The experience of the boy in James Joyce’s “Araby” illustrates how people often expect more than everyday reality can provide and upon that realization, they often feel disillusioned and disappointed. By using dark and obscure references, Joyce gives a more vivid picture of the boy's reality of living in the gloomy town of “Araby.” He uses dark and gloomy references to create the mood or atmosphere, and then transitions to bright light references when discussing Mangan's sister, his fantasy love. The story is told through the eyes of the boy who is, in the beginning, young and nave and stuck in a world of darkness with only the light of Mangan’s sister to give him a sense of joy. In "Araby" Joyce uses the images of light and dark to show how a young boy must confront reality. More importantly, Joyce uses light and dark in such a way that the darkness represents reality and the light represents fantasy.Throughout the story, darkness is used as the prevailing theme. James Joyce’s story begins at dusk, “when the short days of winter came dusk fell before we had eaten our dinners” (Joyce, 15) and continues through the evening, “I passed out on to he road and saw by the lighted dial of the clock that it was ten minutes to ten” (Joyce, 18). When Joyce describes the boys “career of play” (Joyce, 15), he uses descriptions such as: “dark muddy lanes…dark dripping gardens…dark odorous stables” (Joyce, 15). These are descriptions of how the boy’s life really was, the reality of his life consisted of playing in dark and depressing streets. He uses such a dark and gloomy setting to be the young boys home because he wants the reader to see what a dull and boring life the boy leads. Though there is some mention of daytime “Araby,” Joyce usually reserves the reference of light for whenever the boy sees Mangan’s siste...
