In Joyce’s story Araby the main character, falls in love with a girl living next door. One day she asks him whether he wants to go to an Arabian bazaar. He is happy that she speaks to him and promises to bring her something if he goes there. His journey fails, as he arrives too late when the bazaar is almost closed. The character could learn three lessons from this situation: to be punctual and pushy, not to idealize people, and not to get despaired too early.
First of all, if the character arrived at the bazaar earlier, he would not get upset. He would keep his promise and would bring something for the girl he liked. He got late because he was not pushy and confident enough to remind his relatives about the trip more often. The uncle “had forgotten” about the bazaar, as he did not understand the importance of this trip (Joyce 3). Thus, the boy could provide them with a better argumentation for the bazaar or take the money beforehand to avoid being dependent on the uncle’s coming home.
At the end of the story, the character makes an almost tragic conclusion. He says: “I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity” (Joyce 4). Perhaps, it is too gloomy for this small incident, and he is too strict with himself. If he was more optimistic, he could find positive sides to the situation. For example, he could tell his beloved girl about this episode and say that he wanted to buy something for her but did not have a chance to do so because the bazaar was already closed. It could become a nice topic for small talk and for getting to know each other better.
Finally, it is likely that if the character talked to the girl more often, he would realize that she, perhaps, is not ideal. He said he had never spoken to her “except for a few casual words” (Joyce 1). He did not give himself a chance to let himself know her better. She could be a really good girl who would understand that it was not his fault that the bazaar was already closed. She also could be not a very good girl, resembling the shallow girls from the bazaar. Thus, it would be much better for the character if he at least attempted to get closer to his dream.
Work Cited
Joyce, James. Araby, 1914.