Eminent Short Story

Question: Discuss about the Eminent Short Story. Answer: Introsuction: The author James Joyce in Araby, sums up the essence of the story in the very last line of the eminent short story. In the story, the young protagonist feels disgusted with the regular, drab life he leads in North Richmond Street, and thus fantasizes about going to the exotic fair held at Araby Bazar. Just like any innocent child, the boy is not experienced enough to comprehend the reality of life. The very word Araby conjures up a sense of an exotic land, that overwhelms him with the romantic thought of witnessing the ultimate beauty of life. Despite being confronted with various impediments, as the boy reaches Araby, he discovers the place to be as grossly materialistic a place as his home town. The boy is suddenly brought to awareness when he realizes how vainly he has been searching for the ultimate bliss in a world where fantasy is not even a mere possibility. The frivolous conversation over money, the closed stalls and the sound of coins make the boy understand the stark difference between illusion and reality. At the thought of how the boy has been seized by a fit of vanity, tries to escape his home, only to find himself in an equally dull and drab world instantly disgusted and disheartened the protagonist narrator. Though the protagonist managed to gain wisdom and experience, the incident was indeed a source of disappointment and terrible shock for a child who still believed in magic, dreams and fantasies (Stone, 2013). The dream of witnessing the ultimate beauty of a world got immediately shattered before his eyes, while the child stood dumbfounded in the fair. As an innocent child, unaware of the presence of an experienced world, the protagonist kept of having faith in spiritually elevated love or an exquisite world, that could assure him of a greater and more ultimate truth worth chasing for. However, as soon as the child visited the fair, his innocence was robbed, while he felt a sharp, stifling pain to encounter the gross reality of life. Though the experience was otherwise enlightening for the boy, he could not appreciate the wisdom attained at the expense of his long-cherished dream. The protagonist disgusted and agitated with the stark reality of the gross world, finds himself stuck in a dark world, deserted by hope (Yuan Hong, 2016). Reflection: The short story Araby is one of the most admirable short stories that best sums up the essence of life and human existence. The most impressive part of the story lies in the fact that it helps in explaining the paradox of illusion and reality. The journey of an innocent boy from innocence to experience and wisdom has been depicted in a simple and yet highly impressive way. The faith in the existence of a fantastic world, and the shattering of a dream have been brilliantly portrayed with the help of a short, simple story. Reference List: Stone, H. (2013). Araby and the Writings of James Joyce.The Antioch Review,71(2), 348-380. Yuan, S. H. E. N., Hong, D. O. N. G. (2016). The Modernistic Features in Joyces Dubliners.Studies in Literature and Language,12(2), 28-32.