Critical Analysis of Araby

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27th July 2015.
Critical Analysis of Araby
In critical analysis of any piece of literature, the response of the reader after reading the literary work is quite important in bringing out the different perspectives that the work offers. It is as a result of this that there exist numerous types of views offered by different readers, over the same piece of work. The short story entitled ‘Araby’ by James Joyce is one example of literary work that offers quite a distinctive and deep interpretation of different aspects. This is through employment of lens theories, which offer the chance for this awareness (Anne, 4).This paper is going to analyze Araby by employing the Marxist theory ,one of the main lens theories.
The story is about the discouragement that the narrator of the story experiences as a result of the lack of faith in what was initially thought to be love, and subsequent futile efforts to obtain the same from a girl. The narrator is a young boy, infatuated with the elder sister to his friend, living with his uncle and aunt. He is deeply attracted by the physical appearance of Mangan’s sister  and has a strong sexual desire towards her. He is obsessed with her "figure defined by the light",her dress which "swung as she moved her body"and"the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side"(par 3,lines 19-20).
The boy has failed in expressing the same to the girl, and the only time he does, he ends up disillusioned. "These noises con-verged in a single sensation of life for me: I imagined that I bore my chalice safely through a throng of foes."The best lens theory to be used here is the Marxist approach, which generally bases its critical analysis on the historical background and environment that existed while the work was being done.
There is a general perception throughout the story, a perception that is full of religious sarcasm. The story opens with a description of North Richmond Street, a"blind," "cold ... .. silent" street where the houses "gazed at one an-other with brown imperturbable faces."(Par 1,lines 1 -6). This is especially concerning the people in the area known as North Richmond Street, who are deemed to be ‘blind.’ In relation to the heavy Catholic influence in the region, the story goes that these people will only cease to be blind when the Christian school, housing the Brothers, decides to give them freedom. In this scenario, religion works as a tool with which the whole society then, had to adhere to under every circumstance.
Marxist criticism here is applicable in that there is a clear indication that religion is the control measure used to guide the general conduct of people. The narrator for example, at one time decides to isolate himself from the general public and sit by himself, to continue entertaining his fertile sexual fantasies about Mangan’s sister. The trip to Araby as well is taken by the narrator to be a holy trip to search for a gift for the lady. There is a lot of allusion ...