Araby is an exciting and richly-layered story by James Joyce, first published in 1914 It is told through the eyes of an unnamed narrator, a young boy living in Dublin, and centres around his quest for a special item in a bazaar call the "Araby."
The story of Araby is full of symbolism and richly evokes the narrator's yearnings for the exotic in both his religious and worldly life. It is a story of innocence intertwined with the corruption of love and life. The themes of identity, human connection, spiritual awareness and the corrupting power of desire are all explored in this powerful and engaging story.
The following are five great ideas for Araby essay topics:
1. Examine the role of the Church in the narrator’s story, and its influence on his understanding of his own spirituality.
2. Discuss the themes of identity, how they are portrayed in the story, and how they affect the narrator.
3. Analyse the various motifs of the Araby bazaar, and reflect on how they represent the corrupting power of desire.
4. Explore the theme of human connection and its relevance in the story.
5. Consider the significance of the journey to the Araby bazaar, and what it symbolises in terms of the narrator’s coming of age.