JamesJoyceAraby人物及背景分析.docx

JamesJoyceAraby人物及背景分析.docx

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JamesJoyceAraby人物及背景分析

James-Joyce-Araby---人物及背景分析

"Araby"

BackgroundsIntroduction

Ireland'smajorreligion,RomanCatholicism,dominatedIrishculture,asitcontinuestodotodayalthoughtoalesserextent.ManyfamiliessenttheirchildrentoschoolsrunbyJesuitpriests（liketheonethenarratorinattends）andconventschoolsrunbynuns（liketheoneMangan'ssisterattends）.CatholicismisoftenseenasasourceofthefrequentconflictinIrishculturebetweensensualityandasceticism,aconflictthatfiguresprominentlyinJoyce'sautobiographicalnovelAPortraitoftheArtistasaYoungMan.Inmanyways,Catholicism,particularlyaspracticedattheturnofthecentury,wasanextremelysensuousreligion,emphasizingintensepersonalspiritualexperienceandsurroundingitselfwithsuchrichtrappingsasbeautifulchurches,elegantpaintingsandstatues,otherworldlymusic,andsumptuousvestmentsandaltardecorations.Ontheotherhand,theChurch'sofficialattitude

confrontedwiththetawdrinessofashopgirl'sflirtationatthebazaar,heabruptlydismissesallhisfeelingsasmere"vanity."

Introductionofthestoryandtheauthor

"Araby"isoneoffifteenshortstoriesthattogethermakeupJamesJoyce'scollection,Dubliners.AlthoughJoycewrotethestoriesbetween1904and1906,theywerenotpublisheduntil1914.DublinerspaintsaportraitoflifeinDublin,Ireland,attheturnofthe20thcentury.Itsstoriesarearrangedinanorderreflectingthedevelopmentofachildintoagrownman.Thefirstthreestoriesaretoldfromthepointofviewofayoungboy,thenextthreefromthepointofviewofanadolescent,andsoon."Araby"isthelaststoryofthefirstset,andistoldfromtheperspectiveofaboyjustonthevergeofadolescence.ThestorytakesitstitlefromarealfestivalwhichcametoDublinin1894whenJoycewastwelveyearsold.

JoyceisoneofthemostfamouswritersoftheModernistperiodofliterature,whichrunsroughlyfrom1900totheendofWorldWarII.Modernistworksoftenincludecharacterswhoarespirituallylostandthemesthatreflectacynicismtowardinstitutionsthewriterhadbeentaughttorespect,suchasgovernmentandreligion.Muchoftheliteratureofthisperiodisexperimental;Joyce'swritingreflectsthisintheuseofdashesinsteadofquotationmarkstoindicatethatacharacterisspeaking.

JoycehadaverydifficulttimegettingDublinerspublished.Ittookhimovertenyearstofindapublisherwhowaswillingtoriskpublishingthestoriesbecauseoftheirunconventionalstyleandthemes.Oncehefoundapublisher,hefoughtveryhardwiththeeditorstokeepthestoriesthewayhehadwrittenthem.Yearslater,thesestoriesareheraldednotonlyfortheirportrayaloflifeinDublinattheturnofthecentury,butalsoasthebeginningofthecareerofoneofthemostbrilliantEnglish-languagewritersofthetwentiethcentury.

Plot

"Araby"opensonNorthRichmondstreetinDublin,where"anuninhabitedhouseoftwostoreysstoodattheblindend,detachedfromitsneighboursinasquareground."Thenarrator,whoremainsunnamedthroughoutthestory,liveswithhisauntanduncle.Hedescribeshisblock,thendiscussestheformertenantwholivedinhishouse:

apriestwhorecentlydiedinthebackroom.Thispriesthasalibrarythatattractstheyoungnarrator,andheisparticularlyinterestedinthreetitles:

aSirWalterScottromance,areligioustract,andapoliceagent'smemoirs.

Thenarratortalksaboutbeingapartofthegroupofboyswhoplayinthestreet.HethenintroducesMangan'ssister,agirlwhocaptivateshisimaginationeventhoughherarely,ifever,speakswithher.Hedoesstareatherfromhiswindowandfollowheronthestreet,however,oftenthinkingofher"eveninplacesthemosthostiletoromance."WhileinthemarketplaceonSaturdaynights,forexample,heusesherimagetoguidehimthroughthethrongingcrowdwhoyelltheirsalespitchesandsingpatrioticIrishballads.Hebecomesmisty-eyedjustatthethoughtofherandretreatstothepriest'sdarkroominordertodeprivehimselfofothersensesandthinkonlyofher.

Finally,Mangan'ssisterspeakstohim.Sheasksifhewillbeattendingachurch-sponsoredfairthatiscomingsoontoDublin--abazaarcalled"Araby."Heistongue-tiedandcannotanswer,butwhenshetellshimthatshecannotgobecauseofaretreatthatweekinherconvent,hepromisestogoandbringheragiftfromthebazaar.Fromthenonhecanonlythinkofthetimewhenhewillbeatthefair;heishauntedby"thesyllablesofthewordAraby."Onthenightheissupposedtoattendthefair,hisuncleislatereturninghomeandhemustwaittogetmoneyfromhim.Hegetsveryanxious,andhisaunttellshimthathemayhavetomissthebazaar,buthisuncledoescomehome,apologeticthathehadforgotten.Afteraskingtheboyifheknowsapoementitled"TheArab'sFarewelltoHisSteed,"theunclebidstheboyfarewell.

Theboytakesacoinfromhisuncleandcatchesatraintothefair.Arabyisclosingdownashearrivesandhetimidlywalksthroughthecenterofthebazaar.Ashelooksatthefewstallsthatarestillopen,heoverhearsaconversationbetweenanEnglishshop-girlandtwoyoungmen.Theirtalkisnothingbutidlegossip.Theshop-girlpausesreluctantlytoasktheboyifhewishestobuyanything,buthedeclines.Ashewalksslowlyoutofthehallamidthedarkeningofthelights,hethinksthatheisa"creaturedrivenandderidedbyvanity"andhis"eyesburnedwithanguishandanger."

Characters

Narrator:

Thenarratorofthisstoryisayoung,sensitiveboywhoconfusesaromanticcrushandreligiousenthusiasm.Alloftheconflictinthisstoryhappensinsidehismind.Itisunlikelythattheobjectofhiscrush,Mangan'ssister,isawareofhisfeelingsforher,norisanybodyelseinthisboy'ssmallworld.Becausetheboy'sthoughtsonlyrevealapartofthestory,acarefulreadermustputtogethercluesthattheauthorgives.Forexample,thenarratormentionsthattheformertenantofthehouseheshareswithhisauntandunclewasapriest,arepresentativeoftheCatholicchurch,wholeftbehindthreebookswhichbecameimportanttothenarrator.OneisaromanticadventurebySirWalterScott;oneisareligiouspamphletwrittenbyaProtestant;andthethirdistheexcitingmemoirsofaFrenchpolicemanandmasterofdisguise.ThesethreebooksarenotwhatapersonwouldexpectaCatholicpriesttohaveinhislibrary.Soifthispriesthasnon-religiousliteratureinhislibrary,thenhowdevoutcananaveragechurch-goerbeexpectedtobe?

Thisturnsouttobethecaseforthenarrator,whoconfusesreligiousidealismwithromance.

Theboyconfusesthereligiousandsecularworldswhenhedescribeshimselfatthemarketwithhisaunt.Hebearsthechalice--theCommunioncup--througha"throngoffoes."HealsodescribesMangan'ssisterintermsoftenassociatedwiththeVirginMary.Forthenarrator,then,anordinarygrocery-shoppingtripbecomesareligiouscrusade,andaprettygirldownthestreetbecomesasubstitutefortheMotherofGod.TheboyfusestogetherreligiousdevotionfortheVirginMarywithhisownromanticlonging.

Joyceisfamousforcreatingcharacterswhoundergoanepiphany--asuddenmomentofinsight--andthenarratorof"Araby"isoneofhisbestexamples.Attheendofthestory,theboyoverhearsatriteconversationbetweenanEnglishgirlworkingatthebazaarandtwoyoungmen,andhesuddenlyrealizesthathehasbeenconfusingthings.Itdawnsonhimthatthebazaar,whichhethoughtwouldbesoexoticandexciting,isreallyonlyacommercializedplacetobuythings.Furthermore,henowrealizesthatMangan'ssisterisjustagirlwhowillnotcarewhetherhefulfillshispromisetobuyhersomethingatthebazaar.HisconversationwithMangan'ssister,duringwhichhepromisedhewouldbuyhersomething,wasreallyonlysmalltalk--asmeaninglessastheonebetweentheEnglishgirlandhercompanions.HeleavesArabyfeelingashamedandupset.Thisepiphanysignalsachangeinthenarrator--fromaninnocent,idealisticboytoanadolescentdealingwithharshrealities.

Mangan'sSister:

Manganisoneofthenarrator'schumswholivesdownthestreet.Hisoldersisterbecomestheobjectofthenarrator'sschoolboycrush.Mangan'ssisterhasnoideahowthenarratorfeelsabouther,however,sowhentheydiscuss"Araby,"thebazaarcomingtotown,sheisonlybeingpoliteandfriendly.Shesaysshewouldliketogotothebazaarbutcannotbecauseshehastoattendaschoolretreatthatweekend.Thenarratorpromisestobuyhersomethingatthebazaarifhegoes,butitisunlikelythatshetakesthispromiseseriously.Whileontheonehandthenarratordescribesherromantically,healsodescribesherinreverentialtermswhichcalltomindtheVirginMary.ThisdualimagedescriptionofMangan'ssisterrepresentsthereligiousandromanticconfusionofthenarrator.

Mangan:

ManganisthesameageandinthesameclassattheChristianBrothersschoolasthenarrator,andsoheandthenarratoroftenplaytogetherafterschool.Hisoldersisteristheobjectofthenarrator'sconfusedfeelings.

Narrator'sAunt:

Thenarrator'saunt,whoisamotherfigureinthestory,takesthenarratorwithhertodothemarketing.Whenitseemsasthoughtheunclehasforgottenhispromisetothenarratorthathecouldgotothebazaar,shewarnstheboythathemayhaveto"putoff"thebazaar"forthisnightofOurLord."Whilethisstatementmakesherseemstrictinareligioussense,shealsoexhibitsempathyfortheboy'splight.Shepleadshiscasewhentheuncleforgetsabouttheboy'splanstogotoAraby.

Narrator'sUncle:

Thenarrator'suncleseems