Araby Essay
James Joyce wrote Araby in 1905. Joyce takes us through a period in a young boy’s life when he goes from being a child to becoming a young man. During the opening of the story, the boy enjoys the companionship of his childhood friends and the fun filled days of his youth. As we are taken deeper into the tale, we learn that the young boy has started to develop more mature feelings. As the boy awakens to his new feelings, he finds himself moving out of the darkness and shadows and into the light. Joyce uses various shades of darkness, shadow and light to help move us through this journey. In the darkness, the boy is only able to see that which directly surrounds him. While in the shadows, he is able to see some things, but the world is not clear. After light has been introduced the lead character is finally able to see. Light is not only something that is radiated from the sun or fire. It is not just an illumination that has been engineered utilizing a power source. Light allows us to see the world and ourselves. It is also something that radiates from within us, and can affect how we feel about the world, those around us and ourselves. James Joyce introduces us to a boy who is literally playing in the dark in these passages: “The cold air stung us and we played until our bodies glowed.” “The career of our play brought us through the dark muddy lanes behind the houses where we ran the gauntlet of the rough tribes from the cottages, to the back doors of the dark dripping gardens where odours arose from the ashpits, to the dark odorous stables ….” This is a boy whose only concern is the game.