Araby (James Joyce)
What kind of "vanity" does the narrator attribute to himself at the story's end? Why is he filled with "anguish and anger"
The vanity that the adolescent in this story attributes to himself is the kind that makes all of his efforts and thoughts to be useless. He started a quest when he had a conversation with the girl of his dreams, she couldn’t make it to the "Araby" bazaar and to cheer her up he promised that he would get her something from this event. He planned on it, obsessed about it, couldn’t think of anything but this event and the present that he would get her. This, in return, would give him the chance to talk to her again and the probability of adding some substance to the relationship that so far existed just in his head. The outcome of all of those hours and days, methodically planning on it went all wrong when he made it late to the bazaar, most of the stores were already closed and the only one open had items that were out of his budget.
He was filled with anguish and anger because the situation went out of his control. His uncle was late to give him the money to be able to buy the present for the girl at the Araby. He had to go through the frustration that waiting makes us feel. But in the rush of the moment he accepted his bad luck. He had to live with the exasperation of being unable to handle things that fate was putting in his way, to make matters worse, he found out that every step that he had to take to get to the place was jinxed. For example, the late and very slow train. In the end he had nothing to give to the girl. He probably was thinking of the embarrassing moment that he would have to put up with the next time he sees her. All because of his forgetful uncle.
Milena Noguera Csernick
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