A Defeated Desire (Araby)

 Araby first seems like a realistic, short story about a boy loving a girl. Very normal to have feelings towards a girl, and again very normal to accept a request from the girl. In Araby, the nameless narrator falls in love with his friend's sister (Mangan's sister). The narrator keeps thinking of his love, every moment falling even more towards Mangan's sister. The narrator finally gets to talk with his love, and knowing the fact that Mangan's sister could not go to Araby, promises her that he will go and get a gift for her.

 Most stories, following The Hero's Journey, will kick in an obstacle that disturbs the protagonist from achieving his/her dream, but in the end, the protagonist will succeed in achieving his/her goal. Araby, However, is different since the narrator fails to overcome the obstacle that awaited him. The two obstacles, first the narrator's uncle, second, the woman and two men the narrator meets at Araby. 

 The narrator is thoughtful, waiting for his hard-working uncle even though his uncle is late, forgetting the promise. Perhaps it was because of his thoughtfulness that the narrator wasn't able to muster up his 'positiveness' to get over the second obstacle. After all, the narrator could have gone through more than one booths, many of which would have greeted their customers with more delight. If the narrator had a pleasant experience in Araby, would the ending have been different? If the narrator realized Araby was just as good as he had imagined, would he have been angry at himself, at his friend's sister, at everything? No. The narrator's dreams of the girl would not have died.

 I believe Araby may make some readers disappointed. I for one was disappointed that the narrator let his hopes down for the girl just like that. Of course, since the girl was preparing to become a nun, it was something that would have come anyway. However, a story is a story. I like a story that gives me vicarious satisfaction. I have never expressed my feelings towards a girl my whole life. I would have been more immersed in the story if the narrator got confident enough to confess his love towards Mangan's sister. The story did end rather passionlessly realistic since many people figure out the person he/she loves cannot be together, but it doesn't change my thoughts of how the ending should have been.