Introduction to “Araby” by James Joyce as Modernist Story
Before the publication of “Araby” by James Joyce, the British modernist movement emerged between WWI and WWII. New ideas, norms, and traditions were set in literature. The Industrial Revolution, evolution in economic ideas, and new social theories led the writers to write on new patterns. The disillusionment of the wars, massacres, and senseless killings led the writers to explore human nature further because the old styles failed to express their grief, complications, and apprehensions (Rachel 2012). The theater of Absurd and existentialism gave new dimensions to literature. “Araby” by James Joyce demonstrates the transformation modernism brought such as the use of the stream of consciousness technique along with an ambiguous critique of the religious ideas and melting down of social customs.
Stream of Consciousness in “Araby” by James Joyce
The use of the stream of consciousness technique was the first characteristic intended to record the thoughts of the narrator. The nameless boy in “Araby” by James Joyce, tells his story in first person, but mostly this comprises his inner thoughts. The boy narrates the ordeal he faces in his mind. His inner thinking leads him to his epiphanic moment of promising his imagined beloved to bring something from Araby for her but ultimately it proves a failure. His infatuation “When she came out on the doorstep my heart leaped” (Araby 345) shows his use of the first person. This type of technique was creeping imperceptibly into narrations during those times when James Joyce wrote this story. He continues thinking about her until the story ends where he is standing and “remembering with difficulty why I had come” (356). It is through his own narration that the readers know his ordeal, his mental conflicts, and his disillusionment of love which has found its way into his narration (Norris 2003).
Transformation in Religious Ideas in “Araby” by James Joyce
During the writing of this story, the Roman Catholic was ruling the roost in Ireland. The modernist movement challenged trite and tested ideas of religion, which Joyce ambivalently expresses in this story. The different references in “Araby” by James Joyce such as that “Christian Brother’s School” (Joyce 347) in “Araby” are actually an expression of the attitude toward the prevalent religious faith. Mentioning the priest, finding books of the priest at the home, and the boy’s own reference of saving the “chalice” (348) are enough to show that religious dogmas are in the very soul of the boy. Yet, he wants to break up these shackles as he keeps “The Abbot by Walter Scott, The Devout Communicant and The Memories of Vidosq” (348), a modern book according to the standards of those times. The boy’s reference to a hero who “bore my chalice safely” (348) is not a Christian allusion, but a pagan one.
Transformation in Social Norms in “Araby” by James Joyce
The modernist movement also challenged the accepted social norms and turned them upside down even before “Araby” by James Joyce was written. The first sign of this is the boy’s falling in love with the girl who is a bit older. She succeeds in dominating the boy’s senses and holds him in her romantic grip as he imagines her “The life from the lamp opposite to our door caught the white curve of her neck” which seems to him something that arouses his senses (351). This is the exploitation of male sexuality that she attracts him and brings him to the point of a promise he does materialize, and gets frustrated.
Conclusion
These examples show that Joyce was affected by the onslaught of modernism and became a tool to start British modernism through his writings. Ulysses came out much later but before that “Araby” clearly shows his inclination toward the modernist movement. His ambivalent attitude toward religion, his narrative technique, and his allusions demonstrate it in “Araby” which is not the first representative story of this movement.
Works Cited
- Joyce, James. “Araby.” Edgar V. Roberts, & Robert Zweig. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 10/E . New York: Longman, 2012. 348-362.
- Norris, Margot. Suspicious Readings of Joyce’s Dubliners. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania, 2003. Print.
- Potter, Rachel. Modernist Literature. Edinburgh University Press. 2012. Print.
Relevant Questions
- How does James Joyce use the concept of epiphany in “Araby” to exemplify a key characteristic of modernist literature, and what is the significance of the protagonist’s epiphany in the story?
- “Araby” is often seen as a prime example of the modernist emphasis on the interior world of characters. How does the narrative perspective and the protagonist’s inner thoughts and emotions contribute to this aspect of modernism in the story?
- In “Araby,” the mundane and the symbolic are juxtaposed throughout the narrative. How does this interplay between the ordinary and the symbolic reflect the modernist fascination with the subconscious and the exploration of deeper, hidden meanings in everyday life?
