Example Of Paralysis In Araby
Sam Wishnow
Mr. Menna
American Literature Honors D Period
26 September 2013
Paralysis: Trapped Within a Routine and Society Paralysis: the inability to act or function in a person, organization, or place (New Oxford American Dictionary). James Joyce made the conscious decision to flee from Dublin because he felt trapped by society and the routine that existed there. It is clear that in both Araby and An Encounter, Joyce really uses his past to his advantage, as he tells two stories in which paralysis is a key theme. Each story has it 's own unique way of demonstrating how paralysis drives the protagonist. Regardless of the plot, paralysis manifests itself within the protagonist 's background, and it influences their decisions which in turn, each story revolves around. …show more content…
She is everything to the boy as he says, “I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood” (Joyce 25) Araby. He spends so much time thinking about her and desiring her. It is almost as if the boy is reaching out to her, yet he cannot touch her. He is simply trapped within his own obsession for her. The boy finally decides to try and break free from this self-imprisonment and routine of just thinking about the girl from inside his home. He decides that he wants to go to the bazaar and buy the girl a gift to express his love for her. He waits and waits for his uncle to return home so that he can go. The uncle becomes tied up in his own routine, however. When the boy finally arrives at the bazaar, it is too late. This is an example of paralysis being something that is too strong to overcome, ending in
Mr. Menna
American Literature Honors D Period
26 September 2013
Paralysis: Trapped Within a Routine and Society Paralysis: the inability to act or function in a person, organization, or place (New Oxford American Dictionary). James Joyce made the conscious decision to flee from Dublin because he felt trapped by society and the routine that existed there. It is clear that in both Araby and An Encounter, Joyce really uses his past to his advantage, as he tells two stories in which paralysis is a key theme. Each story has it 's own unique way of demonstrating how paralysis drives the protagonist. Regardless of the plot, paralysis manifests itself within the protagonist 's background, and it influences their decisions which in turn, each story revolves around. …show more content…
She is everything to the boy as he says, “I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood” (Joyce 25) Araby. He spends so much time thinking about her and desiring her. It is almost as if the boy is reaching out to her, yet he cannot touch her. He is simply trapped within his own obsession for her. The boy finally decides to try and break free from this self-imprisonment and routine of just thinking about the girl from inside his home. He decides that he wants to go to the bazaar and buy the girl a gift to express his love for her. He waits and waits for his uncle to return home so that he can go. The uncle becomes tied up in his own routine, however. When the boy finally arrives at the bazaar, it is too late. This is an example of paralysis being something that is too strong to overcome, ending in