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The Themes Of First Love In Araby By James Joyce

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The story “Araby” as told by James Joyce is about a young boy that is fascinated with the girl across the street. But deeper down the story is about a very lonely boy lusting for her love and affection. Throughout the story, we see how the frustration of first love, isolation and high expectations breaks the main character emotionally and physically. James Joyce uses the first-person viewpoint to tell this story which helps influence the plot, characterization, themes, and understanding of the main character. The young nameless boy in this story is in love with his friend’s sister who lives across the street. Although he has hardly spoken to the girl, he becomes so infatuated with her that he begins to watch her every move and fears that he will not build up the courage to express how he truly feels about her. He starts every day sitting in the front room of his house peeking through the blinds, so he can see her leave and quietly follow in behind her until their paths diverge and he can pass her. The young boy narrating this story can show the reader the thoughts and emotions that go through a young person’s mind when they develop their first crush. Making it a relatable story as many people find their first love at a young age and go through the ups and downs associated with young love. One day the young boy gets everything he has hoped for and is approached and spoken to by the girl. She asks him if he is planning to go to the bazaar and claims she cannot because she made to commitment for a school retreat. Being the hopeless romantic the young boy he is intoxicated with this new feeling joy and offers to bring her something back from the bazaar. The boy then spends days waiting for this bazaar, “At night in my bedroom and by day in the classroom her image came between me and the page I strove to read”. She was the center of his world at this point in the story as he explains his struggles focusing in school and everyday life until the bazaar. The first-person viewpoint works perfectly for this short story because without that viewpoint we would have no understanding of the young boy’s impressions or feelings towards the girl. Therefore, influencing the plot because our perceptions are based on the

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