Araby

Araby is a story about a boy who is madly in love with the sister of his best friend.

Level 1- Why does the boy go to the bazaar?
level 2- What does the dying priest represent?
level 3- What do you feel about Joyce's stance on the death of the Catholic church?

Araby was somewhat difficult to get through because though it wasn't enjoyable, it didn't have a surface point. Obviously Joyce was directing it to something deeper; the death of the catholic church, the growing materialism in the world. He is getting at a social commentary about Dublin. However, Joyce's handcrafted work needs much interpreting to make sense as being anything past the surface level. Though I got the Chalice reference and the dead-end reference out of it, the idea of the church did not really seem to fit in. The dying priest, though he played a part in the story, did not play a part in the plot. It read almost as if it were thrown in there to try to create the reference to the church offhandedly. However, as the story goes on to talk about the tree, and the saintliness of the girl, etc, the reference to the church begins to make sense.