Symbolism is a rather significant literary device that is widely used by a variety of authors and takes their works on a higher level. A short story “Araby,” written by a great Irish novelist James Joyce and in 1914 published in his Dubliners collection, is filled with different symbols. Some of them represent and reveal the topics of romance and religion, providing a deep interconnection and opposition of these two concepts. In contrast, others have the purpose of illustrating other aspects of the short story, namely, its world and the narrator’s perception of it. That is why understanding and analyzing the symbols in “Araby” is crucial.
First, it is essential to notice that not only objects become symbols in this short story but also characters. For example, when portraying Mangan’s sister, for whom the narrator has deep romantic feelings that are mixed with reverence, respect, and even timidity, Joyce uses symbolism. It allows the author to emphasize an eternal connection between religion and love and a thin line between purity and sinfulness. When describing the girl, the narrator mentions “her figure defined by the light,” “the white curve of her neck,” and “the white border of a petticoat” (Joyce 403, 404). The lightness and ease of Mangan’s sister make her the Virgin Mary symbol. She is an innocent young lady who is not aware of the narrator’s romantic feelings, and her religious purity will not probably allow her to return the boy’s love.
Further, the fact that the narrator never mentions the girl’s name and only refers to her as the sister of his friend is another symbol related to her. At first, it may seem unreasonable since she is an object of the narrator’s intense, passionate, and youthful romantic feelings and plays a great role in his life as the representation of light. It is for her sake that the boy seeks to go to Araby and buy a precious gift. Nevertheless, the absence of her name in the story may mean that she is eventually left in the past as a sweet memory and does not become more significant to the narrator when he grows up.
Another symbol is the death of the former tenant of the narrator’s house – an old priest. According to the narrator, “he had been a very charitable priest,” and his death may symbolize the values that religion preaches, namely generosity, mercy, and love for other people (Joyce 402). Although it is possible to suggest that he was charitable during his lifetime, “in his will he had left all his money to institutions and the furniture of his house to his sister,” which is his last and probably the greatest manifestation of generosity and love (Joyce 402). Additionally, his death and the fact currently a young boy lives in his house illustrate the inevitability of changes from conservative social and religious views to more liberal and open-minded.
Some of the deceased priest’s belongings also may be considered symbols. First, it is a “rusty bicycle pump” that is hidden under a bush in his garden (Joyce 402). Second, those books that the narrator finds in the former tenant’s room, namely, romance and crime novels, do not seem to fit into the image of the servant of God and the church member. These objects found by the boy allow the readers to doubt the truthfulness and sincerity of the priest’s intentions and faith, as well as the reliability of the Catholic Church itself. Indeed, no one knows what is hidden in the priest’s garden or room, so this symbol directs readers to the question of religion and its truth. Moreover, it also brings up thoughts about the necessity and inevitability of changes in society’s lifestyle and way of thinking and its transition to liberalism.
Furthermore, brown color, which is mentioned more than once in the story, is another symbol in “Araby.” For instance, the narrator describes the houses that “gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces” and Mangan’s sister’s “brown figure” (Joyce 402, 403). This color is used by the author in order to emphasize the boredom, discouragement, and hopelessness of the whole story and the narrator himself. When everything around is brown, there is no chance one may be in a good mood or have high hopes for tomorrow. What is more, the purpose of brown color surrounding the citizens is probably to make sure they continue living their “decent lives” where nothing exciting or interesting may ever happen (Joyce 402). This also explains the narrator’s passionate feelings for the girl – he wanted to have some kind of adventures, feel different, and be able to hide from reality in his imagination, thinking about Mangan’s sister.
To draw a conclusion, one may say that symbols play a significant role in Joyce’s “Araby.” They allow the story’s readers to gain a more in-depth understanding of its aspects and give them an opportunity to review their opinions about various phenomena of everyday life. What is more, the use of symbolism also reveals the author’s and probably the narrator’s points of view regarding religion, romance, the needed changes in society and church, and the surrounding environment. Therefore, even when reading a short story like “Araby,” it is crucial to pay attention to what is inherent in an object, action, or a character’s image and be ready to see and understand more than merely the story’s plot. Searching for and interpreting symbols may help gain a more profound and substantial perception of a literary work and provide a reader with unique thoughts and ideas.
Work Cited
Joyce, James. “Araby.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, edited by X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, Pearson, 2016, pp. 402-406.