Transition from Childhood to Adulthood in ‘Araby’

Every human being has to pass through childhood, in order to arrive at adulthood. It does not matter what environment they live in as the latter has to take place. Many people such as authors and psychologists all have tried to address the issue concerning transition. One most notable author who has done so is James Joyce is the author of Dubliner, which is composed of short stories and are fifteen in total. The collection was published in the year 1914 and is extremely popular among many of his readers. The stories in her collection depict the life of middle class Irish people who lived in Dublin. When the stories were written, nationalism in Ireland was at a high peak (Bulson, 2006.13). One of Joyce’ short stories is titled as ‘Araby’ and focuses upon the life of a boy who undergoes a transformation while growing up. Furthermore, Joyce enables the reader to know about the various events that affect the life of the boy.

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This paper seeks to give a critic on the reason why transitioning from childhood to adulthood is often difficult, depending on one’s environment.

Critic concerning why the environment is a vital element in effective transitioning from childhood to adulthood

It is a fact that everyone must pass through childhood before they attain adulthood. Before the latter is realized, one often encounters many things, which affect how they behave and relate with others (Barry, 2006.12). Depending on where a person grows up, they will act in various ways. This is witnessed in the story ‘Araby’ by James Joyce. For example, first love is a common occurrence among many children, and it affects them tremendously. When a young person is in love for the first time, they tend to live in utopia. The latter is experienced by the young boy in Joyce’s story ‘Araby’.

The principal theme depicted in the book is about a boy who is transitioning to adulthood from childhood. He does this by making his love interest appear different from whom she genuinely is. Moreover, the environment is said to be extremely somber and dark, but the young man sees the light side of it. According to research, most people will at one point be challenged with the issue concerning love. Often it is referred to as having one’s first crush, and this is inevitable. Joyce describes the environment, which in this case is the street located at North Richmond. Joyce claims that “Air, musty from having long been enclosed, hung in all the rooms, and the waste room behind the kitchen was littered with old and useless papers” (Frawley, 2004.56). The life, which people lived, did not assist in making them more optimistic about their future and thus, the cause for their troubles. Furthermore, if one is subjected to such living conditions, they are bound to suffer, and transition will not be successful as it should be.

Often, in the media, especially in movies, one sees how fans are obsessed with stars. They refer to the stars as idols, and some even go to the extent of imagining that they have relationships with them. It is such a pitiful sight when young people express themselves in this way, as they are living in their own world (Hoolihan, 2009. 74). On the other hand, the young boy who is the story’s protagonist disassociates himself from the environment, which he lives in. Instead, he focuses upon acquiring the love of a girl whom he keeps on dreaming about. It seems that, despite all the negative things, which exist, the boy seems to take it with a positive light. According to the young man, his love interest is the one who gives him hope in life. He describes her as being “her figure defined by the light from the half-opened door”(Frawley, 2004.59). This means that he has envisioned everything that relates to the girl, and this seems to make him happy. The young man is obsessed with his first love and the environment, which surrounds him, does not seem to matter. He is deeply preoccupied and engrossed with his love interest. Furthermore, he drifts away from reality, and this is evident from when he claims “The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there and, falling, lit up the hand upon the railing” (Thacker, 2006.24).This means that some young people can even reach a point whereby, they start hallucinating about things, which will never materialize. In order to solve, this they should be offered guidance and parental advice.

In transitioning from childhood to adulthood, love and disappointment go hand in hand, as it is witnessed in many scenarios. Young people often go to extreme lengths just to please their love interests. In order to impress the other one has to have money, which can be used in taking the other out on a date, or even buying a gift (Barry, 2006.18). This can be dangerous as some people have high standards that usually have to be met. Also, in ‘Araby’, the characters in the story are extremely preoccupied with their own agenda’s and will do anything to make sure that they succeed. When it is not possible to achieve one’s goals, it leads to frustration and the results can be extremely dangerous. There is nothing like perfection, which exists, as the young man in ‘Araby’ expresses a side of him not known before. The environment, which a person lives in, has the ability of changing them in ways that are not anticipated (Borges, Jorge Luis& Weinberger, 2000.52). While, at the bazaar, he is surprised by what he sees and according to him; the place is similar to a church. It seems that the young boy does not lie much emphasize on matters concerning religion.

The environment can either affect a young person negatively or positively when they are growing up. Some young people have been known to commit suicide, run away from home, quit attending school, and even become involved in crime. The latter is extremely common among many youth and this is due to the environment they are used to. If they are not provided with the right conditions, they risk suffering. Morever, those who live in an environment, which is conducive, they often have few or no problems when they growing up. In turn, they tend to have successful relationships, have excellent careers and even their health improves (Hoolihan, 2009. 78). This means that a lot should be done to make the path, which young people follow to be positive. Young people should know the difference between realty and utopia. They should not waste their time being involved in matters beyond their reach .In ‘Araby’ the young man comes back to reality after being disappointed. A young lady attending one of the stalls rudely speaks to him as he claims that “The tone of her voice was not encouraging; she seemed to have spoken to me out of a sense of duty” (Johnson, 2000.89). The boy experiences transition from childhood to adulthood as he knows that life is indeed made up of various elements. One should be aware that life is not always going to be smooth, as disappointments are bound to occur. Life has the ability of manifesting its true self when one is about to attain adulthood. In turn, the young man is now mature and can face the world with the knowledge he has acquired.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is indeed true that when one is transitioning to adulthood from childhood, they are bound to experience many problems. The environment people live in is responsible for influencing how people behave and express themselves. The young man in the story chose to develop an interest in someone beyond his reach. This is similar to what takes place even in the modern times. The need to escape from the realities of life is what makes people to behave in a manner that is not pleasant. In turn, it should be known that life is not always pleasant and one should always be cautious about it. By doing so, one will become mature and make decisions, which are well informed.

Work Cited

Thacker, Andrew. Dubliners: James Joyce. New Casebook Series. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Print.

Hoolihan, Patricia. Launching your teen into adulthood: Parenting through the transition. New York: Search Institute, 2009.Print.

Norris, Margot. Dubliners: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism. New York: Norton, 2006.Print.

Frawley, Oona. A New & Complex Sensation: Essays on Joyce’s Dubliners. Dublin: Lilliput, 2004.Print.

Johnson, Jeri. Composition and Publication History”, in James Joyce, Dubliners. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.Print.

Boland, Eavan. Irish Writers on Writing featuring James Joyce. New York: Trinity University Press, 2007.Print.

Borges, Jorge Luis, & Weinberger, Eliot. Borges: Selected Non-Fictions. New York: Penguin ,2000.Print.

Bulson, Eric. The Cambridge Introduction to James Joyce. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print.

Barry, Monica. Youth offending in transition: The search for social recognition. New York: Routledge, 2006.Print.

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