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A & P And Araby Compare And Contrast

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In James Joyce’s Araby and John Updike’s A&P, two characters, the narrator from Araby and Sammy, share very similar experiences and characteristics. Their encounters with a particular female, the grand gestures made for the female, and the internal alienation caused by their lack of focus makes these characters alike. Sammy and the narrator from Araby are both deeply infatuated by girls whom they only said a couple of words to. “When she came out on the doorstep my heart leaped… I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood.” (Araby) The narrator from Araby thinks he is in love with Mangan’s sister, similar to the feeling Sammy feels for Queenie. Sammy is easily distracted …show more content…

He promises to get her a gift, and is disheartened as soon as he arrives. He lets himself get carried away by the idea of her, and expects so much more out of Araby than what it actually is. Expectation versus reality plays a very key role in both of these stories. Lastly, the narrator from Araby and Sammy are similar characters because of their successful attempts at internally alienating themselves. “I had hardly any patience with the serious work of life which, now that it stood between me and my desire, seemed to me child's play -- ugly monotonous child's play.” (Araby) The narrator chooses to exclude himself from his friends due to his “mature thoughts of love”. He no longer refers to them as his ‘friends’ but his ‘companions’. He believes he is too mature to be playing around with his friends, and convinces himself his feelings of “love” separate him from his friends. Sammy internally alienates himself from his work environment by quitting his job merely because of one encounter regarding a girl he likes. In the story, Sammy thinks about how hard the world is going to be to him

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