I really enjoyed reading the two chapters in Dubliners, written by James Joyce. The way he writes gave me at times, the feeling of being there with the character. His use of descriptive details gave me a way of "seeing" the two stories, instead of just being told in the narrative. Initially, the vocabulary took some time to get used to, but eventually I was able to go with the flow.
The chapter entitled An Encounter, is the story of two boys playing hooky from school who unknowingly took me along with them for the adventure. I love the way James uses rich details describing the beautiful surroundings as the narrator waits for his friends to join him for their adventure to Pigeon House. Joyce narrates, "All the branches of the tall trees which lined the mall were gay with little light green leaves and the sunlight slanted through them on to the water." Joyce's use of alliteration was not lost on me as a writer. I thought this passage was as beautiful as the surroundings. I did get a creepy sensation when the lone man decided to hang with the boys. At first I thought he was blind die to the stick references going tap, tap, tap. It took me awhile to decide that he wasn't. Why was he so nice to them, coaxing them for information about sweethearts, then sound sinister when alone with the narrator as Mahoney chased the cat. I think in the end, the boys realized that this adventure was not such a hot idea after all. It wasn't as fun as it was supposed to be.
For me, Araby tells the story of unrequited love. It's the kind of schoolboy crush that at the time, seems like true love in its splendor. The main character watches and waits for Mangan's sister to come into view. He watches her from his home, admiring her from afar. I like the way Joyce describes her when the narrator and Mangan saw her on the step at night.. "Her dress swung as she moved her body and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side." Isn't that lovely? I never thought of my own long hair as soft rope. He is smitten, thinks about her all the time,and often wonders what he would even say to her should she speak to him. I felt very involved in this story, identifying with the narrator and feeling his pain. When she does finally speak to him in the back drawing room, they speak of Araby and the bazaar. The narrator decides to go since she can't, and he will buy her something. Alas, unrequited love is frustrating for a reason. For when the narrator reaches the bazaar it's closing and there's nothing left worth buying. I feel for him at this moment because I have felt this way at times with crushes when I was younger. You want to come up with something to impress the other person, and when you come up empty handed, it's crushing.
The chapter entitled An Encounter, is the story of two boys playing hooky from school who unknowingly took me along with them for the adventure. I love the way James uses rich details describing the beautiful surroundings as the narrator waits for his friends to join him for their adventure to Pigeon House. Joyce narrates, "All the branches of the tall trees which lined the mall were gay with little light green leaves and the sunlight slanted through them on to the water." Joyce's use of alliteration was not lost on me as a writer. I thought this passage was as beautiful as the surroundings. I did get a creepy sensation when the lone man decided to hang with the boys. At first I thought he was blind die to the stick references going tap, tap, tap. It took me awhile to decide that he wasn't. Why was he so nice to them, coaxing them for information about sweethearts, then sound sinister when alone with the narrator as Mahoney chased the cat. I think in the end, the boys realized that this adventure was not such a hot idea after all. It wasn't as fun as it was supposed to be.
For me, Araby tells the story of unrequited love. It's the kind of schoolboy crush that at the time, seems like true love in its splendor. The main character watches and waits for Mangan's sister to come into view. He watches her from his home, admiring her from afar. I like the way Joyce describes her when the narrator and Mangan saw her on the step at night.. "Her dress swung as she moved her body and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side." Isn't that lovely? I never thought of my own long hair as soft rope. He is smitten, thinks about her all the time,and often wonders what he would even say to her should she speak to him. I felt very involved in this story, identifying with the narrator and feeling his pain. When she does finally speak to him in the back drawing room, they speak of Araby and the bazaar. The narrator decides to go since she can't, and he will buy her something. Alas, unrequited love is frustrating for a reason. For when the narrator reaches the bazaar it's closing and there's nothing left worth buying. I feel for him at this moment because I have felt this way at times with crushes when I was younger. You want to come up with something to impress the other person, and when you come up empty handed, it's crushing.
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