ARABY (KEY CONTEXT, CONFLICT, SYMBOLS)

Question 1

What is ‘Araby’?

Answer 1

• An exotic market-place/ bazaar.

Question 2

What is the short story ‘Araby’ about?

Answer 2

• A young boy develops a romanticised infatuation with Magnan’s sister.
• He promises to buy her a gift from Araby.
• He envisions the trip as a heroic quest, escaping his dull reality.
• However, when he arrives, the market is nearly closed, realsing it is just an ordinary and uninspired place.

Question 3

Who are the main characters in Araby?

Answer 3

• Unnamed young boy.
• Magnan’s sister (his crush)
• (Pious) Aunty
• (Absent-minded) Uncle

Question 4

Which cluster is ‘Araby’ part of?

Answer 4

• Childhood cluster

Question 5

What is the epiphantic moment in Araby?

Answer 5

• (Negative) His infatuation was as misguided as his fantasies as the Bazaar.

Question 6

What are the key narrative techniques used in Araby?

Answer 6

1. First- person narration
2. Stream of conciousness (immersive)
3. Contrast between romanticism and realism (idealised vision of love vs mundane reality of Dublin)
4. Delayed decoded (delayed realisation of the meaning of his experiences)

Question 7

What literary styles are used in Araby?

Answer 7

1. Romanticism
2. Realism
3. Naturalism
4. Symbolism

Question 8

Is there a shift in style or tone throughout the narrative?

Answer 8

• (prose style) shifts from bleak realism to high romanticism.

Reflects the boy’s aesthetic awakening.