Araby the Major Idea Behind

Araby

The major idea behind the short story "Araby" is that a real world experience causes the narrator to become disheartened towards holding his formerly idealistic views towards romance. When the story begins it is found that the young male narrator has secretly developed romantic feelings towards his friend's sister. The narrator's feelings towards the girl become so intense that he begins forming an ideal picture of her, which prevents him from regarding her as an actual human being.

When she notifies him about the upcoming Araby bazaar and her regret at not being able to attend it, he ecstatically offers to go to there and procure a gift that he hopes will endear her to him. During the days leading up to the bazaar the narrator constantly begins imagining it as the perfect place to pursue one's romantic dreams. He thus impatiently waits for the day when he will finally be able to attend it and make those dreams come true. In the meantime he stops fulfilling his obligations both at home and at school, which cause some of the adults in his life to become concerned about him.

When the day of the bazaar finally arrives the narrator begins experiencing one disappointment after another, which slowly chip away at his idealistic notions towards romance. First, he is unable to spy on his beloved from his window like he always used to. Second, he starts having uneasy feelings about the day as he walks to school that morning. Third, his uncle's late return home significantly delays him from attending the bazaar at its busiest moment. Finally, when he reaches the bazaar he finds that its shops are on the verge of closing down and there is nothing magical and exciting about it. This major disappointment prevents him from purchasing his beloved's gift, thereby making the trip altogether useless. As the story ends the narrator is found to be predictably bitter and disappointed towards the intrusion of reality into his dreams for love and romance.