"Shame for a Gift"

Araby
by James Joyce

The story goes in depth about the actual feelings that love or infatuation bring about for a young boy, when he falls for his friend’s older sister. It does not matter that the girl has no clue of what the boy feels for her. It is also undecided whether the girl actually spoke to him. Imagined or not the feelings he felt were completely real. No matter the reality, it set into motion the idea that he could win this girls admiration through a gift.

In the beginning of the story the author describes the lifestyle of a young boy and the setting of the average neighborhood anywhere. A boy’s life at this age is very simple. It revolves around his neighborhood and the daily life and grind of being twelve. Many days and late evenings are spent out on the lawn with friends. All life expects of a boy his age is to do well in school, help with chores and be semi happy.

Everything is going well in his life, then wham it hits him. He cannot explain what it is he’s feeling. When he sees her the world stops. The only thing left is the racing of his heart and the sweat pouring from his skin. He does everything he can to get her attention, but does not have a clue as to why. Every thought revolves around this girl. What are these feelings? He cannot talk about it or even worse he thinks it is forbidden to talk about. What if he said something and he was told he was not suppose to feel this way at his age. All he knows is that whatever these feelings are it feels good. It makes him feel alive unlike the kind dead priest.

The only thing he knows that will get her attention and maybe her affection is a gift. Not knowing how, but some how he will get to the Araby and buy her a gift. The days trickle by. The day of the bazaar he starts counting down the minutes and pacing the floor. All the drudgery of the day’s events is pure cruelty. His plan and hopes it seems are ruined, until finally his uncle comes home later than expected. He arrives just as they are closing down. He views the remaining selections of goods. Grudgingly, a woman out of duty comes to assist him. Reality sets in; maybe Mangan’s sister is only nice to him because she feels the duty to be kind. Everyone in the neighborhood is friendly. What good is this gift to win her affections? What does it say about him that he would try to buy her affections?

He realizes very early in life, this is not the way it should be. He realizes it is hopeless to have this infatuation with a girl he does not even know. He has had one conversation with her. Was that conversation real or was it imagined? Even more importantly beauty is only skin deep. It seems that the story wants to depict this boy and his story, as something to be ashamed of or worse wants to invoke feeling of sadness for him. This would explain the reference to the priest and the fact that he tells no one. The only sad point in the story is how it mirrors our own society today. In today’s society a person can be bought with a gift. Money says love like nothing else. There is nothing shameful or wrong with what the boy is feeling. He is just a boy first noticing the affects members of the opposite sex have on people.