Mounting Disappointment
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Mounting Disappointment
Everyone deals with the pain of disappointment, whether it is from other people's mistakes or a lost hope. It seems sometimes that we deal with disappointment two or three times a week if not every day. In the James Joyce short story "Araby," the narrator recounts himself as a young boy who struggles to win the heart of a girl and the disappointment that leads him to believe there is no way to fulfill that dream.
The boy's uncle brings out the first occurrence of disappointment, showing up late intoxicated. Forgetting that his nephew, who tells him many times he wants to go and is waiting impatiently, wants to go to the bazaar (40). As a boy the narrator, seemingly is disappointed doesn't want to hear his uncle say how most people are in bed "past their first sleep" (40). This quote from the uncle shows his lack of interest in letting the boy go to the bazaar, the boys hopes began to fade until his aunt stepped in. There is no doubt in my mind that the boy feels let down by his uncle coming home so late forgetting that he has somewhere to go.
The second sign of disappointment comes from the bazaar not being open by the time he arrives. Jumping of the train he notices no main entrance still there, and quickly runs through a turnstile, just to run into darkness (40-41)...