The boy in James Joyce’s short story “Araby” is characterized in a number of ways, including the following:
- He has a growing appreciation of feminine beauty, as when he says of Mangan’s sister
I stood by the railings looking at her. Her dress swung as she moved her body, and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side.
- He becomes increasingly obsessed with Mangan’s sister, as when he reports that “Every morning I lay on the floor in the front parlour watching her door.”
- He is a bit shy or embarrassed about his obsession, as when he notes that “The blind was pulled down to within an inch of the sash so that I could not be seen.”
- He is emotionally stimulated by Mangan’s sister, as when he reports that “When she came out on the doorstep my heart leaped.” She becomes the focus of his life.
- He feels awkward and self-judgmental when contemplating his feelings about Mangan’s sister, as when he characterizes himself as “foolish.”
- He thinks and feels like a Romantic...
(The entire section contains 610 words.)
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