James Joyce

I have read "Araby" before, but I gained new information in the discussion today about the story that I would not have known. I did not know anything about James Joyce so I understood more about the setting of the story in Dublin and I also did not know that he did not like Catholics. This explains a lot about his fascination with the dead priest in this story.
This story is about a boy who is in love for the first time. He does not know how to talk to her but he tells her that he will buy her a present at the bazaar. I think it is sad that he thinks he can win her affection if he buys her a gift. Joyce might be touching on how shallow people are for material things. I also think that Joyce views romance in this story as something exciting and exhilarating that happens in another place that is strange to you, such as Araby.
At the end of the story, it is clear that the boy does not love this girl and that going to Araby was more than just finding a gift for her. It was about finding himself. He seems like a passive boy who is young and naive and I think he wants to gain more self-confidence, but he does not. He leaves upset and without any new insights on himself, which is depressing.

I really enjoyed "Eveline". I felt extremely sad for her because she is stuck in a life that she does not enjoy, but she does not have enough strength and courage to try something new, so she just accepts the way her life is. I think she stayed where she was because she was afraid. She needs stability and her normal routine of taking care of her father and going to work. Eveline probably would not have been able to forgive herself if she went against her mother's wishes. I am sure she would have constantly worried about her father. She knew that she would never go, but at least she had the possibility of leaving.
Eveline was the only person who was keeping her family together and if she left, they would be finished. She knew that she was going to live the life her mother did. It may not be a happy one, but at least she would fulfill what she believed was her "duty" to help her father. Frank could not have saved her from the guilt she would have felt if she left with him, so she stayed with her same monotonous life because that is where she felt safe and secure.