James Joyce's "Araby," There Is

¶ … James Joyce's "Araby," There is a definite sadness that rings throughout the vast majority of the passages in James Joyce's Araby, which details the romantic feelings of the narrator for the feelings of the sister of one of his friends. The futility of life of the narrator, of his family, his friends, their acquaintances -- even that of the desired girl -- is distinctly palpable and hints at an undesirable existence of days to come.

The narrator places all of his aspirations and passion for life in the hopes of this young woman as a means of escaping this banality, even if any relationship with her exists only in his mind. Yet the author consistently informs the reader, in ways overt and subtle, that to aspire towards happiness, towards a life of fulfillment and realization of passion, is to ask too much of it for the narrator and those like and around him, who are instead fated for mediocrity, dinginess, and stubborn complacency.

None of the characters in Araby are able to achieve the things that they actually want, not even Mangan's sister, the young woman whom the narrator idolizes. She is devastatingly beautiful, with a grace and demeanor befitting that of many sought after women, yet cannot indulge in even the simplest pleasures -- such as attending a social event, which the following quotation alludes to. "It would be a splendid bazaar; she said she would love to go.

'And why can't you' I asked…She could not go, she said, because there would be a retreat that week in her convent" (Joyce). This quotation is important to this story because it indicates two disappointments for Mangan's sister. On the one hand it demonstrates that she cannot fulfill a relatively simple desire to go to a bazaar, which she views as "splendid" and wants to attend.

Yet the more important disappointment is that the reason she cannot attend is because she is part of convent that has a scheduling conflict that weekend. The implications of this engagement are powerful -- as beautiful and as desirous as Mangan's sister is, she is promised a life of solitude and isolation from men by becoming a nun. This is a loss for her, as there are many pleasurable things in life this occupation will prevent her from engaging in.

and, it is a loss for the narrator, because it means no matter what he does, he will never be able to actualize his feelings for her. There are numerous indications that the narrator is destined for a life of mediocrity in which his lofty feelings of passion will not produce happiness at their achievement, but instead despair at his inability to realize his goals. Chief among these is the fact that he is unable to afford a gift for Mangan's sister at the bazaar.

Were he capable of purchasing her some souvenir, perhaps the "porcelain vases" or "flowered tea-sets" (Joyce) that he considers, such a gesture would have symbolize some means of demonstrating his affection as well as his prowess as a boy/male to Mangan's sister. Yet the fact that his funds are woefully insufficient for this endeavor merely alludes to the fact that his entire crush on Mangan's sister is only a reminder of what he cannot have.

The following quotation, in which he leaves the bazaar empty-handed, emphasizes the fact that the narrator had egregiously deluded himself about his perceived romance. "Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger" (Joyce). The "anger" the narrator experiences is understandable and is in reaction to this dearth of money and inability to produce a talisman that is a token of his affection for Mangan's sister.

What is far more meaningful, however, is the "anguish" he feels, which is demonstrative of his despair in knowing that he cannot afford presents for Mangan's sister and will not consummate his feelings for her ever -- and is instead headed for a life of poverty, dinginess and mediocrity. The existence of the narrator's aunt and uncle confirm the fact that more than likely, the narrator will share their fate of living in poor conditions, with little pleasure beyond that of working for enough money to eat their next meal.

A brief look at some of the facets of life that the narrator and his family go through hints at a future in which these undesirable conditions will persist.

An excellent example of these circumscribing conditions is found in the narrator's trip to the market with his aunt, in which they "walked through the flaring streets, jostled by drunken men and bargaining women, amid the curses of the labourers, the shrill litanies of shopboys who stood on guard by the barrels of pigs' cheeks, the nasal chanting of street singers" (Joyce). These conditions -- the cursing, the lewd inebriation of those who pass by -- all of which the narrator and his aunt endure to obtain necessities.