What Is False Hope In Araby

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Araby Essay The story “Araby” by James Joyce presents the theme of false hope throughout the story through denial of the truth and his sexual feelings. Sex is a prevalent subject matter through Araby and helps shape the story line. One example of sex being really about sex in Araby is when he continuously sexualizes and fantasizes about Margan’s sister. This leads him throughout the story to buy her things in exchange for sex. This relates to false hope because he refuses to let go of the fact that he will get sex, although deep down he knows that Margan’s sister is going to school to be a nun. Masturbation in the story comes through a lot, which helps frame the idea that he will one day be with her instead of himself. False hope is shown in this by no matter how much he masturbates she is never coming to him. Sexual feelings help frame the story in that he will never find her to be where he wants to be. …show more content…

The flower vases and the open tea cups symbolize Margan’s sister’s vagina, who the narrator believes he will have sex with in the end; however, that will not come. This relates to the story because the flower vases are sexualized and it is the sexual figure he wants. Another example of symbolism in the story is Araby. Araby is a symbol of heaven and fantasy. This is shown because if he were to get to have gotten to Araby he would have had sexual relations with her and he would have been in complete fantasy. These examples tie to the theory of false hope because these things came up but were not reached. In the end no matter how much he sexualized things, he never got the