The Initiation of a Young Boy by the Realization of His Own NarcissismAs humans grow they pass through various stages of development, often some stages are never reached, when a new stage is successfully reached the person has under gone some sort of initiation. James Joyce's short story "Araby" is in simple terms about initiation, it is a story is about a young boy's adventure that allows him to progress from one stage to the next with the realization of his narcissistic behavior.At first the boy is innocent, unaware of himself and the world around him. The first few paragraphs reflect this innocence. The street on which the boy lives is "blind" and "quiet" and the house at the end of ...view middle of the document...
Although Mangan's sister has control of most of his free time, she is too perfect for the boy to confront and thus he does not.A day arrives when he must face her and in this story oddly enough the girl initiates the communication. When Mangan's sister addresses him, she tells him she is unable to go to a bazaar called "Araby" and seems rather upset. The boy takes the chance to include his fantasy (the girl) in his life and offers to bring her something from the bazaar.The boy is still innocent and dependent on others, so the boy ready to embark on his journey and incorporate his ideals to his really life, is once again let down. The boy's uncle, a possible role model having come home late (drunk) and as the boy leaves the house he is already towards the end of the closing hour of the bazaar, the window of opportunity is closing.The time has come for him to face his innocence through experience, even if the experience is one of disappointment. To hurry along the way the boy takes a streetcar, it is deserted, suggesting the fruitlessness of his journey to the bazaar. When he finally arrives, most of the stalls are closed and he has come too late. A few adu...
