"Araby"

     In James Joyce's, "Araby", the use of light and dark imagery is used to set the tone, or attitude of the story. Joyce simply uses light and darkness to describe the imagery and plot of the beginning of the story. For example, Joyce writes, "When the short days of winter came, dusk fell before we had well eaten our dinners". The season of winter and the time of the day describes the setting of the story which helps the audience illustrate what is going on. The colors of dusk helps then understand that darkness is approaching and Joyce continues to describe the North Richmond Street as dark and only certain "light from the kitchen windows had filled the areas". The whole light and darkness concept of the story is a vital part being that the narrarator of the story is blind. This gives the audience the ability to "see" what the blind can "see", which is seeing darkness and sensing light. It takes the readers back into following the characters footsteps and hiding "in the shadow" as the characters did. Light and darkness used in the story also highlights certain characters and feelings. While the setting is set in a dark street, the writer wants to put a "spotlight" to the characters he is describing. For example, Mangan's sister is described as, " she was waiting for us, her figured defined by the light from the half-opened door". With this use of imagery, the audience can picture a street of complete darkness but picture a girl with the light shining on her. Another example is highlighting the feeling of one person. The narrator of the story is falling in love with Mangan's sister and his adoration for is described as "some distant lamp or lighted window gleamed below me". This describes how he was in total darkness but when his feelings left him feeling in love, the light gleamed on him to show how much passion is beaming from him to express his feelings for this girl.

     This story is filled with symbolism from page to page. The bazaar is an important symbolism to the narrarator. It can symbolize many things. First it can symbolize freedom. The narrator is living with his aunt and uncle and I believe he wants a chance to escape the darkness that he is living in, since darkness is all that he can sense and see. He wants a place and a chance to see light and to him the light is in bazaar which is freedom from the darkness. Bazaar can also symbolize love or meer infatuation. It has been the narrators' dream to go to bazaar but when he meets the girl of his dreams, the more he is encouraged to go since he promises to go and bring her something. His instant infatuation blinds this narrator even more so, that he wants to leave for a girl he barely knows, instead of his own happiness and reasoning. He goes but as it turns out, his visit is not up to his expectations, which is how most infatuations result in. He is faced with reality.

     The story starts in North Richmond street and uses imagery to set the plot of the story. The use of light and darkness is used to set up the plot of the story and who the characters are and the tone within the story. As the story continues, love takes place and a certain rising action is when he finally talks to the girl of his dreams and falls madly in love with her that you can feel how is feeling by the light that gleams on him and how his "body was like a harp" and the girl's "words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires". Another rising action is when he is ready to leave for bazaar but waits for his uncle to return to let him go and give him money and the story falls back when his uncle does not return and meerly forgets about his nephew leaving. The ultimate climax is when he finally gets to bazaar and the story is rising to the point where he is walking around and steals the two pennies in one of the stalls. The story continues with suspense the gallery is filled with darnkess since the light goes out. And the climax is left at the end for the audience to figure out as the narrator is lef with his eyes burning "with anguish and anger". This climax ends with symbolism as the whole story is almost like a journey of the main character. He takes us on a journey of where he lives, to falling in love for the first time and having his dreams met and when he finally reaches his dreams, it crashes into a reality as he sees his dreams crushed right before his eyes. He dreamed of bazaar and as he walked around, his dream and imagination were completely opposite from what he expected that he learns that his dreams were only an infatuation and unreal that reality finally sinks in and he starts to see what the real world is. He starts from seeing darkness and finally seeing the light, and left with finally seeing reality.