Araby by James Joyce

In the Short story Araby, by James Joyce, the main character has an epiphany and finally understands and realizes how the world truly is. James Joyce does not introduce the epiphany until the conclusion of the story. The main character goes to Araby to complete what he believes to be his mission which is finding the perfect gift for Manghan’s sister.

On his journey to find this gift, he goes through the awful town of Dublin but is so consumed with his quest that he doesn’t see how dark it truly is. The narrator portrays Dublin as a very bad and poor place. The main character is so oblivious to the world around him because of being distracted but when he finally reaches the bazaar he finally grasps the concept that the world isn’t what it seems to be.

Joyce uses foreshadowing in the first paragraph by choosing the word “blind” which foreshadows the characters. After watching, studying, and praying for the love of the girl, she finally speaks to him which s the reason he makes the journey to Araby because the thought of returning to her with an amazing gift was such an exciting feeling. Due to being so consumed with excitement, the boy has pictured what it will be in his head but Joyce writes it to be the opposite and makes it miserable. Nothing goes the way it was planned which is the reason that it is so miserable.

When the boy reaches the bazaar he comes to the conclusion that all of the trinkets are cheap and again, not what they seemed to be. In this moment, the boy has an epiphany and comes to terms with this. This epiphany changes the tone of the story from hopeful to depressing and gloomy.