The Depth Of Vanity

The Depth of Vanity

This story depicts a boy who is trying to find a way out of his current situation and fulfill his desires. The question I want to bring into consideration is why does the boy desire escape from his surroundings and how does he make legitimate his longings to please his Friend Mangan's sister?

The boy constantly pushes away from his current situation at North Richmond Street. This can be seen on page 430 where the street is described with "short days of winter," "houses that had grown somber," and with "The cold air that stung us." The boy is also described as hiding in the shadows of his own house. The author is basically painting a picture of a cold and dead end street. The boy finds his only escape in the fantasy he draws out of the interactions with Mangan's sister. The boy is constantly idealizing her and she becomes the main focus in his life. This woman becomes the boy's focal point so much so that because of this fantasy he has formed he trusts that going to the bazaar and buying her a gift will win her over and thus fulfill his basic desire of escape.

This short story conveys many of the thoughts and dreams of the era; to be delivered from the dark and gloomy streets that the vast majority of the population lived in, they always had a dream or a fantasy but as they got closer to the dream the dark reality crept back in just like the boy wondering the halls of the bazaar.