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Imagery in James Joyce "Araby"

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In "Araby" by James Joyce, the narrator uses vivid imagery in order to express feelings and situations. The story evolves around a boy's adoration of a girl he refers to as "Mangan's sister" and his promise to her that he shall buy her a present if he goes to the Araby bazaar. Joyce uses visual images of darkness and light as well as the exotic in order to suggest how the boy narrator attempts to achieve the inaccessible. Accordingly, Joyce is expressing the theme of the boys exaggerated desire through the images which are exotic. The theme of "Araby" is a boy's desire to what he cannot achieve.
Joyce uses visual imagery from the world of Christianity, images of light and darkness and auditory imagery in order to enhance the meaning of …show more content…

You can hear the force and fury of the storm, and this makes the emotions the boy is feeling seem even more intense.

The boy's dream ends with him realizing that his love exists only in his mind. He realizes the opportunity of winning his friend's sister through gift has slipped away. The boy fails to achieve the exotic. Anguish burns in his eyes as the cold grip of reality takes hold of

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