Comparing Araby By James Joyce And Cathedral By Raymond Carver

The narrators in both “Araby” by James Joyce and “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver tell two different life stories about two unique journeys; however, they both experience epiphanies at the very end of their stories. “Araby” takes place in North Richmond Street—a run-down neighborhood in Dublin, Ireland where the main character—a teenage boy is living. He has a secret crush on a girl and tries to keep a precious promise to her about bringing her something from the bazaar. However, he arrives at the bazaar when almost every store is closed, and he leaves, feeling utterly disappointed and angry. On the other hand, in “Cathedral,” a blind man named Robert, with whom the narrator’s wife has a strong connection over ten years, comes to visit the narrator’s

The epiphany happens when the boy arrives late at the bazaar, when almost every stall was closed. It dawns on him that the bazaar is no mystical, exciting or exotic land. The contrast of his expectation, “the streets with buyers and glaring with gas” (?) and the reality, “a big hall girdled at half its height by the gallery. Nearly all the stalls were closed and the greater part of the hall was in darkness” (?) helps him realize Araby is basically a place to buy things. When he overhears the conversation of a young lady with two young gentlemen and the way the lady “glance[s] at [him] over her shoulder” (Joyce 579), he suddenly feels like a strange creature at that bazaar. Furthermore, it dawns on him that his life in Dublin is humdrum and that Mangan’s sister probably has no romantic interest in him. Her conversation with him was meaningless, and he was innocent to believe the girl cares about whether he can bring back something from the bazaar. He leaves Araby feeling utterly ashamed and angry: “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger” (Joyce 579). The epiphany is a sharp turning point for the narrator, from an innocent boy with materialistic expectations to an adult with a heart full of hatred and