The tribulations of becoming an adult as depicted in Araby
Question
Essays should be around four pages (not including the bibliography). As with the essay samples that I have included on Brightspace, you do not need a title-page; instead, you just need to include your name, student number, course number, and date in the top right hand corner of the first page. Your essay should have a title that reflects not only your topic but your argument about that topic; an introductory paragraph that introduces your topic, suggests how it will be approached in regards to the text, and closes with a clear and specific thesis statement; supporting paragraphs organized around points that support your thesis and that open with a strong topic sentence; specific evidence from the primary text itself; and a strong conclusion that reinforces your thesis and suggests something about its wider implications. The essay samples on Brightspace are very clear in regards to what I am looking for, so be sure to look over these before and while writing. Be specific, be organized, and be sure to make good use of the text when making your case. When it comes to quoting from the text, be sure to comment on the quotes you use and incorporate them into your larger argument. If you have any questions while writing your essay, or if you would like me to look over a draft of your essay, please let me know.
1. Discuss James Joyce's "Araby" in regards to coming of age and losing one's innocence. How does Joyce explore the ideals of youth coming face to face with the realities of adulthood? How is this also connected with love, both in terms of its heights and its depths? To what ends?
Please include quotes from the book of " Literature Approaches to fiction, poerty, and drama" Robert DiYanni second Edition


Solution
The tribulations of becoming an adult
as depicted in Araby
There are numerous
challenges that people undergo as they grow from one stage of life to another.
The primary reason for the manifestation of these challenges is because they
are new things that have not been experienced before by the individuals in question.
In James Joyce’s story; Araby, the theme of coming of age has been widely
explored through the life of the narrator. In the story, the narrator, who is
currently a grown man uses mature tone to narrate his youthful escapades and
the challenges he faced when transitioning from youthful age to adulthood age
(DiYanni 43). A significant experience that seems to have been very challenging
to him is love life. This particular
essay explores the challenges that one can face when moving from one stage of
life to another particularly from childhood to adulthood in relation to Joyce
Story Araby. Often, people face a hard time experiencing new things as they
come of age, the issue of developing feelings towards the opposite sex is a
major challenge that many people handle differently.
The evidence of coming to
age or rather facing the realities of adulthood has been revealed through the
fact that that the protagonist narrates the story when he is already grown. The
story has been narrated from an adult perspective to show that the issues
within the story regard the issues that individuals face when they grow up. The
development of the narrator is depicted through his relationship with the
friends he had. In most instances, when people grow up and become adults, they
distance themselves from their friends and concentrate on their relationship
and family matters. In the story, when his infatuation towards Mangan’s sister
deeply consumes the protagonist, he distances himself from his friends and
rarely plays with them and also loses interest in school. This can be evidenced when the author says
“when he suddenly realizes how foolish he has been, his anger at himself is
intensified by his alienation from everyone and the resulting feeling of
isolation” (Joyce 336).
Also, the things that
used to be important to him become less important after and there are instances
whereby he feels superior than his friends. These thoughts disturb the boy so
much, and he is confused about the realities that come along with a person becoming
an adult (DiYanni 45). This challenge is depicted when the narrator says, “I
could not call my wondering thoughts together”
he complains “I hardly any
practice with the serious work of life which bit that it stood between me and
my desire seemed to me child’s play, ugly monotonous child’s play” (Joyce,
337).
When people grow from
childhood to adulthood, it is a common thing for people to perceive themselves
as superior to their peers. This has been evidenced in the story as the
narrator saw himself as superior and started spending less time with his
friends. It is also depicted in the story that during this particular period,
he began observing his friends as outsiders.
When people are young,
they are usually innocent and unaware of many things within their surroundings.
The story starts with the images of blindness which symbolizes ignorance and
innocence that is found when a someone is still a child or rather in their
youthful ages. In the story, Joyce has described the boy as blind to indicate
his innocence, and through the challenges, he tries to bring out the challenges
that people face when they try to be adults. From the blind shadows of
childhood age that the boy has, he sees Mangan’s sister, and as a sign of being
enlightened by adult feelings, the author describes the shape of the girl as
one that is “defined by the light of the half-open door” (Joyce, 337). As the
story of the girl is developed within the story, the narrator sees the image of
the girl changing from darkness to light and his feelings also change from
immature childhood that is consumed with so much innocence to enlightened
adolescence feelings.
Making a promise is one
thing but fulfilling the promise is another. The narrator makes a promise to
Magnan’s sister, a girl across the street whom he has been in love for some
time and asked her if she could accompany her to the bazaar, but the girl
declines to claim that she has a retreat that weekend (Joyce 333). The boy goes
ahead to promise the girl that she will bring her a gift from the bazaar when
he comes back. Being late on arrival at the bazaar, he finds almost all the
stores have been closed, only a few are open, but the goods are too expensive
for him. The reality now kicks in, and he notices that his promise to Magnan’s
sister would not be fulfilled. Fumbling into adulthood, he knows that he cannot
keep his word to her and realizes that he has been acting foolishly all along.
All the hustles that the narrator undergoes to find a gift for the girl are
things that are experienced in adulthood, but the narrator finds it hard
handling the situation (DiYanni 46).
Furthermore, it is also a
common thing for adults to fail to get what they wanted. However, this is not a
typical thing among children, and when the narrator losses what he desired most
in the story, he is very angry. The anger shown on the narrator is a sign that
he is facing a very challenging period as he is getting accustomed to adulthood
feelings. The quest for ideality and love are the things that lead to the
downfall of the narrator. When he exits the bazaar, the loss of his love’s
image makes him feel a loser and very angry with himself. This is evidence in
the story where the narrator says that “Gazing up into the darkness I saw
myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity, and my eyes burned with
anguish and anger (Joyce 355)”. Here the narrator has a challenge managing is
emotions and that is why he is angry.
In conclusion, there are
numerous challenges that people face when they grow into adults. From the story
and its analysis, it is clear that young people find themselves in challenging
situations because they have spent most of their lives in innocence. Often,
children are used to obtaining nearly everything that they want and desire;
however, as they come of age, the innocence is broken paving the way for
adulthood which is a period filled with notions of enlightenment. From the
study, there are several changes accompanied by challenges that seem to happen
to the narrator as he changes from childhood to adulthood. Significant changes
are his relationship with his friends and attraction to a girl across the
street. Deducing from the challenges that were faced by the author in the
course of his desire to the time that he loses the infatuation and becomes angry
at himself, it is imperative that children are taught on what to expect when
they are adults. This will help children manage their emotions as they
transform from one stage to another in their lives.
Works
Cited
DiYanni, Robert. Literature: Approaches
to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008. Print.
Joyce,
James. Araby. ,Toronto: HarperPerennial
Classics. 2014. Internet resource.



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