Written by James Joyce, Araby is a short story describing young adolescent boys eager to learn about sexual awareness. The narrator who is a young boy falls in love with his neighbor the Mangan’s sister. However, he has poor skills on how to approach a girl and therefore secretly admires her. The author highlights the romantic elements in the story using the persona and Mangan’s sister. Also, the author brings out love as one of the major themes. The narrator is determined to win the love and affection of the Mangan’s sister. He goes further and promises to buy her a gift from a Bazaar in Araby as a symbol of his love.
The narrator has an intuitive feeling of excitement hence the intense attraction towards Mangan’s sister. Due to romantic attraction, he secretly watches her movements to fulfill his emotions. Also, Mangan’s sister’s presentation leads to the narrator’s feeling of love and attraction. She moves elegantly swaying her body, dress, and her well-woven hair sideways. He shouts the word ‘love’ when playing with his friends. The narrator sees love the Mangan’s sister and he decides to bring her a gift from Araby.
The author also describes the narrator’s uncle and aunt as his foster parent. However, neither do they guide him as an adolescent nor do they have enough time for him. He learns about sexual life from his peers and tries to experiment with it by loving the Mangan’s sister. Therefore, the author highlights the negative impacts working-class parents have on their children. Both the narrator’s uncle and aunt neglect their parental duties at the expense of their jobs. Also, he leaves the reader in suspense about the narrator’s parents.