Araby by James Joyce - Formalist Criticism

The boy in Araby is clearly an emotional character. His epiphany only comes as a result of detaching himself from his idilic dreamworld. Throughout Araby, the boy is focused solely on the woman. All of his thoughts and actions indicate a pure infatuation. The boy would “lay on the floor in the front parlour watching her door” and “[keep] he brown figure always in [his] eye,” yet when she emerged from the door, his “heart leaped.” A clear nervousness is established through all of his actions within the story, providing a link between love and courage. His pure devotion to her is evident when he exclaims, “Her image accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance.” As his love for the woman grows, his relationship with his family, faith and city are dissipating, as he falls further into his disillusion.

Believing that it would impress her, the boy decides to bring the girl back a gift from the Araby in order to impress her, and hopefully win her heart. By the time he arrives at the bazaar, the streets are empty and many of the stalls are closed. Having expected a lavish and wondrous bazaar, the boy is extremely disappointed. His epiphany is now realized as a saleswoman tries half-heartedly to get him to buy something. Registering her lack of effort, the emptiness of the bazaar, and his ludicrous trip to the Araby, the boy now understands that he was unable to see reality for what it is because he allows his emotions to overwhelm him.

The elements of the story (character, theme, setting and plot) all validate this statement. The text has fully supported the boy’s lack of reality, and one can tell it has been crushed when he decides not to by anything for the girl he loves.