James Joyce's Use Of Setting In Araby

In the Story “Araby,” written by James Joyce, the authors’ use of setting helps create a mirror of the narrators’ internal state. Joyce’s use of setting helps develop the narrator’s feelings more by intensifying what he is feeling. The author’s use of setting in this story could be compared to when directors use music to help the audience feel a particular way or set the mood of the story. The internal state that the setting lays out is one of a melancholy and defeated mindset.

The narrator’s description of his house as well as his surroundings reflects how he feels on the inside. For example, when the narrator describes his house, he paints a picture of a run down, stale smelling environment where a priest had died previously. Also, the narrator

This signifies to the reader that Mangan’s sister is a light to his dark world and brings joy to him. Although it is not specifically stated, the way the narrator talks about the light falling around Mangan’s sister, it hints to the readers that it is something more than a light. It’s a symbol of his happiness as well as how the narrator feels internally when he is around her. Another mention of light, was when the narrator was talking about the light shining through the kitchen window. The narrator hardly uses light in his settings, which signals that he sees his world in dark, desolate colors and is unhappy. Also, the narrators’ only other mention of light is when he notes that the lighted dial of the clock in Araby was signaling that there was ten minutes left till ten. This can be insinuated as a sign of hope seen internally in the

The weather in the story is never sunny or bright. It is always dreary, and the air is described as being “pitilessly raw,” which makes the reader feel as though the narrator is cold and withdrawn, maybe even heartbroken. He also mentions the dark rainy evening, stating, “I heard the rain impinge upon the earth, the fine incessant needles of water playing in the sodden beds” (Joyce 249). The narrator never has a bright or warm feeling setting, which makes it seem as though he is depressed. Almost all of the settings are dingy, this helps along with his character development because it sways the reader to look deeper into the settings. By looking deeper into the settings, it registers that the characters internal state is on display in a non-obvious way. The narrator’s technique of not directly stating his feelings but reflecting it in the setting creates a stronger connection between the settings and his