Any literary work can be analyzed from various perspectives. Some scholars prefer to analyze language and lexicological devices of a text; others concentrate on the plot. There are also those who would prefer to study author’s biography and implications of personal life on a literary work. Although all mentioned above approaches to study of a literary work are correct and might help to unravel the hidden meaning of the text and true intentions of the author, there are also those cases when application of those techniques might not be enough for a comprehension of the literary work. Sometimes, in order to understand the author and his work, it is crucial to comprehend socio-political environment and political events influencing his life and creativity. This is particularly crucial when the issue refers to authors belonging to transitional societies or times of crucial changes. One of such cases is James Joyce and his short story “Araby”. In order to illuminate the hidden meaning of his work and emphasize specific message Joyce was sending to his audience, this literary work is analyzed in the framework of Irish-English political relationship contemporary to Joyce and time when the work was written. The central thesis of this paper is that, in this literary work, Joyce depicted the idealistic spirit of Irish independence from England, opposed by the reality of Irish society. In the next paragraphs this statement is proved by specific arguments and quotations from the text of the short-story.
First of all, the motive of freedom and release are given in the first sentence of the story, describing the street as “being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brother’s School set the boys free” shows the image of freedom and youth (Joyce 154). In this context, the image can be transferred to the political situation in Ireland, in the late 19th century, and its desire to become independent from England. The school embodies an institute of elder teachers telling children what to do and how to behave, but sooner or later they will have to set those children free (Garrett 25). Particular feature is that the adjective “free” is contrasted with two other adjectives in the sentence – “blind” and “quiet”. The adjective “quiet” describes the way things were before children’s setting free (Spinks 87). Although, in the old times, there was no autonomy, the traditional order was present. On the other hand, the road of freedom is a “blind” path and no one knows where it will bring those children and Ireland (Spinks 89).
The spirit of freedom and Irish independence are embodied in the young boy and his beloved mistress. The reason why exactly a young boy, actually a child, was chosen as an embodiment of Irish fighter for his country’s independence was that altruists struggling for freedom were as naïve as the boy in his perception of life and affection for his mistress (Attridge 49). He was so shy, he could not even speak to her, “and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood” (Joyce 156). Just as the boy, young fighters for the Irish Home Rule were far from comprehension of what exactly they wanted, how to achieve their goal and what to do with it afterwards. Irish youth, contemporary to Joyce, was energized by the idea of freedom, but was foolish and charmed by the ideal (Atherton 75).
On the other hand, the image of freedom was helping this youth to withstand pressure of the surrounding environment and go through hardships of Dublin’s life and Irish political environment in general. Joyce writes that “her image accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance” (Joyce 156). During his youth and writing of this work, the topic of Irish Home Rule was prevailing in all aspects of Irish life and was promoted mainly by young, educated people from the University College Dublin, where Joyce studied (Atherton 79). The altruism of young fighters for independence was as passionate and naïve as a first love described in the story. Their intentions were right and noble, but reality was entirely different (Spinks 92).
The Irish political reality was far from naïve perception of ideal independence from England. The country itself was in turmoil between the inner forces of nationalists and unionists. Adoption of the Local Government Act 1898 had abandoned the power of landlords over the local territories, which contributed to spreading of public control over local affairs (Attridge, 42). In its turn, this act was seen as an opportunity for further autonomy and even independence from England. Although most of youth and nationalist free-thinkers of Catholic, agrarian background were greeting this opportunity, there were also those who opposed the whole idea. Unionists were represented by Northeastern, Protestant industrialists, who were afraid to lose their property in case of Irish Home Rule proclamation. In this context, position of nationalists was to return their dignity and rights for the land of their ancestors. So, their interests were inevitably clashing with those of unionists (Garrett 34).
Taking into consideration the complexity of Irish political situation, Joyce suggests that the idea of freedom was helping young people to survive the hardships of the everyday life. Just as young boy, nationalists were driven by their idea of fair mistress “Independence” that helped them: “to walk through flaring streets, jostled by drunken men and bargaining women, amid curses of labourers, the nasal chanting of street singers, who sang ballad about the troubles I pour native land.” (Joyce 156). The described picture shows inconsistency between the rebellious sprit of young nationalists and poor, degraded reality of Irish city life (Spinks 77). In this context, the nationalist altruism and idealistic perception of freedom had nothing in common with the real problems of Dublin and Ireland in general. In this context, Joyce suggests that although the idea of independence was as sweet as the first love of a young boy, its ability to survive life cruelty was very small. Sooner or later Irish people had to face the actual reality that they had to learn how to arrange their country first and then fight for its independence as a united front (Garrett 32). Otherwise, those fighters for freedom had to keep their precious idea hidden from the crowd of their society, who did not understand them and all the fuss about the issue. Just as the boy, they bore their “chalice safely through a throng of foes” (Joyce 157).
In this short story, Joyce also depicted the anxiety of young fighters towards achieving their goal. Since they knew what they wanted, they just could not wait for politicians to settle down administrative regulations and let the “children free” (Spinks 69). The part when the young boy is waiting for his uncle’s permission to go to bazaar and buy a gift for his mistress is particularly reflective of the Irish political reality concerning independence. People were waiting for each new Home Rule Bill to be adopted, having the last one in 1912, but as it turned to be the political reality was different than their perception of it (Garrett 45). Just as the boy was surprised that his uncle had forgotten about such important event in his life, Irish nationalists were surprised that adoption of the Third Home Rule by Irish government had no actual impact on the country (when the story was written, UK Parliament had not yet passed the Bill, so no actual implications followed) (Attridge, 54).
The culmination of the story was a complete disappointment of reality. Just as the boy understood the cruel reality of his poor and unfavorable position in his own society, so did those altruists who wanted to see their country independent from the foreign influence (Garrett 42). In this context, Joyce suggested that those who had power and certain status in Irish-English relations, like top politicians and heads of the states, had their own affairs and interests to deal with except for desire of some youth to gain freedom for their country. Just as the lady asking for the boy’s interest in her products, UK was inquiring about Irish perception of its independence (Spinks 83). UK was reluctant to ask for Irish thought of independence and did that rather dutifully, out of royal politeness rather due to actual intention to listen or give what was asked for. In this context, English manner of behavior was entirely embodied in the sales lady. In fact, Joyce had even emphasized that she had English accent and “the tone of her voice was not encouraging; she seemed to have spoken to me out of sense of duty” (Joyce 160). In fact, this manner of addressing Irish question and its treatment in the UK Parliament indeed looked like a Royal duty and certain courtesy than a fulfillment of the just demand (Garrett 45).
The boy’s comprehension of inconsistency between his dreams and cruelty of reality had entirely corresponded to the mood and state of mind of Irish nationalists after adoption of the Third Home Rule in Ireland and its deadlock in UK Parliament. Just as young boy, “gazing up into the darkness [they saw themselves] as a creature driven and derive by vanity; and [their] eyes burned with anguish and anger” (Joyce 160). In the last sentence, Joyce had depicted the failure of the ideal freedom to overcome the cruelty of Irish reality and disparity in Irish-English political relationship.
Overall, it can be concluded that taking into account political dimension of Irish-English relationship in the time contemporary to Joyce, the short story “Araby” gains entirely new angle for interpretation and illumination of its hidden meaning. In this context, Joyce showed the inconsistency between Irish youth’s struggle for complete independence from UK and the cruel socio-political reality both inside and outside the country. In this context, Joyce’s message to the audience is that Irish society was not mature and unified in order to get its complete independence from UK. From the present perspective, we may add that if Irish society was unified in the end of 19th - beginning of 20th century, it could have achieved full independence from UK and the problem of the Northern Ireland would have never occurred. On the other hand, in order to chive this, Irish society was supposed to be more enlightened and inspiring about its freedom. As the story and real history prove, society cannot develop in the same way as its most intelligent individuals. Unfortunately that is a universal truth.
Works Cited
Atherton, J.S. “Araby”. James Joyce’s Dubliners. New York, NY: The Viking Press, 1969.
Print.
Attridge, D. The Cambridge companion to James Joyce. Cambridge, CA: Cambridge
University Press. 2004. Print.
Garrett, P.K. (Ed.). Twentieth Century Interpretations of Dubliners: A Collection of Critical
Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1968. Print.
Joyce, J. “Araby”. The Seagull Reader: Literature. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York, NY: W.W.
Norton & Company. 2005. 154-160. Print.
Spinks, L. James Joyce: a critical guide. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 2009. Print.
