Quests

Even in the simplest of literature an author can let a character in their exposistion adopt a personal quest. These characters can be anyone, as these characters grow into being heros, they sometimes have to overcome unbeatable odds and humongous obstacles to receive

there chalice. Once they acquire this prize, they are forever changed. Not all stories follow this type of acrchetype of the hero\\\'s quest, but they do have struggles along the way. . Personal quests are seen in James Joyce\\\'s \\\"Araby\\\", Daniel David Moses\\\'s \\\"King of the Raft\\\", and in \\\"A Girls Story\\\" by David Arnason.

The short story \\\"Araby\\\" by James Joyce is a flawless example of a personal quest. The main character is brought on this quest by a girl he meets who is playing with her bracelet. The boy then decides to go to Araby to find this chalice for the girls of his dreams. Along his way, he is set back by a couple obstacles, which he has to overcome. The first obstacle the boy conquers is his Uncle. The boy has to waits until 9 o\\\'clock, which is when his drunk uncle comes home and says that there is no point in going to the bazaar because it is to late. But with the help of his aunt he manages to not only get permission to go the bazaar but also get some spending money. At this point in the story the Aunt can be seen as a sidekick to assist the main character on his quest. On the way to bazaar, the boy goes on a horrendous train ride according to the author, this is just like a hero who has to overcome this physical setback. Once the boy arrives at the bazaar, to complete his quest, he has an epiphany, which results in the failure of his quest.

\\\"King of the Raft\\\" by Daniel David Moses also follows the path of a personal quest. Ultimately the boy\\\'s goal is to go to the city. In order for him to make it to the city he has to cross the river, walk through the cornfield, and then he will be on the highway. For the boy to be able to achieve

his goal, he has the physical challenge of swimming to the raft. Also on the boys journey he is almost drowned by the king of the raft. This is another obstacle the boy would have had to overcome to reach his chalice. The raft is placed half way across the river, this is significant because the raft is used as a stepping stone for the boy\\\'s journey to the city. Once the boy has swum halfway, he has the aid of the raft. This can be seen as an assistant on the boy\\\'s quest. When the boy is defeated and almost drowned by the king of the raft he is denied the right of passage and the boys quest ends here.

In David Arnason\\\'s exposition, \\\"A Girls Story\\\", the author takes on a personal quest of writing a short story. But the author does not want make any old short story, it has to be a good short story that sells. Unlike the normal challenges of a hero\\\'s quest,