James Joyce: Araby; practice & quiz – Flashcards
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Which type of irony is represented by the boy's disillusionment at the bazaar?
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Ironic contrast between romance and reality
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Which statement best summarizes the story?
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Dreams often end in disillusionment.
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In contrast to the boy who is the main character, the narrator of "Araby" —
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is older
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For the boy in the story, his epiphany brings him —
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the knowledge that his desires have been vain and foolish
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In this story the word Araby refers primarily to a —
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fair or bazaar
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The story is narrated by —
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the main character later in his life
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What does the boy in "Araby" feel when he hears his uncle talking to himself?
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anxiety
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Which detail in this passage from "Araby" is the strongest indicator of the boy's inner feelings? I found myself in a big hall girdled at half its height by a gallery. Nearly all the stalls were closed and the greater part of the hall was in darkness.
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the hall's darkness
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The boy's experience at the stall of the young lady adds to the story because the incident —
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characterizes the bazaar as drab, seedy, and ordinary
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What does this passage from "Araby" reveal about the boy's uncle? I heard him talking to himself and heard the hallstand rocking when it had received the weight of his overcoat. I could interpret these signs.
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he is drunk
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Explain how Joyce uses irony to heighten the epiphany in this story. Cite details from the text to support your ideas.
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Students' responses will vary. A sample response follows: Joyce's story deals with an action that has been thwarted. Both in its form and in many of its details, "Araby" is ironic. The main character fails to reach the goal he has been struggling to attain and, in the end, becomes a completely different person than who he thought he was. This realization is an example of situational irony, but it also forms the basis of the story's epiphany. Another example of irony from the story is the discrepancy between the narrator's romantic view and reality. For instance, the magical Araby turns out to be just a tawdry bazaar.
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In literature, the term epiphany refers to __________.
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a moment of sudden insight
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In "Araby," Joyce describes the setting of the story in great detail. In an essay, examine how the setting of the story reflects the emotional condition of the narrator.
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Responses should indicate that the setting is a cold and poorly lit neighborhood. The grayness of the neighborhood contrasts directly with the passionate feeling that the narrator has for the girl. The darkness of the empty bazaar at the end of the story reflects the narrator's anger at how foolishly he behaved for an unrequited love.
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"Araby" examines how a young boy's crush on a neighborhood girl affects his daily life. In a brief essay, explain how the narrator's fantasies about Mangan's sister serve to heighten his anger at the end of the story.
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The narrator dreams that he and the girl share a walk through the market and that he is a hero of sorts to her. His desire for the girl makes him emotionally vulnerable, which is why he offered to buy the girl something from the bazaar. When he was unable to purchase the gift, he realizes the futility of his daydreams, because they were turned into a reality.
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After the narrator speaks to Mangan's sister about the bazaar, he tells her that if he goes to Araby, he will bring a gift for her. How does the narrator's behavior at home and in school show how this decision has affected him? Cite one or two examples from "Araby" to support your response.
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Sample answer: The narrator is distracted by his promise to the girl. He cannot concentrate on his schoolwork and is restless at home.
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Choose the word that is most opposite in meaning to imperturbable in the following sentence. Explain why the answer you chose is correct. The other houses of the street, conscious of decent lives within them, gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces.
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c, Explanation: Houses cannot show emotions.
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When the narrator in "Araby" reaches the bazaar, he finds that many of the stalls are closed, and there is little from which to choose as a gift for Mangan's sister. This discovery leads him to an eqiphany. Choose the answer which best sums up the realization he has at the end of the story. Explain your answer choice. a. The futility of finding a gift parallels the futility of winning the girl's affection. b. Because there were no gifts to purchase, the narrator feels that he has missed his chance to impress the girl. c. The offhanded treatment of the narrator by the salesgirl offends the narrator. d. The narrator is annoyed that he didn't have more time to look for a gift.
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a, Explanation: The narrator realizes that a mere gift will not win the affections of this girl and his romantic visions of her make him feel frustrated.
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In "Araby," the narrator has a crush on Mangan's sister. How does the narrator's act of watching this girl leave her house help you to realize how much he likes her?
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Sample answer: The narrator watches the girl leave her house every day from the floor of his front parlor, so that he may observe her actions without her knowledge. He looks forward to watching her leave every morning.
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The story takes place —
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in Dublin, Ireland about a hundred years ago
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At the end of "Araby," the boy experiences anger and sadness because his epiphany reveals that
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he will never be able to satisfy his desires
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The emotion that the boy does not feel at the end of the story is —
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jealousy
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Which of the boy's feelings or thoughts is ironic?
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He thinks of the package in his arms as a sacred chalice.
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The boy learns all of the following truths except that —
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Mangan's sister has feelings for him, too
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The boy's desperation about going to the bazaar is heightened when the —
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uncle comes home late and the trains move slowly
