Joyce, Dubliners, Araby Flashcards
“The syllables of the word Araby were called to me…”
“The syllables of the word Araby were called to me through the silence in which my soul luxuriated and cast an eastern enchantment over me”
P.21
“In front of me was the large building…”
“In front of me was the large building which displayed the magical name”
P.23
“The upper part of the hall…”
“The upper part of the hall was now completely dark”
P.24
“Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature…”
“Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger”
EPIPHANY
P.24
“Nearly all the stalls were closed…”
“Nearly all the stalls were closed and the greater part of the hall was in darkness”
P.23
Five quotes depicting darkness
…“the dark muddy lanes behind the houses”
“…the dark dripping gardens”
“It was a dark rainy evening”
“I looked over at the dark house where she lived”
“The upper part of the hall was now completely dark”
“The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck…”
“The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there and, falling, lit up the hand upon the railing”
P.21
Why does the dark and night time feature so heavily throughout Araby and Joyce’s Dubliner more widely?
Joyce’s depiction of Dublin is one of almost perpetual darkness. Characters often walk through dark streets and look upon dark houses. Dusk is often the time when characters experience moments of revelation, notably in after the race. While it is also in complete darkness that the boy narrator seems to experience existential crisis crisis.
Perhaps dusk, which is almost a time in between time, existing after the chaos of night and before the onrush of morning activity. In this sense, dusk is a time of paralysis - a time in which time stops. This dark back drops reflect the half life or in between states which the characters often occupy
Who was the former tenant of the boy narrators home?
A priest, who died
‘Her figure defined…’
‘Her figure defined from the half open door’
‘This happened…’
‘This happened morning after morning’
