James Joyce's "Araby" The narrator in "Araby" believes himself to be an individual in the midst of a sea of chaos and commotion. He is not necessarily a prominent individual in society, but rather one who becomes "jostled by drunken men and bargaining women, amid the curses of labourers, the shrill litanies of shop-boys who stood on guard by the barrels of pigs' cheeks, the nasal chanting of street singers" (Joyce 854) as he helps his …showed first 75 words of 607 total…

…showed last 75 words of 607 total…he is not a valiant knight in pursuit and protection of the infamous Holy Grail; he instead deals with the revelation that his all-important quest is nothing more than a shopping trip gone wrong. While it is humorous that the boy sees himself as the protector of something sacred and untouchable (Mangan's sister's image), it is not uncommon for young boys in "love" to create such images in relation to the objects of their affections.