Introduction
The short story called “Araby” by James Joyce presents a multifaceted story that is permeated with details that enhance the events described by the author. The story itself represents the perspective of the author on several subjects at once, appearing to reach for the description of human nature itself. However, one of the most prominent subjects in this work is Catholicism. The topic of religion is used in Joyce’s work to reflect the duality of humans, as the narrator, in his most agitated state, is torn in two from the inner conflict. This paper will review the short story “Araby” by James Joyce through the spiritual lens with a side of the gender lens.
Main body
The narrator is associated with religion from the very beginning of the story. Joyce clearly establishes that the role of Catholicism in the life of the narrator is immense, as the boy visits the Christian school and lives in a house where an old priest has died (Joyce 1). However, the second paragraph gives a hint on the connotation of this setting when Joyce writes that The Abbot by W. Scott was among “old useless papers” (1). This careless attitude does not depict malice but a genuine lack of interest.
The mundane part of the story remains largely permeated with indirect yet critical religion-related remarks from the boy. For example, Joyce uses the following epithet to introduce the girl as “her figure defined by the light” (1). While this was so, this description reflects the very nature of the narrator’s feelings. His manner of description implies that he sees Mangan’s sister as a divine creature at a subconscious level. Nonetheless, the boy seems not to register the trail of his imagination.
Being in a vulnerable state from the feverish love he experienced, the narrator has involuntarily drawn a parallel between his passion and the Holy Grail. James shows that the boy compared the length he was ready to go for Mangan’s sister as if he “bore [his] chalice safely through a throng of foes” (2). This quote bears the utmost importance to the story and the chosen critical approach. It signals that the narrator holds religious ideas in the highest regard. At the same time, it links the imagery presented by the author with Catholicism, inviting a reader to think about something higher than simple beauty.
Alas, this bliss that the narrator experiences does not continue for long, as the story reveals that his feelings might be met with a positive response. This fact drives the narrator into an erratic state, in which he consciously evokes his spiritual side to aid him in calming his thoughts. Religion also plays the role of a restraint that is put on the narrator. Joyce draws a picture of a deeply confused young man who “pressed the palms of [his] hands together until they trembled” in an attempt to cease the stream of involuntary blasphemies that he thought of (2). No attempts to calm himself through the prayer have helped the narrator. In religious practices, it is often prohibited to compare anything earthly with the divine, yet the narrator is unable to help himself, even if only for a moment.
It is vital to note that religion permeates the entire story, just as it did with the life of the author. Joyce was raised in a Catholic family, and his beliefs are often reflected in his works (Stein 235). In many other stories, such as “Dubliners,” Joyce draws Christ as the source of salvation (Stein 235). It is not clear, but it is possible that this work represents a turning point in the author’s spiritual values since “Araby” can be read as a criticism of religion.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this short story by James Joyce is filled with religious concepts and images, yet they do not represent his own views and cause strife. Everything he was taught and many aspects of his life are linked to Catholicism. Strong feelings, such as love, tend to stir the mind of people in a way that makes their thoughts chaotically reach all available connections. As the boy experiences this new feeling, religion, which is often taking on a role of an inner mental barrier, collides with it, making the narrator feverish, unfocused, and erratic.
The spirituality in this short story is more a curse than a blessing. The narrator mentally punishes himself for the perceived blasphemy he committed when he compares the mundane with the divine. However, he is unable to stop himself from thinking in this manner. The narrator’s entire life is surrounded by religion, in both school and his house. It is only natural that his mind falls prey to this permeating ideology. Catholicism commands his way of thought, whether the narrator is a religious person or merely born into such a community. Despite this uncertainty, he is thinking in religious forms, yet more earthly matters drive his actions. He might be thinking of Mangan’s sister as a higher being and imagine Araby as the path to deliverance, yet his motives are driven not by religion but by emotion.
Works Cited
Joyce, J. Araby: Short story. HarperCollins, 2014.
Stein, W. B. “Joyce’s Araby: Paradise lost.” Short Story Criticism, vol. 44, 2001, pp. 235-238.