saturday. When Saturday night came, his uncle returned home late. After much anguished waiting, he got money for the bazaar, but by the time he arrived at Araby, it was too late. The event was closed, and he didn’t have enough money to buy something nice Mangan’s sister anyway. The boy cried in frustration.

Personal Response

I like the story because it is very interesting and entertaining. I like the plot and the writer’s style in describing the characters and guiding his readers through the story itself, thereby seducing them into considering his theme. First, he offers a main character who brings sympathy because of his sensitivity and loneliness. Joyce then provides that protagonist with a specific, dramatic conflict namely the need to impress Mangan’s sister with a gift from Araby. I like poetic words in the story too such as “….her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood and but, my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires”. It also gives me some lessons. For example, from what the main character does and experiences, I can take some lessons that hiding our feeling to someone special can be a torturing and inflicting thing. And we should be able to be more patient when getting bad luck or a bad matter. We should learn to let it go.

When I see the main character in the story, I am remained of the main character in a film titled “Alexandria”. His name is Bagas. His character is similar to the boy’s. He is a taciturn and shy boy who hides his adoration to a girl named Alexandria. Alexandria is his new neighbor. He loves her silently. He has never expressed his feeling to the girl, so she has never known what he feels. Finally he doesn’t get Alexandria’s love, but instead his best friend who gets it. I think if the story is continued, the boy’s fate would be similar to Bagas’s. He will have never got the girl’s love due to he has never spoken his feeling, probably his heart’s worship girl will be taken by another person.

Yana Muhammad Fauzi

060751

English Literature