The stories “Araby” by James Joyce and “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro offer unique perspectives into the traditional coming of age tale. These two short stories are very similar in topic, but quite a few differences can be found when they are explored further, especially with regard to the authors’ use of literary elements. There are many similarities and dissimilarities in the stories “Araby” and “Boys and Girls” in the use of setting, point of view, and character. It is important to appreciate the setting of both stories, as it is crucial to the issues the protagonists face. This is especially true in “Araby,” which is set in late 19th century Dublin, Ireland. In the third paragraph, Dublin is described as dark, dreary, and depressing. “When we met in the street the houses had grown somber… Our shouts echoed in the silent street. The career of our play brought us through the dark muddy lanes behind the houses, where we ran the gauntlet of the rough …show more content…
The reader is more able to immerse themself in the protagonists’ world than if the stories were written in the third-person. The nameless narrator of “Araby” is speaking of a far different time than the present, yet readers are able to understand, and even identify, with the young boy’s struggle. Many adolescent boys have experienced the same emotions so vividly communicated in Joyce’s coming of age tale: infatuation, awkwardness when talking to girls, and frustration at authority figures. Similarly, historically, countless young women have been treated as inferior, and undervalued, solely because of their gender. In this regard, women can relate to the challenges that the protagonist faces in “Boys and Girls.” When these authors write in the first-person, they draw the reader into their characters’ perspectives, which causes a more personal reaction than if the reader were detached from the
The chapter “Notes” is written in first person to show the emotional impact on the character and to show the
Despite “Araby” influencing the creation of Arabia, the story’s characters and setting initiate a difference in criticisms. “Araby” follows a young boy struggling with vanity in Dublin, Ireland while Arabia focuses on Christiano, a young man socially paralyzed in Brazil. Because of these differences, Joyce criticizes religion while Uchoa Dumons criticize the exploitation of the working class and the manipulation by the upper class. Through the course of the film, Christiano cannot keep a job and stays trapped in the same socioeconomic class. Finally, at a night shift at a factory job, an epiphany hits him, and he feels that he is “waking up from a nightmare” (Uchoa Dumans 1:26:33-1:26:35).
The duration of an individual’s coming of age is one of the most important times of their life which shapes them into who they are meant to be as an adult. Throughout this journey, they will be influenced by a variety of experiences such as discrimination, society’s perception or misperceptions, love, and interaction with adults. These influences help them reach maturity, gain an understanding of the world and overcome the challenges they might come across in their everyday life. “The Breadwinner” written by Deborah Ellis, tells the story of a young girl named Parvana who is living in Afghanistan. After her father’s arrest, Parvana takes the responsibility to work and earn money for her family by disguising herself as a boy.
Oates’s protagonists struggle with a dual identity: one that conforms to the world around them and one that directly reflects how they see themselves. The works of Joyce Carol Oates can be seen from multiple perspectives; many
I think I do.’ He smiles. ‘For the first time in your life’” (Friesen 32). On the contrary, in “Boys and Girls”, characterization is shown through the disputed sexism throughout the story. The female narrator, feels that her female role models such as her mother and grandmother help create who she becomes.
Araby and A&P are both short stories that are exceptional for character analysis, right down to similar male narrators and ladies they wish to impress. The short story “Araby” is about a young boy who travels to a fair-like market because his crush requested something, though she, herself, was unable to attend. After trouble and worry and anxiety, the narrator finally arrives at Araby to discover it is closing and empty. In “A&P,” our narrator is a teenage boy who works at a supermarket when a group of girls in bathing suits enter in order to purchase a few items. He develops a crush on the group’s lead girl and tries to impress her by standing up against their embarrassment.
Araby, a short story written by James Joyce which revolves around a young, nameless, schoolboy who begins to become infatuated with a girl who lives across the street from him, and with this infatuation comes a simple, yet one-sided childhood love. Throughout the story, the narrator, which is the schoolboy, stealthily watches and to a certain extent, obsesses over Mangan’s older sister, the girl he developed feelings for. While reading, one will notice that the boy awaits for the girl to leave her house and once she does leave, the boy quickly gathers his school belongings and begins to follow from behind for small amount of time before the path diverges and he takes the lead. A word is rarely spoken between the two, but she still fuels
Through first person narrative, I can view the world from the narrator’s point of view, giving me a greater understanding of why she views the tulips in a hostile
In the first person perspective, it let the reader brought into the book. It is like the reader is the character. Therefore, Yann Martel use the first person perspective to enhance the emotion of the
The opening stories, those dealing with childhood, are written in first person narrative, through the eyes of a boy and present the beginning of paralysis describing the frustration of the boy’s increasing desire to escape from the tedious Dublin life. In each story, the child is frustrated by his environment which progressively corrupts and imposes its values on him. In the stories of adolescence (with “adolescence” Joyce did not refer to the physical stage, but to a stage of spiritual immaturity) the characters are defeated by the obstructing fears and prejudices the city has planted in them; they are unable to react and follow their hopes (paralysis of the will) The following stories, advancing in time and expanding in scope, concern the middle years of the characters and their social, political or religious affairs.
Alifa Rifaat and Rokeya Hossain are Muslim women who have challenged the cultural norms of traditional role of women in their culture. Their approach to the literary text are ones that are bold in the role of women in their stories. The importance of their writing allows us to access a subculture we probably wouldn’t have known existed until now. In my research I have found that the cultural norms of Muslim women are very important to them. In the western world they are seen as oppressed and have no freedoms, but in actuality there are many women that have made amazing advances to this cause.
Many critics agree on one fact about Canadian author Alice Munro: one of her most notable qualities in regards to her work is the distinct use of realism in her writing. Her writing provides a strong sense of familiarity to the reader, while also containing stronger metaphorical meanings that one can note when they begin to closely look at her work. Her short story “Boys and Girls” portrays the socialization of a young girl, once very close to her father and unaware of any sort of gender bias within her society, into a young woman with a pessimistic view of femininity and her expected position in society. This story shows the socialization process in a way that makes it easy to recognize, illustrating circumstances that the reader can notice the blatant sexism and misogyny; however, its portrayal is extremely realistic, allowing the reader to recall how oblivious they may have been in the past during times that they have been impacted by social biases in our world. Critics of Munro typically agree on her overall theme of femininity and coming of age in her writings; “Boys and Girls” emphasizes the ways in which young girls are socialized into a seemingly natural understanding of the sexist expectations and gender roles.
Next, I will explore the narrator’s misconceptions on love and the Middle East, and his wishes to desert his mundane home in “Araby.” Finally, I will explain the protagonist’s inability to leave Dublin despite her domestic and occupational misery in “Eveline.” Dubliner’s “The Sisters” features an unnamed boy who narrates the aftermath of a priest’s death, and he vaguely recalls their inappropriate relationship with implications of pedophilia. The short story beings with the boy as he comprehends that Father Flynn has died, though the child’s tone appears unattached and distant. This offers reason for suspicion to the reader as a child would normally behave differently at the news of a dead friend.
The narrator of “Araby” by James Joyce is a young man who craves sexual intimacy with a girl pledged to become a nun, and is nearly driven mad with
One of the central tenets of James Joyce’s work, the paralysis or blighted figures that live in Dublin, can be vividly noticed in his short stories Araby and The Sisters. Albeit written at a time of peak Irish nationalism, the two stories elucidate what Joyce discerned to be the dull, idle, and sorry lives of Dubliners. Joyce’s utter refutation of Irish pride caused him to create characters in the city that lacked confidence and direction in their lives. The theme of paralysis can be perceived in both Araby and The Sisters with Joyce’s description of the monotony of daily work routines, the disenchantment of adulthood, and the silence that was prevalent throughout the city.