Araby

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Thao Vy N I've always been intimidated by James Joyce's writing style. I have his novels, but I haven't read them yet because of this. Since Araby is a short narrative, I believed it would serve as a suitable introduction to the writer. I discovered the story's audiobook on the LitReading-Classic Short Stories Spotify podcast. The protagonist of the short story Araby is an anonymous boy who lives in Dublin. The story's narrator is the boy. He leads a typical life in Dublin, attending a Catholic all-boys school and living with his aunt and uncle. Every day, his pal Mangan's elder sister comes to pick him up, marking the end of their playtime together. She attracts the narrator's attention. He is satisfied with never trying to speak to her after his crush on her develops into infatuation. Rather, he daydreams about her a lot, which also takes him away from his schoolwork. One day, the sister asks him if he intends to attend the church-organized Araby Bazaar, a bazaar with an Eastern theme. He claims he's leaving and will bring her something when he gets there. The bazaar is then included in his daydreams as well. Araby is a tale of maturation. The mature tone of the narrator indicates that he is recalling an event from his teenage years. At first, the narrator appears to be unaware of the outside world, but this gradually begins to change. He frequently watches them play as an outsider since he is so enamored with the sister that he no longer wants to play with them. Additionally, he begins acting rebelliously in his interactions with his aunt, uncle, and teacher. For him, it is nearly the end of his innocence. He waits to ask for money to attend the market after realizing his uncle has returned home intoxicated. He's noticing these things now. Since his blissful innocence of life is finished and he is now maturing, he feels the urge to find a way to escape reality. The narrator of the narrative concentrates more on Mangan's sister's physical attributes. This emphasizes the narrator's developing sexuality. He hardly ever interacts with girls because he attends a Catholic school that is exclusively for boys. He falls head over heels for the sister the moment he sees her. He begins to think that what he is experiencing is both entirely new and somewhat different. There is a sort of equilibrium between his immediate, naive interest in the sister and his awareness of her physique. In the end, the narrator realizes that perhaps the majority of "love" is just vanity or a need for approval. "Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger" It's a really straightforward but moving story. Everyone can identify with the experience of leaving behind the idealism and purity of youth to embark on the journey toward adulthood. You are drawn into the story right away, and while reading it, you occasionally find yourself in the narrator, which is a lovely sensation. I thought the narrative was fantastic. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/17/24 Full Review Audience Member Bem bonitinho, amo esses filmes independentes, o dia a dia, a rotina exposta de maneira crua, um retrato sincero, um ritmo lento, mas nada que impacte negativamente, um roteiro simples, bem executado, nada grandioso, mas sensível e poético, triste, bonito, recheado de causos… E a escolha da trilha sonora, estupenda, faz doer, os depoimentos são tão reais e vívidos… Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Very original approach with the storyline playing out through Cristiano's writings on most of his adult life experiences in a working-class Brazil where there seemingly is no upward mobility. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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