Symbolism in Araby from the Perspective of New Criticism

左姍

【Abstract】James Joyce （1882-1941） was a great Irish novelist and best known for pioneering new narrative techniques，especially stream-of-consciousness. Araby， one of the stories in his masterpiece Dubliners， portraits a little boys experience from the beginning infatuation with his friend Mangans sister to the final visit to Araby， a bazaar which marks the broken of his romantic illusion. In the present thesis， the author is going to investigate Araby through New Criticism approach and emphasis are put on analyzing symbols. Symbolic imagery is rich in “Araby” and what seemingly ordinary images containing profound symbolic significance. Through the analysis of the symbolic meanings in characters， settings， and objects， as well as their stylistic effects， readers are able to have a better understanding of the subjects significance and artistic value.

【Key words】New Criticism； Symbolism； settings； characters； objects

New Criticism is a type of formalist literary criticism which emphasizes a close reading of the text itself and especially appreciate the use of literary devices to analyze the text. While symbolism refers to the use of one object or event to signify something else.

1. Symbolism of Settings in “Araby”

The beginning of the story is the introduction of the narrators living environment， a “blind” and quiet street. Here， “blind” refers to the blind alley， a path that suddenly stops. The inhabited houses “stood at the blind end”. The symbolic meaning of the blind street implicates that boys way to romance will finally turn to hopeless. Houses are detached from their neighbors， which vividly reflect the inanimate atmosphere of Dublin and the paralyzed condition of people. Thus， the settings create a dull and gloomy tone for the development of the story. This can partly account for the boys eagerness to the eastern bazaar where he expects that he would encounter some amazing experience that would lift him above his ordinary life.

Darkness is the next symbol presented throughout the story. The weather fall dusk before dinner， the narrator and his friends play in the dark muddy lanes， run through the dark dripping gardens and to the dark odorous stables. Even finally， when he hurriedly arrived at his dreamy bazaar， what he saw were the dark hall， the dark entrance. These gloomy settings are not only the vivid reflection of the dull and boring life the boy leads， but also implies the broken of his dream.

2. Symbolism of Objects in “Araby”

First of all， the title “Araby”， name of the bazaar， implies a profound symbolic meaning. “Araby，” indicating the infinite charm of the exotic oriental world， is the boys dreaming place where he hopes to purchase a gift for Mangans sister. Araby “cast an Eastern enchantment over me”（Joyce 3）. However， trivial realities，such as the dull schoolwork， his uncles lateness， and even the slow trains ruin his plan which ultimately went up in smoke. When he arrives at the bazaar， the only things he encounters are darkness and the gossiping of the women. He finds nothing exotic； no gift worthy of buying. Araby， instead of a land of romance and beauty away from the mundane life， turns out to be a place full of vanity. This shows that the title “Araby” has actually revealed the gist of the whole story. After reading the whole story and returning to the subject， we can gain a deeper understanding of the profound meaning that the author wants to express.

3. Symbolism of Characters in “Araby”

Mangans sister is one of the major symbols in the novel. She is the idol in the boys heart， yet her name is not mentioned. Besides， we notice that the little boy seems quite satisfied to watch Mangans sister from his parlor window： “Some distant lamp or lighted window gleamed below me. I was thankful that I could see so little.” He “hides” blind to prevent her from seeing him， which reveals his shyness. In addition， the boy dose not konw why his eyes are often full of tears when thinking of her and why he is attracted by the girl. When finally gets a chance to talk with her， he is too confused and dose not know how to answer. These imply the boys dream will never become true， for he only keeps it in his deep heart and never express it out. These points suggest the boys adoration is just a childish dream which is superficial without any profound thinking.

Conclusion

The paper applies methods of New Criticism to analyze literature works. Symbol is a systematic approach with solid theoretical background and can lead us to discover those subtle points of aesthetic value. As is said， “It is a common experience to fell that an author writes well， without being able to lay ones finger on the reasons”（Geoffery Leech， and Michael Short 27）. Through the analysis of the symbolic meanings in characters， settings， and objects， it is proved that Joyce adopts rich symbolic elements in story and， more importantly， these symbols are carefully crafted to serve for the overall theme in Araby. The findings of the study show that in Araby， even a tiny object could carry rich symbolic meaning.

References：

[1]Beck，Warren.Joyces Dubliners.Duke University Press.1969.

[2]Geoffery Leech，and Michael Short，Style in Fiction（London and New York：Longman Group Limited）.