Short Questions and Answers of Araby

 Short Questions and Answers of Araby

General Plot Questions

1. Who is the narrator of the story?

A young unnamed boy living in Dublin.

2. Where does the story take place?

On North Richmond Street in Dublin, Ireland.

3. What is Araby?

A bazaar that the narrator hopes to visit.

4. Who is Mangan’s sister?

The narrator’s friend’s sister, whom he has a crush on.

5. Why does the narrator want to go to Araby?

To buy a gift for Mangan’s sister.

6. What prevents the narrator from going to Araby early?

His uncle comes home late and forgets about the boy’s request.

7. What happens when the narrator arrives at the bazaar?

Most stalls are closed, and he is disappointed by its mundane atmosphere.

8. How does the story end?

The narrator realizes his vanity and experiences a sense of disillusionment.

________________________________________

Symbolism and Themes

9. What does the bazaar symbolize?

Unattainable dreams and the exotic allure of the East.

10. What does Mangan’s sister represent?

The narrator’s romantic ideal and desire for escape.

11. What does the narrator’s journey to Araby symbolize?

The transition from innocence to experience.

12. How does light function as a symbol?

It represents idealism and hope.

13. How does darkness function as a symbol?

It symbolizes disappointment and disillusionment.

14. What role does religion play in the story?

It underscores themes of devotion, guilt, and unattainable ideals.

15. What is the theme of the story?

The loss of innocence and the conflict between fantasy and reality.

________________________________________

Character Questions

16. How is the narrator characterized?

As a naive, romantic boy transitioning into adulthood.

17. What do we know about Mangan’s sister?

She remains nameless and is described mainly through the narrator’s idealized perception.

18. What is the narrator’s relationship with his uncle?

Distant; the uncle is forgetful and possibly alcoholic.

19. Who is Mrs. Mercer?

A pawnbroker’s widow who visits the narrator’s home.

20. What does the priest symbolize?

The fading influence of religion and the blending of sacred and secular interests.

________________________________________

Imagery and Literary Devices

21. What sensory imagery does Joyce use in the story?

Descriptions of sights, sounds, and smells to contrast Dublin and the bazaar.

22. How does Joyce use visual imagery?

He describes the dull brown houses and the bright lights of the bazaar.

23. What auditory imagery is present?

The sounds of street singers and market noise contrast with the silence of the bazaar.

24. How does Joyce use religious imagery?

The narrator imagines himself carrying a "chalice" and whispers prayers of "O Love."

25. What is the tone of the story?

It starts hopeful and romantic but ends bitter and disillusioned.

________________________________________

Narrator’s Epiphany

26. What realization does the narrator come to at the end?

He recognizes the vanity of his desires and feels disillusioned.

27. How does this realization affect him?

It marks his emotional and intellectual growth.

28. Why does he cry at the end?

Out of anguish and anger at his foolishness.

29. What does the darkness at the bazaar symbolize?

His realization of the futility of his fantasies.

30. How does this epiphany fit into the coming-of-age theme?

It represents the narrator’s loss of innocence.

________________________________________

Literary Analysis

31. What is the narrative style of the story?

First-person narration.

32. What is a key motif in the story?

Light and darkness.

33. What role does irony play?

The narrator’s high expectations for the bazaar contrast sharply with its disappointing reality.

34. What is the significance of the title "Araby"?

It evokes the exotic and mysterious East, symbolizing fantasy.

35. What is the main conflict in the story?

The narrator's internal struggle between fantasy and reality.

________________________________________

Setting and Atmosphere

36. How is Dublin portrayed?

As dull, grimy, and monotonous.

37. What is the mood of the story?

Initially romantic and dreamy, turning somber and disillusioned.

38. How does the setting contribute to the theme?

The drabness of Dublin contrasts with the narrator’s fantasies, highlighting his disappointment.

39. What does North Richmond Street symbolize?

Stagnation and confinement.

40. Why is the street described as "blind"?

It symbolizes the narrator’s ignorance and limited worldview.

________________________________________

Narrator’s Relationship with Mangan’s Sister

41. How does the narrator view Mangan’s sister?

As a romanticized ideal.

42. Does he ever confess his feelings to her?

No, he remains shy and passive.

43. What does he promise Mangan’s sister?

To bring her a gift from Araby.

44. How does she influence his decision to go to Araby?

Her mention of the bazaar inspires his desire to impress her.

45. Is the narrator’s love genuine?

It is more of an infatuation and fantasy than true love.

________________________________________

Bazaar Experience

46. Why is the narrator disappointed at Araby?

It is mundane, nearly closed, and lacks the exotic charm he imagined.

47. What does the bazaar look like when he arrives?

Dark, with most stalls closed.

48. What does the narrator notice about the shopkeeper?

She is flirting with two men.

49. How does the narrator feel as he leaves the bazaar?

Anguished and angry at his foolishness.

50. What time does the narrator arrive at Araby?

Just before 10 p.m.

________________________________________

Religious Themes

51. What religious books are left behind by the priest?

The Abbot, The Devout Communicant, and The Memoirs of Vidocq.

52. How does religion influence the narrator?

He uses religious imagery to describe his feelings for Mangan’s sister.

53. What does the chalice symbolize?

The narrator’s fragile, sacred feelings for Mangan’s sister.

54. Why is the prayer scene significant?

It blurs the line between romantic and religious devotion.

55. What is the significance of the priest’s death?

It symbolizes the fading influence of religion.

________________________________________

Coming of Age Elements

56. How does the narrator's behavior show immaturity?

He fantasizes instead of acting on his feelings.

57. What changes by the end of the story?

He gains a bitter understanding of reality.

58. What role does fantasy play in the narrator’s growth?

His disillusionment with fantasy prompts his emotional maturation.

59. How does the story fit into the genre of a coming-of-age narrative?

It depicts the narrator’s transition from innocence to experience.

60. Why is the narrator’s epiphany important?

It marks his growth and loss of naive idealism.

________________________________________

Other Literary Devices

61. What is personified in the story?

The houses on North Richmond Street are described as "conscious."

62. What simile describes the bazaar’s silence?

"Like that of a church after service."

63. What is the significance of the poem recited by the uncle?

It emphasizes the theme of longing and farewell.

64. What tone does Joyce use for the ending?

Somber and reflective.

65. How does Joyce convey mood shifts?

Through changes in imagery and setting.

________________________________________

Additional Interpretations

66. What societal critique does Joyce offer?

A critique of Dublin’s stagnation and materialism.

67. What does the narrator learn about love?

That it can be based on fantasy rather than reality.

68. How does the story reflect Joyce’s style?

Through vivid imagery, symbolism, and epiphanies.

69. Why is the bazaar compared to a church?

It reflects the narrator’s misplaced reverence.

70. What literary movement does Araby belong to?

Modernism.