Blindness: Chapter 22

Blindness in literature shows the significance of the” level of sight” within a piece of work. Ranging from an actual blind character to a character that is unable to see the truth, usually blinded by lack of knowledge or awareness. These characters allow for the reader to understand that there should be emphasize elsewhere due to the introduction of a blind character cause “the author [to] created a minor constellation of difficulties for himself by” having a blind character within his work. In the short story, “Araby” by James Joyce the narrator, a young boy, personifies the ideal blind character by means of beyond the physical blindness. He embodies his blindness by his immaturity and ignorance. Living on a dead-end street the young boy is confined to his limited community. He spends his recreational time striving to find a glimpse of one of his buddy’s sister. He watched the young girl with every opportunity at hand, timing his departure time every morning to cross her path. The narrator is blinded by his immaturity, seeking only romance with the young girl. He guarantees the young girl that he will go to the Araby and bring her a gift back from the Araby, a task that he believes will surely win her love. Waiting till the tardy time of nine O’clock of his uncle’s arrival back home, the young boy quickly gets money and sets off to the Araby only to find disappointment waiting for him. The Araby is dark and much of the stands have already been closed. This symbolizes the narrator’s blindness as a whole. Everything he dreamed and hoped about soon looses their grips in his heart. The dim lighting in the Araby emphasizes the young boy’s lack of ability to see reality. This highlights that he is still immature and hopefully, unable to see the harsh reality of the world just yet.