Skip to main content

What is the significance of the narrator's interaction with his uncle in the story "Araby" by James Joyce?

The dynamic between the narrator and his uncle in James Joyce's "Araby" is an interesting one, although it's touched on briefly. In the story, the narrator anxiously waits for his uncle to return from work, as his uncle promised to give him some money to go a local bazaar. The narrator is particularly anxious about making it to the bazaar on time, as he promised to buy a gift for Mangan's sister, the girl he has a crush on. When the narrator's uncle finally comes home (much later than he promised to), it's apparent he has been drinking and does not care about his nephew's urgency. The uncle's lateness is the main reason the narrator arrives to the bazaar too late to buy anything for Mangan's sister.


Unlike the narrator, who is anxious to prove his worth and love for Managan's sister, the uncle seems to care much less for the relationships in his life. Rather than supporting his nephew, for example, the uncle stays out drinking after work and seems oblivious to the harm he causes. This flippant attitude has a direct impact on the narrator, as it ultimately sets up his despairing epiphany at the end of the short story and the realization that his childhood fantasies are absurd. 


While the narrator's dreams of love and adventure have a certain absurdity to them, the ruthless destruction of the character's dreams at the end of the story is somewhat tragic. Faced by the indifference of adults, the narrator has no choice but to amend his sensitive ways and harden his idealistic attitude. Thus, the relationship between the uncle and the narrator illustrates the way uncaring adults (who presumably have already been hardened by disappointment) shatter the idyllic worldview of children and force children to become hardened and cynical. Viewed from this point of view, it's clear the relationship between the narrator and his uncle is one of the most important aspects of "Araby."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more