Children are dreamers; their imaginations allow them to play out fantasies in their minds. Unfortunately, with maturation of an individual, the whimsy of youth is crushed by the contrasting realities of the world. James Joyce's story "Araby" focuses on this paradox between fantasy and reality. The boy in the story lived in a Dublin, a place plagued by bitter reality. Portions of the city are described as blind musty, dark, and muddy. Despite the air …showed first 75 words of 356 total…

…showed last 75 words of 356 total…boy came to realize that all his dreams were fanciful and vain, not just his preconception of the Araby. He was confronted with reality. James Joyce's "Araby" was the story of a boy who dreamed of a girl and a fair. He came to realize his dreams were not compatible with reality. In doing so, he passed out of childhood. The narrative describes the passage of dreams to reality; the passage of youth to adulthood