Araby - fiction essay

Araby - fiction essay

The setting of “Araby” during late 1800’s
The depressing situation due to economic condition and church influence on Irish society during the late 1800’s is effectively described in setting of “Araby” by James Joyce. The setting in the story indicates that the quality of a human life was poor compared to a modern life. Right from the beginning of the story, Joyce has set a discouraging mood and the setting of the “Araby” is the most important for the character’s development. On the surface, “Araby” is a story about a young boy’s first love, but in-depth, this is a story devastating effect of a femine and an influence of the church on Irish society. Joyce has used setting of darkness and churchlike atmosphere throughout the story. This is described in several scenes, the neighborhood, young boy’s house, and his trip to the “Araby” fair.
 
Joyce has described the neighborhood along North Richmond Street as a joyless, stanguant with a church like atmosphere. Actually, this describes the condition of the boy’s relation to reality. During last decade of the 18th century the effect of the femine was everywhere and it had affected Irish social life. “The church became increasingly important and ever-more-organized aspect of people’s lives in Ireland” (Cronin). The young boy’s neighborhood and home are described in metaphorically. Also, a Christian brothers School located in the neighborhood represent church presence. The North Richmond Street is a blind street means a dead end street, which indicates the condition of Irish people after a femine. The lively description of houses on the street like “gazed at one another with brown impertuable faces” (Kennedy) indicates attitudes of people living in them and also represents hopeless and discouraging mood. These have furtherer shaded as to be a dark and gloomy in, “when we met in the street the houses had grown somber” (Kennedy). It is further described that, during...