“Araby” and “Eveline”
James Joyce

 1882-1941
 Born in Dublin,
Ireland
 Writer of great
importance
 First major work is
Dubliners
James Joyce

 Published in 1914
 Collection of
short stories
about life in
Dublin
 Includes “Araby”
and “Eveline”
James Joyce

Major Themes






Paralysis
Isolation
Poverty
Longing for Escape
Religion
Epiphany
“Araby”

1. How would you describe the narrator as a character?
What word or words describe him well? Why?
from Rambo’s Angels:
The narrator is a young boy who comes across as fairly
bored throughout the day. An indication of this is that
he follows a random young, beautiful girl during the
day.
“Araby”

2. How would you describe the setting, or the
environment, of the story? What does this setting
contribute to the story?
from Sloth:
The setting or environment seems dark. I think it
contributes to the story by the coming of age and the
boy realizing Araby was not what he expected, kind of
having his dreams crushed.
“Araby”

3. Identify at least one thing in the story that you think
might be symbolic, that is, something that seems to
have more meaning than what it literally is. What
might this symbolism contribute to the story?
from a team without a name:
The lightness and darkness that is described in the story
might be symbolic for the way that he is feeling. It is
dark when he is angered and light when he is happy.
“Araby”

3. Identify at least one thing in the story that you think
might be symbolic, that is, something that seems to
have more meaning than what it literally is. What
might this symbolism contribute to the story?
from An Awesome Team Name:
When he gets to the Bazaar, everything is dark and
closed which symbolizes how he lost his chance with
the girl. His future with her is now empty and the
darkness represents the depression he is now feeling.
“Araby”

“’If I go,’ I said, ‘I
will bring you
something.’”
“Araby”

5. Finish the sentence below to express what you think
is a good one-sentence summary of the main theme (or
the comment about life) that we should get from the
story “Araby.”
From a team without a name:
James Joyce’s “Araby” shows us how people have certain
expectations for a day, or life, and how they don’t always come to
fruition.
“Araby”

6. If you write an essay on this story, what would be
three or four good topics for the body paragraphs of the
essay?
“Araby”

Look Carefully at the Details!
“North Richmond Street, being blind, was a
quiet street except at the hour when the
Christian Brothers’ School set the boys free.”
“Araby”

What passages did you identify as being
important?
“Araby”

from a team without a name and Team Free Will:
“’If I go,’ I said, ‘I will bring you something.’”
This shows that the boy has made a promise and will feel as
though he would let her down if he does not return with a worthy
girl for the girl.
This quote is exceptionally important because this is the defining
moment where the story now has purpose: to get a gift for the girl.
“Araby”

 from The Rebels:
“At nine o'clock I heard my uncle's latchkey in the hall
door. I heard him talking to himself and heard the
hallstand rocking when it had received the weight of
his overcoat. I could interpret these signs. When he was
midway through his dinner I asked him to give me the
money to go to the bazaar. He had forgotten.”
“Araby”

 from Rambo’s Angels:
“I lingered before her stall, though I knew my stay was
useless, to make my interest in her wares seem the more real.
Then I turned away slowly and walked down the middle of
the bazaar. I allowed the two pennies to fall against the
sixpence in my pocket. I heard a voice call from one end of
the gallery that the light was out. The upper part of the hall
was now completely dark.
Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature
driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with
anguish and anger.”
“Araby”

Questions?
“Eveline”

“She sat at the
window watching
the evening invade
the avenue.”
“Eveline”

1. How would you describe Eveline as a character?
What word or words describe her well? Why?
from Spider Monkeys:
She seems to be shy and timid. She doesn’t like change.
A little romantic.
“Eveline”

1. How would you describe Eveline as a character? What word or
words describe her well? Why?
from The Bears:
She is indecisive, naïve and dependent on others. She is indecisive
because she spends the entire story contemplating weather or not
she wants to run away from home with a sailor. She is naïve
because she barely even knows the guy and she is planning on
marrying him because she thinks that he will “save her”. (when
she really doesn’t even seem to want to be saved.) She is
dependent on others because she thinks that becoming the
possession of a man is her only way out of being possessed by her
father, when in reality she doesn’t NEED either of them. She relies
on other people to make her decisions for her.
“Eveline”

1. How would you describe Eveline as a character?
What word or words describe her well? Why?
from The Dubliners:
Eveline is torn as a character. Some words that describe
her are troubled, confused, exhausted.
The story describes her as tired possibly because she
“tried to weigh each side of the question.”
“Eveline”

2. How would you describe the setting, or the environment,
of the story? What does this setting contribute to the story?
From Spider Monkeys and Alpha:
This story seems to be set in the past considering they are
getting on a steamboat. It starts out being light outside and
gets darker showing how Eveline is sinking deeper into the
own hole she’s created for herself in the town.
The time of day is symbolic because it show how her life is
getting darker and how the darkness is making her decision
even harder.
“Eveline”

2. How would you describe the setting, or the environment,
of the story? What does this setting contribute to the story?
From Awesome Team Name and Cats in Space:
Throughout the story, the sun continues to set, letting the
world around Eveline grow darker and darker. This could
represent how Eveline is stuck in this small town with her
father and is unable to truly be with Frank. The light is
fading, showing that her chance at happiness is slipping
away.
As the sunset gets darker, the story as a whole gets darker.
“Eveline”

2. How would you describe the setting, or the
environment, of the story? What does this setting
contribute to the story?
From Icecaps:
The setting of the story is gloomy. She seems to talk
about the negatives in her life.
“Eveline”

2. How would you describe the setting, or the
environment, of the story? What does this setting
contribute to the story?
From No Name:
The setting goes from earlier in the day to late at night.
At the end, she is in a crowded atmosphere. This
environment shows how Eveline is feeling
overwhelmed and fearful of the new life she could
embark on.
“Eveline”

2. How would you describe the setting, or the
environment, of the story? What does this setting
contribute to the story?
From Evelinator:
Various setting throughout the story. Starting off with
how it looked when she was a child and to how it looks
and how it’s changed. The changing scenery helps
contribute to the story because Eveline is changing too.
“Eveline”

3. Identify at least one thing in the story that you think might
be symbolic, that is, something that seems to have more
meaning than what it literally is. What might this symbolism
contribute to the story?
from B.S.:
At the end of the story she showed no love or
recognition towards the love of her life. This symbolizes
that she did not really love the man, but she saw him as
a way to escape her old life.
“Eveline”

5. Finish the sentence below to express what you think
is a good one-sentence summary of the main theme (or
the comment about life) that we should get from the
story “Eveline.”
From Penny for Yo Thots:
James Joyce’s “Eveline” shows us how people will stick
with familiarity, even if it doesn’t make them happy.
“Eveline”

5. Finish the sentence below to express what you think
is a good one-sentence summary of the main theme (or
the comment about life) that we should get from the
story “Eveline.”
From Awesome Team Name:
James Joyce’s “Eveline” shows us how people can be
unable to escape a bad situation.
“Eveline”

6. If you write an essay on this story, what would be
three or four good topics for the body paragraphs of the
essay?
“Eveline”

Look Carefully at the Details!
“She sat at the window watching the evening
invade the avenue. Her head was leaned
against the window curtains and in her nostrils
was the odour of dusty cretonne. She was
tired.”
“Eveline”

What passages did you identify as being
important?
“Eveline”

from Team Kassidy:
“But in her new home, in a distant unknown country, it would not be
like that. Then she would be married--she, Eveline. People would treat
her with respect then. She would not be treated as her mother had
been. Even now, though she was over nineteen, she sometimes felt
herself in danger of her father's violence. She knew it was that that had
given her the palpitations. When they were growing up he had never
gone for her like he used to go for Harry and Ernest, because she was
a girl but latterly he had begun to threaten her and say what he would
do to her only for her dead mother's sake. And now she had nobody to
protect her.”
I think this passage is important in the story because it is the entire
reason why Eveline is thinking about running away. She doesn’t get
the respect that she deserves.
“Eveline”

from The Bears:
“Her time was running out but she continued to sit by
the window, leaning her head against the window
curtain, inhaling the odour of dusty cretonne.”
I think this passage is important because it contains the
symbolic window, the feeling that she is running out of
time to make her decision, and her reluctance to leave
behind what she is most familiar with all in one
sentence.
“Eveline”

from The Flying Tacos:
“She felt her cheek pale and cold and, out of a maze of
distress, she prayed to God to direct her, to show her
what was her duty. The boat blew a long mournful
whistle into the mist. If she went, tomorrow she would
be on the sea with Frank, steaming towards Buenos
Ayres. Their passage had been booked. Could she still
draw back after all he had done for her? Her distress
awoke a nausea in her body and she kept moving her
lips in silent fervent prayer.”
“Eveline”

Questions?