Araby

Araby

James Joyce

Literary focus:

Epiphany: is a moment of insight or revelation.

• It’s related to a religious experience, one in which human being learned spiritual truth.

• It’s a Greek work translated as ‘manifestation’ or ‘showing forth’.

• By an epiphany, J.J meant a sudden spiritual manifestation, whether in the vulgarity of speech or of gesture or in a memorable phase of the mind itself. He believed that it was for the man of letters to record these epiphanies with extreme care, seeing that they themselves are the most delicate and evanescent of moments.

Reading skill: Comparing & Contrasting:

In Araby, the main character has a vivid imagination that leads him to misunderstand the realities of his life. As a result, the way he imagines things is at times different from the way things really are.

Background:

J.J’s Araby is built around scenes from his childhood in Ireland. The narrator’s house in the story is based on one where his family lived in Dublin. He attended Christian Brother’s School. The bazaar called Arab that the narrator visits was 5 day charity event. It referred to Arabia which is known for its bazaars, or markets with long rows of shops. The reference to Arabia, with its desserts and bazaars would have seemed mysterious to Ireland’s children, half a world away.

Critical Analysis:

• The atmosphere as appeared in the excerpt is a dull, murky one; the writer chose words and phrases that would serve in displaying his feeling and thoughts as well as describing the scene in detail.

• The writer created a feeling of sadness