Monday, September 16, 2019
ââ¬ËArabyââ¬â¢ by James Joyce Essay
What impression of Dublin and its people does James Joyce give in his story ââ¬ËArabyââ¬â¢? James Augustine Alrysius Joyce, an Irish writer, was born in Dublin 2nd February 1882 and died in Zurich, Switzerland 13th January 1941. He was born into a well-off Catholic family and was the eldest surviving child; two of his siblings died of typhoid. Joyce was originally educated at Clongowes Wood College, a boarding school in County Kildare, which he left at the age of 6 because his father could no longer pay the fees. James Joyce studied at home for a brief period of time before being offered a place in the Jesuitsââ¬â¢ Dublin School. At the age of 16 he rejected Catholicism which changed his life completely. At the age of 20, after graduating from the UDC (University College Dublin) he left for Paris and tried studying different occupations like teaching, journalism and even a doctor. At the age of 21 he returned to Ireland after receiving news that his mother was diagnosed with cancer. After she had died James Joyce became a heavy drinker but gradually stopped as he got over her death. He then stayed in Dublin for a period of time from 1904-1907 writing the ââ¬Å"Dublinersâ⬠and also started many other books. The book ââ¬Å"Dublinersâ⬠is a collection of short stories and ââ¬Å"Arabyâ⬠, like all of them, have ââ¬Å"paralysisâ⬠meaning that they canââ¬â¢t leave Dublin. For example in the short story ââ¬Å"Clayâ⬠Maria has the chance to make a new life and leave Dublin but turns it down because she is too scared. This also occurs in ââ¬Å"A Painful Caseâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Evelineâ⬠, as they donââ¬â¢t have to courage to leave Dublin. In the short story ââ¬Å"The Boarding Houseâ⬠, Bob Doran wishes to leave Dublin but canââ¬â¢t because he is trapped inside marriage. Most of the short stories, unlike ââ¬Å"Arabyâ⬠, go in circles, for instance, ââ¬Å"Two Gallantsâ⬠when Lenehan just wanders around Dublin. This also occurs in ââ¬Å"The Deadâ⬠because a horse just goes around and around in circles, and also in ââ¬Å"An Encounterâ⬠when a pervert tries to stop but end back in the same perverted world. At the end of the short stories James Joyce always write an epiphany, which is a revelation, but in all but one story the revelation is only noticed by the reader but in ââ¬Å"Arabyâ⬠both the reader and the protagonist ââ¬â the protagonist is the main character ââ¬â have an epiphany ââ¬â an epiphany is a moment of revelation, usually at the end of the story. In the streets of Dublin James Joyce writes them as being ââ¬Å"blindâ⬠, meaning that itââ¬â¢s a dead end and there is nothingness, it also means that you canââ¬â¢t escape and there is nowhere to go (there is no way of getting out of Dublin). The main reason is that there is no vision, meaning that you canââ¬â¢t see how terrible and run down Ireland really is. He describes all things by the colours ââ¬Å"brownâ⬠and ââ¬Å"yellowâ⬠that symbolises human excrements. He writes ââ¬Å"the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanternsâ⬠, the word ââ¬Å"feebleâ⬠shows that the light is not even strong enough to even penetrate the darkness. ââ¬Å"Jostled by drunken men and bargaining womenâ⬠, the word bargaining in this case can mean two things. The first meaning of it is that they are just selling items and changing the prices of them, and the second meaning is that the women are bargaining for their bodies, they are prostitutes. There are â⠬Å"street singersâ⬠who sing about the problems in Ireland. Also that weather is always extremely violent, and this is shown by the words ââ¬Å"cold air stung usâ⬠, ââ¬Å"rain impinge upon the earthâ⬠and ââ¬Å"the air was pitilessly rawâ⬠. Religion in Dublin is exceedingly poor. In the second paragraph it says ââ¬Å"a priest, had diedâ⬠showing that the faith in Dublin has disappeared off the face of the earth. Inside the house of the dead priest there were books that were ââ¬Å"curled and dampâ⬠meaning that the interest in them was lost. The books were ââ¬Å"The Abbotâ⬠which is a religious story, ââ¬Å"The Devout Communicantâ⬠which is a book on how to receive Holy Communion well and the last one ââ¬Å"The Memoirs of Vidocqâ⬠which is about a thief. The books are muddled up indicating that religion in Ireland is a sham. When it talks about the priest again it first says ââ¬Å"very charitable priestâ⬠making you think that the priest was a good man, and suddenly says ââ¬Å"in his will he had left all his money to institutions and the furniture of his house to his sisterâ⬠presenting the complete opposite. This means that the priest was only charitable went he knew he was dieing and he wasnââ¬â¢t a nice man. In the dead priestââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"wild gardenâ⬠there is an apple tree in the centre signifying the Garden of Eden which is a source of evil. In a bush in the garden, there is a ââ¬Å"rusty bicycle-pumpâ⬠, this can denote three things. The first description of the bicycle-pump is that there is no escape because, if you canââ¬â¢t pump up your tires, then you canââ¬â¢t go anywhere. The second explanation represents the snake, or Satan, in the Garden of Eden because the pump is approximately the same size a snake. The last reason, symbolizes a heart, meaning that, because the heart is not pumping, there is no love or life in Dublin, symbolizing that everything is hopeless. A good part in the story when you know that religion is just a phoney in Dublin is when the boyââ¬â¢s Aunt says ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m afraid you may have to put off your bazaar for this night of Our Lordâ⬠actually saying that he should just forget about it in a nasty way. Although she I using religious word she is using them without kindness, meaning that she is not caring about him. The family life in Dublin isnââ¬â¢t very pleasant either. In the beginning of the book, the boy says ââ¬Å"if my Uncle was seen turning the corner, we hid in the shadowâ⬠indicating that he doesnââ¬â¢t live with his parents, and also that heââ¬â¢s scared of him. On the night of the bazaar his Uncle came home late, ââ¬Å"I heard him talking to himselfâ⬠meaning he was obviously drunk and had forgotten all about Araby. The love in Dublin is bland. For the boy he loves and stalks ââ¬Å"Manganââ¬â¢s sisterâ⬠. She is called thins because he doesnââ¬â¢t actually know her name so he names her ââ¬Å"Manganââ¬â¢s sisterâ⬠. He defines her as ââ¬Å"lightâ⬠because he thinks of Dublin as the dark and Manganââ¬â¢s sister as a light to brighten up Dublin. When he looks at her ââ¬Å"her dress swung as she moved her body, and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to sideâ⬠, she is describes as lively and everyone else is not. ââ¬Å"Followed herâ⬠, or stalking her is the meaning, ââ¬Å"I kept her ââ¬Ëbrownââ¬â¢ figure always in my eyeâ⬠, ââ¬Å"brownâ⬠indicating that she is actually just an ordinary person with nothing special about her. Within one paragraph there are five words ââ¬Å"chaliceâ⬠, ââ¬Å"prayersâ⬠, ââ¬Å"praisesâ⬠, ââ¬Å"tearsâ⬠and ââ¬Å"adorationâ⬠, he describes her with religious word, and because he left Catholicism she is now his secular religion (one without God). She is also like music to his ears because it says ââ¬Å"my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wiresâ⬠. Also showing that he uses her in a secular religion is a sentence saying ââ¬Å"I pressed the palms of my hands together until they trembled, murmuring: ââ¬ËO love! O love! many timesâ⬠showing that he worships her a lot. ââ¬Å"At last she spoke to meâ⬠, this is the moment he was waiting for the whole time. She then talks about ââ¬Å"Arabyâ⬠and says she canââ¬â¢t go. While she was talking to him ââ¬Å"she turned a sliver braceletâ⬠, silver indicating bright. In two sentences he uses six words to describe how radiant and bright she is and how drawn he is to her, they are ââ¬Å"lightâ⬠, ââ¬Å"lampâ⬠, ââ¬Å"whiteâ⬠, ââ¬Å"litâ⬠, ââ¬Å"litâ⬠and ââ¬Å"â⬠whiteâ⬠, repeating ââ¬Å"whiteâ⬠and ââ¬Å"litâ⬠. ââ¬Å"Waking and sleep thoughtsâ⬠and ââ¬Å"chafed against the work of schoolâ⬠imply that he canââ¬â¢t do anything besides thinking about Araby and Manganââ¬â¢s sister, and it also says ââ¬Å"I strove to readâ⬠hinting the same thing. ââ¬Å"Lie at the windowâ⬠signals that he stalks and spies on Manganââ¬â¢s sister, and he is ââ¬Å"singingâ⬠because he is happy about getting Manganââ¬â¢s sister a present. Lastly he has a sexual desire for Manganââ¬â¢s sister because it says ââ¬Å"border below the dressâ⬠suggesting that he is growing quite fast and is into the puberty stage of life. ââ¬Å"Arabyâ⬠is a fair or, a ââ¬Å"bazaarâ⬠ââ¬â which is a foreign word from the east. In the boyââ¬â¢s eyes, ââ¬Å"Arabyâ⬠is an exotic place that gets away from all the darkness of Dublin. Also Araby is close to the word Arabia which is in the east signifying that itââ¬â¢s exotic, rich. And because it is in the east it signifies that the sunrise comes from the east, representing a new day, a new hope, a new light. Also Jesus resurrected in the east, epitomizing a new beginning or day. When he eventually arrives to Araby, he goes around the stalls and finds that most of them are closed. There is one that is open but when he sees the people at the stall he discovers they all speak in English accents indicating that the bazaar is not exotic at all. A ââ¬Å"young ladyâ⬠, who is probably a prostitute, because she is seen flirting with two men at the same time, asks the boy if he wants to buy anything but he says ââ¬Å"no, thank youâ⬠. And from this, all of his dreams end because, the items are too expensive and mundane. At the end of the story there is an epiphany, which is the moment of revelation, to both the reader and the protagonist, because usually the epiphany is only recognisable to the reader. On the second from last paragraph at the end it says ââ¬Å"complete darknessâ⬠signifying that all hope is gone. The whole of the last paragraph says ââ¬Å"gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and angerâ⬠, this is the exact moment when he realises that all Dublin was in vain and all he did was in vain. He figures out from this that there actually is no love, no romance and no chivalry.
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