surprising and puzzling. The statement that perhaps gives us the most

insight into the narrator's thoughts and feelings is found at the end of

the story. "Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven

and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger. (32)" By

breaking this statement into small pieces and key words, we can see it as a

summation of the story's major themes.

At this point in the story, many emotions are swirling about in the

narrator's head. His trip to the bazaar has been largely unsuccessful. He

was late arriving, was unable to find a gift for Mangan's sister, felt

scorned by the merchants, and suddenly found himself in a dark room. These

surroundings left him feeling both derided, and with a sense that this

eagerly anticipated trip had been in vain.

fact that something that he devoted all his "waking and sleeping thoughts"

vanity. His reflections of the "charitable" life of the priest who

his fists and feel bitter. His uncle's late arrival home also added to the

to could turn out so foolish and ridiculous.

surroundings he faces leaves him with a painful empty feeling many adults

The last sentence of the story contains four words that deal with

Some topics in this essay:
, mangan's sister, anguish anger, derided vanity, driven derided vanity, narrator comes, narrator feel, driven derided, narrator's feelings, gazing darkness,