Araby

Short Story | James Joyce

How Was the Narrator Disillusioned at the End of the Story "Araby"

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How was the narrator disillusioned at the end of the story Araby At the end of James Joyce s - Araby the narrator feels deeply disillusioned when his visit to the Araby bazaar does not meet his expectations Love The unnamed narrator has a deep crush on Mangan s sister To the boy she represents beauty love and an escape from the dull and monotonous life he leads on his quiet street in Dublin He promises her to go to Araby Bazaar and bring her something beautiful though he does not have enough money He believes that buying her a gift will prove his feelings and that his love be a success Disillusionment Throughout the story the narrator builds up the bazaar in his mind as a magical and exotic place He believes buying something nice from Araby will be a perfect way to show his feelings for Mangan s

sister However when he finally arrives at the bazaar his hopes are crushed Most of the stalls are closed and the few that remain open sell ordinary items like porcelain vases and tea sets The bazaar is quiet and the atmosphere feels dull instead of exciting At that moment the narrator understands that his dreams of impressing Mangan s sister were based on unrealistic fantasies He sees that the bazaar is not a magical place He doesn t buy a gift and is left with an epiphany a moment of sudden and great revelation his quest was motivated more by vanity than love He reflects in anguish Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity In conclusion his realization leaves him heartbroken and ashamed as he learns that life often does not match the beauty of his dreams This marks the painful loss of his innocence

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