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Araby - James Joyce

Short stories are quite popular as they attract the reader taking the reader to varied environments, creating situations either familiar to the reader or to quite strange, atmospheric changes writers following the western style or the non-western style take the form of fictional tales, myths,folk stories, parables or didactic stories," Usually the short story contains some fiction based on a single theme with episodes short and brief.

The techniques used are exemplary, simplicity of diction, wording, the back ground associated and above all the richness of expression pave the way for the reader to experience varied conceptions. Most short stories carry a moral and sometimes the end of the story is dropped leaving it to the readers' own imagination.

There's also the 'Prose Poem' style of short story like that of Chekov which provides scope for the reader's intelligent view of the situation created. The 'necklace' by Maupassant deals with the 'general relevance' through characterization and incidente.

Madam Loisel in the short story 'The necklace' reveals the 'psychological influence of the social values esteemed by Madome Loisel and how her false sense of social values affect her whole future," revealing the danger of vanity, blind adoption of social behaviour patterns accustomed to those of high society.

The significant "cultural and social values too could be the structure of a short story" inviting the reader's attention to such procedure.

James Joyce relates the story of ARABY in an explicit manner. His " characterization being superb and depicted in an excellent manner." The background created for the priests death, the atmosphere of desolation and the negligence of the place, the uncared, untouched objects visible yet unseen, thereby setting up the most appropriate setting for the "charitable Priest" who had left the house to his sister.

Even the trees though neglected seemed to invite the sympathy, care and attention of a human being. The usual image of the waste room "the kitchen littered with old useless papers' a few paper covered books, the pages of which were curled and damp."

The "Rusty bicycle pump" of the tenant symbolises the pathetic and neglected state of the whole place. The contrasting features of the sky and the street houses reveal the exact soberness of winter days.

"The space of the sky above us was the colour of ever changing violet and towards it the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanterns....to the back doors of dark dripping odorous stables" depicting the heaviness of darkness prevailing through alliteration.

Amidst all these the boy's anxiety to see the girl and for the first time light coming "her figure defined by the light from the half opened door" revealing the sexual image and the boy's extreme anxiety to see her, "I stood by the railings looking at her the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side." The image of the girl created by the sounds of the words using sibilants.

"...and the soft rope of her hair tossed

from side to side," revealing the boy's

attraction to the girl. "Yet her name was like summons to all my foolish blood seem magical" the name itself and the creation of her image magical. There's the presentation of adolescent romantic love.

Love starting with the closeness of the neighbourhood and through the girl's brother, involved as the medium of a conveyor - a third party. The boy failing to buy something, at the Arabymarket, for the girl, his love go hand in hand symbolising life itself and moving in a manner "parallel to romance."

The opening paragraph of the story describes North Richmond street "being blind was a quiet street," "an uninhabited house of two storeys stood at the blind end detached from its neighbours in a "square ground." The ground being square symbolising the effect of the tint of artificially created. Even the other houses on the street are said to be "conscious of decent lives within them gazed at one another with brown imperturable faces" suggesting the emptiness that prevailed.

In the second paragraph the writer emphasises "a sense of death and decay" where the former occupant, a priest had died. The background created is suggestive of the disorderly condition that prevailed.

The "rusty bicycle pump" highlighting the sense of decay, the uncared and neglected state of affairs that prevailed. The "Yellow leaves" of the book may be suggestive of death and decay symbolising a bit of autumn, when the leaves turn yellow.

From this background the image of the girl Mangan's sister props up. This girl inspires love in the boy's heart, thereby making him getting absorbed in his love for the girl. "He waited for the girl's presence and his heart leaped" as she came on the door step. He watched her and followed her "morning after morning and the girl's very name had a hypnotic effect on him," His love is being juxtaposed by the writer with incidents and the atmosphere not at all suitable for romance.

The boy's presence in the back drawing room in which the priest had died and the simultaneous occurence of rain arousing love "o'Love o'Love." Usually rain is supposed to be the symbol of "Life and fertility." The boy's love blooming on a background associated with death. The girl speaking to the boy at last and asking him whether he "was going to Araby and describing the bazaar as a splendid one amazed him making him voiceless."

"she said she would love to go"

"It's well for you she said."

The boy's immediate response.

"If I go - I'll bring you something." The syllable of the word Araby enchanted him.

"My soul luxuriated and cast an Eastern enchantment over me...."

The idea of going to Araby market and buying something for the girl blooms within him, though everything stands as hindrance to his over anxious feelings, his anxiety and his ulterior aim-buying something for the girl he loved.

In this story the adult world is presented as being 'hostile to the youthful enterprise' of the boy and they becoming obstacles to his free views. Everything getting lined up for the hindrance of the boy's anxiety. Uncle forgetting the boy's request, the delaying of the meal, delaying of the train, the young woman at the bazaar not taking him to consideration and there by ignoring him.

The auditory image created in the conversation of the young lady and the two young gentlemen with the English accent and the tone of 'the voice of the lady' in charge of the stall was not all encouraging and the boy making way for the entrance and quitting the place.

"O I never said such a thing

O' but you did

O' but I didn't"

"Then I turned away slowly and walked down the middle of the bazaar. I allowed the two pennies to fall against the six pence in my pocket...." revealing his disgust and disappointment.

The last paragraph of the story mirrors forth the consequences of 'vanity' and through realisation the boy has learnt a lesson.

There's contradiction in the final image, created by the final paragraph.

"Hope and frustration," promises and not keeping them up and above all indifference benefit of support, lack of broad understanding all paving way for various forces that threaten life itself, causing the "boy's moral paralysis and ultimately realising the result of vanity.

"Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself

as a creature driven and derided by

vanity and my eyes burnt with anguish

and anger."

Joyce's ARABY is really a good short story with a carefully employed technique, subtle humour, adorable conversational tone, delightful symbols cropping up from appropriate background, revealing the misconceptions of a certain class of people.

Teenage love surviving in the boy's imagination and his failure to buy something for his 'Love'. Everything becoming an illusion and the 'pathetic and confused state" of the boy's mind. "Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven derided by vanity and my eyes burned with an anguish anger."

James Joyce's endeavour to inform the reader

"The adolescent psychology of a young boy who was fallen in love with a girl" has been quite successful, with his association with Freud's theory Joyce has achieved success in presenting his ideas in a fascinating and attractive manner inviting the attention of the reader to various aspects of life-life and love, death and decay and incidents related to one's life.

"Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity and my eyes burnt with anguish and anger."

Mrs. C. Ekanayake, Retd. Specialist Teacher Eng. Lit., St. Anne's College, Kurunegala.

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