Harry Stone writes in his criticism “‘Araby’ and the Writings of James Joyce,” from the Antioch Review, that Joyce litters his writing "with a dense symbolism undergirding the story." His analysis of the short story "Araby" through what he calls the Symbolic Thread traces the symbols of blindness, the etymological history of the word "Araby," and the flourin. Another critic, Robert Robert's In "'Araby' and the Palpimset of Criticism" deconstructs the bicycle pump as "a symbol of the British commericial materialism which has corrupted Irish Catholicism."
If Stone and Roberts see symbols throughout the story, they must be there. What symbols do you see and what do they stand for?
If Stone and Roberts see symbols throughout the story, they must be there. What symbols do you see and what do they stand for?
12 comments:
I see light and dark as a symbol. Light being happiness and dark being sadness and depression. I also see the blinds for the window as a symbol for how the narroto really is because at the end he realizes that he is vain and he doesn't see it before becaue he is "blind". The blinds of the window take away some of his sight so... the blinds are the symbol for him being blind to seeing inside himself. so yes there are symbols in the story.
There are many biblical references in the story also. Like the setting in which he lives before he goes to the bazaar represents the catholic representation of things, and when he actually goes to the bazaar (the "araby") it is representing the islamic/muslim side of things. Some of the catholic symbolisms are the references to those books by catholic authors, old musty papers (like the old testiment), the apple tree in the center of the garden (like the garden of eden and its apple tree), and the old rusty bike pump (like the snake). When you look for symbolism for the islamic side, there are many book references to middle eastern books, and the name of the bazaar itself is the araby (middle eastern). These are just some of the many examples of religious symbolism.
The first symbol I noticed in Araby was the way it used light and darkness. To me the light stands for the leasons we learn in life and the darkness is the reality of life. The discution in class lead me to believe that the bicycle-pump represent the snake that tempted adam and eve in the garden, just like the temptaion of lust that the boy in Araby faces towards Mangan's sister. The blindness that the story refers to is one of its big symbol. Its meaning to me is that we don't know know how to do anything unless our parents tell us but even then most of the time we still have to learn it on our own just like a blind person has to learn to overcome its blindness. (meaning that blind people have to adapt to new ways of doing things with every new obstical that they face living in a world that uses its sight for so many things.)
Whilst in the bazaar. The protagonist views the stall tendor (a woman) socializing with two young men, and shortly thereafter, the protagonist is filled with shame and anger for certain reasons. One of those reasons I believe is that he sees the worthlessness in love simply by viewing how the woman interacts with the two men. As if that is the most important aspect of her life at that point in time. She rudely addresses the narrator who confirms that he does not wish to purchase anything. It is evident that he sees dissapointment in what his future might hold.
It seems that The main character sees Arby as the light at the end of the tunnel, everytyhing is dark except for when he looks at her. He is kind of in a daze throughout the story. Not paying attention to much else except for her. Then he gets fusterated with him self that he was ablivieous to everything that was around him. This is how Araby is like the light at the end of the tunnel.
In this story there were several biblical references such as going to the bazzar. IT shows the muslim and catholic sides to the story. BUt the biggest symbolism that i saw in this story was the way the author used darkenss and light as a symbol of his feelings for the women and how his feelings where when she wasnt around but then when he realized that the love he thought he felt for the women was vain his light diappered and he darkness set in his life. So yes i would agree with stones and Roberts that there are symbols in this story.
blind, dark, light, shadow, silence, eyes, are all symbolys in this story. the darkness is truth. this truth is not the whole " truth will set you free" truth. this is the kind of truth that changes you, that makes you stop and notice the darkness, and notice reality. the reason that eyes are sybolized is becuase the author wants to show that in order to view life you must not use your eyes alone, you must use you mind and your heart. you must observe with integrity and rely on yourself for the anwers. in this story the boy in blinded by the darkness of which he didnt know existed until he thought instead of acted.
The symbols that are evident to me are light and dark. Light was the happier parts of the story and the hope the young boy had... the hope of impressing the girl and getting the girl. Dark represents everything bad/sad in this story. When he went through all the effort and the father forgot to come home in time and in the end his hope dissapeared as he didnt get the girl.
light and dark are the most important symbols i found. Light being happiness and dark being sadness and depression.also, the blinds for the window could be a symbol for how the narrotor is because at the end he realizes that he is so self centered and vain and he doesn't see it before becaue he is "blind". The window blinds take away his ability to see, so the blinds are the symbol for him being blind to seeing inside of himself
The symbols I first saw was the blindness. Although, I saw the symbol of the tree. The tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. "The central apple tree and a few straggling bushes, under one of which I found the late tenant's rusty old bicycle-pump". I also saw the symbols of hell, with the "darkness" and how "my eyes burned with anguish and anger".
There are many symbols in the story including light, darkness, the priest, nun, and blindness. As many have said the light represents his happiness/bliss. I have to agree with katherin; ignorance is bliss. The darkness is truth; truth can create this sadness and/or depression people talked about. There are references to the catholic religion through the priest and nun. The rusty bicycle pump is a key symbol witch represents the serpent in the garden of eden. The blinds represent the narator's blindness; which he relizes to late.
In this story there were several biblical references. In the second paragraph when the boy is talking about the former tenant of the house who was a priest, he starts to describe the garden. He described it as a “wild garden…” which “contained a central apple tree…” which refers to the Garden of Eden. He also talks about the bicycle pump that was under the tree. That refers to the serpent, which we know as the devil.
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