Preview

James Joyce, Symbolism in Story "Araby"

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1370 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
James Joyce, Symbolism in Story "Araby"
James Joyce:
Symbols of Religion in his short story “Araby”
Alongside the dawn of the twentieth century appeared an author by the name of James Joyce. Joyce introduced the idea that language can be manipulated and transformed into a new original meaning. “Some critics considered the work a masterpiece, though many readers found it incomprehensible” (The Literature 1). Joyce’s stories were not welcomed with open, inviting arms; instead they were undesired by publishers and his books were immensely misunderstood by the majority who gave them a glance. “Ulysses was barred from the United States as obscene for 15 years, and was seized by U.S Postal Authorities in 1918 and 1930” (Ockerbloom 1). “He has no conception of the word obedience, and he bends the knee neither to God nor man” (Collins 1). James Joyce depicted his rebellious view about the Catholic Church in his writing particularly in the story “Araby”. Joyce through his writings displayed mockery and a straightforward rebellion against the church and their beliefs. But surprisingly Joyce was introduced to the ideas of religion at an early age. At the age of six he began his religion enlightenment as he attended Clongowes Wood College whom emphasized Jesuit beliefs. During this time in Joyce’s life he was picked on by the other students attending this college. In one incident “A boy had snatched his glasses and stood on them but a priest believed that Joyce had done it himself to avoid lessons and gave him a ‘pandying’” (O 'Brien 1). Events like this were probably the fuel to the fire of his dislike towards religion. “The Jesuits he called in his adult life a ‘heartless order that bears the name of Jesus by antiphrasis’” (O 'Brien 1). Later, at around eleven years old, he transferred over to the Belvedere College in Dublin. (Ebook 1) After his graduation at Dublin he determined that he knew an adequate amount of of the Jesuit religion, he officially rejected it (Gray 1). “After some religious experiences



Cited: James Joyce." The Literature Network. 2000-2008. Jalic Inc. . 21 Apr 2008 <http://www.online-literature.com/james_joyce/>. Ockerbloom , John Mark. "Banned Online Books." The Online Books Page. 21 April 2008. 21 Apr 2008 <http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/>. Collins, Dr. Joesph. "James Joyce 's Amazing Chronicle ." Books. 1998. The New York Times Company. 21 Apr 2008 <http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/01/09/specials/joyce-ulysses.html>. O 'Brien, Edna. "James Joyce." Books. 1998. The New York Times Company. 21 Apr 2008 <http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/01/09/specials/joyce-ulysses.html>. Gray, Paul. "James Joyce." The Time 100. 2003. Time Magazine. 21 Apr 2008 <http://www.time.com/time/time100/artists/profile/joyce.html>. Sheila. "The Books: "Ulysses" - the Ithaca episode (James Joyce)." The Sheila Variations. 23 January 2008. 21 Apr 2008 <http://209.85.207.104/search?q=cache:yOMNzKbSFu0J:www.sheilaomalley.com/archives/009375.html+reasons+why+james+joyce+contempt+religion&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us>. "Symbolism in James Joyce’s "Araby"." Essortment. 2002. Pagewise. 21 Apr 2008 <http://www.essortment.com/all/jamesjoycesa_rqjn.htm>. "James Joyce Ebook." CheapBooks. 1997-2007. CheapBooks. 21 Apr 2008 <http://www.readeasily.com/james-joyce/index.php>. "James Joyce 1882-1941." James Joyce Introduction. 2008. Enotes. 21 Apr 2008 <http://www.enotes.com/twentieth-century-criticism/joyce-james>.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Sybolism in Araby

    • 2407 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Stone, H. (1965) ‘Araby ' and the Writings of James Joyce, The Antioch Review 25, p375-410.…

    • 2407 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his novel Ulysses, James Joyce depicts and criticizes a dystopian society where the people are highly influenced by the depressing environment, yet their attempt to change the current situation remains futile.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story there is a room where a previous tenant, a priest, died. Joyce's resentment toward religious literature is shown in the passage, "the waste room... was littered with old useless papers. In writing the "waste" room and referring to the papers as "useless," the value Joyce assigns the readings of a priest becomes clear. Joyce describes the environment as dispirited and uneventful. "The space of sky above us was the color of ever-changing violet, and towards it the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanterns". Joyce uses symbolism of "light" to represent religion, which protects us from "darkness." A connection can be drawn between Joyce's lack of effort towards religion and the feeble attempt of the lamps to lift their lights…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Phillis Wheatley

    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Nina Baym, General Editor. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: Norton & Co, 2008. 419-421.…

    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Stein, Jane. “William Faulkner, The Art of Fiction No. 12.” The Paris Review. Spring. 1956.…

    • 3823 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    James Joyce. Araby

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages

    2. Although James Joyce’s story “Araby” is told from the first person viewpoint of its young protagonist, we do not think that a boy tells the story. Instead, the narrator seems to be a man matured well beyond the experience of the story. The mature man reminisces about his youthful hopes, desires, and frustrations. Because of the double focused narration of the story, first by the boy's experience, then by a mature experienced man, the story gives a wider portrait to using sophisticated irony and symbolic imagery necessary to analyze the boy's character.…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Joyce’s fictional story, Araby, focuses on a young adolescent’s obsession of a girl...until he realized he was wrong the whole time. The story starts off with the main character, also the narrator, as he describes the lengths he would go to in order to please the girl. Later in the story, the girl mentions a bazaar that she is unable to go to, and the narrator makes it his goal to go and get a gift for her. The days turn slow and sluggish while he waits until the day he can go, and the story ultimately ends with him at the bazaar, and questioning his obsession. The brief and sudden ending can leave readers with questions, or wanting more of an explanation. The author’s ultimate message behind the story is that the narrator being wrong and shifting…

    • 147 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hades In The Odyssey

    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Truth be told, Joyce’s novel Ulysses contains the work of a lifetime. Although not always easy to understand, the novel is created so that readers have to search throughout the novel to find answers.…

    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Dead

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages

    First, the of content Gabriel's speech at the party impressed me a lot. James Joyce, who is a genius writer, is like all other Irish writers, he loveshis land and people very much. Gabriel is the substitute of his own.…

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Joyce, James. "The Dead." Davis, Paul, et al. Western Literature in a World Context. Boston,…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Dead By James Joyce

    • 2106 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Consequently, Joyce's seminal story…

    • 2106 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    has made it plain that he has no intention to go there or of such a…

    • 7488 Words
    • 30 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Eveline

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Cited: Joyce, James. "Eveline." 1914. Literature and the Writing Process. By Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day, Robert Funk, and Linda Coleman. 9th ed. Boston: Longman, 2011. 4-7. Print.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    James Joyce - An encounter

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Bibliography: 1. Katherine Mullin, Cambridge Collections Online, James Joyce and the languages of modernism, Cambridge University Press, 2007…

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Through Adam and Eve

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Baym, Nina, and Levine S. Robert. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th Edition; Volume A. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., Inc., 2012 328-333.…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics