Home is a central concept in the life of each person. Accordingly, most authors include detailed descriptions of the places in which important characters reside in their works. In Araby, James Joyce writes about North Richmond Street at length, whereas Andrei Platonov devotes much attention to Lobskaya Hill in the middle of a forest. While these descriptions serve as backgrounds for the stories’ plots, they remain important elements of the writing. Home and neighborhood descriptions serve as mirrors, reflecting the characters’ souls and the nature of the story’s atmosphere. This essay aims to analyze and compare such descriptions in Araby and Among Plants and Animals.
Araby by James Joyce
The short story Araby written by James Joyce tells the story of a young boy living in Dublin. The plot revolves around the protagonist’s obsession with his neighbor’s sister. The image of pure first love threads throughout the story, as the boy, spends much time thinking about the girl. Simultaneously, the protagonist is too afraid to talk to her until the point when she asked him whether he was going to Araby, an oriental bazaar in Dublin (Joyce 27). The girl says that she will be unable to join him, as her convent had a retreat that week. The protagonist promises to bring her a gift from the bazaar and eventually goes there alone. Once he arrives at Araby, the boy searches for a present, which would please his beloved neighbor, but he interrupts himself once he meets a couple speaking with a London accent. Following the encounter, the protagonist abandons the idea of the gift and refuses to buy anything.
In Araby, the author manages to subvert his readers’ expectations by a sudden yet realistic ending. The boy’s obsession with the neighbor hints at a romantic resolution by the end of the short story. However, he leaves the bazaar without purchasing anything, which symbolizes the point of realization. Araby is entirely different as compared to North Richmond Street in terms of both people and location. The protagonist is deeply affected by this contrast, which shattered the image of first love within him, switching his attention to the British woman. At this point, the boy appears to object to his previous worldview, as the experience at the bazaar highlighted for him the imperfections of North Richmond Street. Accordingly, the story’s central conflict lies in the opposition between the boy’s inner self and the culture by which he has been surrounded at home.
James Joyce provides the reader with hints of such an ending, and the image of North Richmond Street and the boy’s house play a pivotal role. In the very first sentence, Joyce calls it a blind street, which symbolizes that the lives of people residing there are just as likely to meet a dead-end eventually (25). There is a sense of stagnation on the verge of degradation conveyed through the description of the house. The narrator mentions musty air and litter inside, and the books are “curled and damp” (Joyce 25). Moreover, the description starts with the fact that the previous resident was a priest who died in the drawing-room, which may refer to a feeling that even faith and hope eventually disappear in this place. The following passages expand this theme, contributing to the sense of hopelessness and abandonment. The neighbor seems to have been the only positive aspect of North Richmond Street for the protagonist, and this affection disappears, as well, once he has a close encounter with the outside world. Therefore, the description of North Richmond Street reflects the primary conflict of Araby.
Among Plants and Animals by Andrei Platonov
The story Among Plants and Animals by Andrei Platonov reflects on the life of a regular person who lives deep in the rural U.S.S.R. Ivan Fyodorov works as a switchman, living near his workplace at a place called Lobskaya Hill. Platonov devotes much attention to the character’s home, as well as to his job. The protagonist of Among Plants and Animals is poor, and his relatives are mesmerized by such technologic advancements, as the radio, as they have little access to such marvels. At the same time, Fyodorov often listens to the sound of passing trains, imagining the comfort in which passengers travel across the wild forest. It is mentioned that he feels unhappy upon returning home after working or hunting. Each time, he anticipates another quarrel with his dissatisfied wife, as well as another day of a poor man deep in the North of the U.S.S.R.
The story reaches its climax during a workplace incident, leaving Fyodorov injured. He manages to survive but is put in a hospital, where he suddenly becomes the center of attention. His wife’s love and affection are revived, whereas his ward receives plenty of visitors. Fyodorov’s colleagues and managers, photographers, and Communist Party officials express a sudden interest in the man’s well-being once the incident nearly resulted in his death. Upon Fydorov’s discharge from the hospital, he is treated with care by his mother and wife. Moreover, to compensate for the incident, which occurred due to the railroad management’s fault, the protagonist is offered a trip to Moscow. This point becomes his chance to realize his dreams of being part of a civilized society. As he returns to Lobskaya Hill, Fyodorov and his wife enumerate multiple gifts proposed by the authorities. However, the protagonist refuses most of them, as he finally understands the value of their modest yet familiar lifestyle.
The conflict, which threads through the short story, is caused by Fyodorov’s sense of dissatisfaction with his life and a desire to achieve more. Platonov emphasizes this point by the detailed description of the simple mundane activities of Lobskaya Hill’s residents. The village is referred to as a “constellation of impoverished stars,” and people’s huts were “small, poor, and unpainted” (Platonov 2). The whole family had to live in such modest conditions, and an old radio was their only entertainment source. Simultaneously, Fyodorov is overtly envious of people who travel in warm trains, visit theaters, buy new clothes, and even houses (Platonov 3). Each moment of poverty is seen in contrast with the civilized world, serving as an unattainable dream for the protagonist. He feels the urge to leave the destitute village, but once he has a chance to do so, Fyodorov sees the matter from a different perspective. The reality of Moscow shows the protagonist the difference between dreams and reality. In the end, he begins to value his modest lifestyle, and the constellation of impoverished stars once again becomes cozy and familiar.
Conclusion
Araby and Among Plants and Animals utilize their settings to reflect the main conflict of each story. In the first case, James Joyce’s character has to face the outside world to perceive the destitution and hopelessness of his surroundings, as he loses the only positive aspect of his life there. Andrei Platonov shows a different perspective, and his character’s negative attitude toward his village turns in the opposite direction when his dream of the civilized world finally comes true. The stories display the connection between one’s inner self and the way one perceive familiar surroundings. Overall, the setting proves to be a crucial element of storytelling, allowing authors to convey deeper ideas without having their characters pronounce them.
References
Joyce, James. “Araby.” Dubliners. Prestwick House, 2006, pp. 25-31.
Platonov, Andrei. “Among Animals and Plants.”The New Yorker, 2007, Web.