Joyce’s main character, a young boy, experiences two quests. One in which he is in search of a young lady’s love, and the other a gift for her. These two quests intertwine; yet both fulfill the provisions of a quest in its entirety.

As the story begins, the reader learns of the young boy’s daily rituals. “When we returned to the street light from the kitchen windows had filled the areas. If my uncle was seen turning the corner we hid in the shadow until we had seen him safely housed. Or if Mangan’s sister came out on the doorstep to call her brother into his tea we watched her from our shadow and walked up to Mangan’s steps resignedly. She was waiting for us, her figure defined by the light from the half-opened door. Her brother always teased her before he obeyed and I stood by the railings looking at her.

As people today often do, the young boy realizes that his quest was nonsense and not worth the effort. Through his quotation, “I saw myself as creature driven and derided by vanity,” (Page 961) the reader knows he has learned a lesson. James Joyce’s work “Araby” is an influential and inspiring literary work to many readers of today’s society.

During the quest for the gift, the boy encounters many hardships; the first being his uncle. “On Saturday morning I reminded my uncle that I wished to go to the bazaar in the evening…When I came home from dinner my uncle had not yet been home.” (Page 960) Since his uncle is not home yet, the boy must wait in order to collect money. The waiting boosts his boredom, and becomes a minor hardship he must overcome. “I sat staring at the clock for some time and, when its ticking began to irritate me, I left the room. I mounted the staircase and gained the upper part of the house. The high cold empty gloomy rooms liberated me and I went from room to room singing.” (Page 960) His uncle finally returns home. “At nine o’clock I heard my uncle’s latchkey in the halldoor. I heard him talking to himself and heard the hallstand rocking when it had received the weight of his overcoat...When he was mid

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