Darkness and light are everywhere, and one cannot exist without the other. However, a combination of the two creates shadows in which a world can be transformed into a form of twilight, twilight. It is in this dark light that a person can find themselves wandering blindly, much like the character in the short story "Araby" written by James Joyce where a boy is, in a sense, blind throughout the story until he sees the truth. In his short story “Araby,” Joyce uses a combination of diction, imagery, and light/dark to create the motif of blindness that conveys the narrator's experience and journey toward enlightenment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay To begin with, the diction of Joyce's "Araby" brings out a very present idea of ​​blindness. He begins with "North Richmond Street, being blind" as an unusual description of a street, and he goes on to say "An uninhabited house of two stories stood at the blind end" (Joyce 1223). Immediately the idea of ​​being blind is established, and although it is curious why a street is described as blind, it can be inferred that perhaps the street (or rather its inhabitants) are also blind to the world outside. As for the house located in a cul-de-sac, it is detached from the rest of the neighborhood and blind to the neighbors. “The other houses, aware of the decent life that reigned there, looked at each other with brown and imperturbable faces” (1223). To be conscious, one must have sight in some way and be able to perceive part of the world around him. These houses are also aware of their inhabitants and look at each other, indicating that they are not blind unlike their detached and blind neighbor. However, these other houses are described as "brown", which is a muddy, blind color. These opening moments of “Araby” immediately establish the concept of blindness that remains prevalent throughout the rest of the story. The images in Joyce's "Araby" are a fantastic combination of light and dark which creates a dark and gloomy environment which also contributes to the notion of blindness. On page 1224, the narrator describes how the neighborhood looked "when the short days of winter came" and "when dusk fell" earlier in the day. Twilight is a dark time of day, a confusing intermediary between light and darkness that can be disorienting, even blinding at times, and winter is a dark season where daylight lacks a primary presence. It is also mentioned on page 1224 that the sky was "an ever-changing purple color", adding to the imagery of the setting by creating a world of darkness and perhaps making it difficult to see, which contributed to to blindness. . Besides the sky and the season, there are also “dark and muddy alleys,” “dark and dripping gardens,” and even “dark and odorous stables” (1224). It is clear from these descriptions that darkness dominates the narrator's world, and a world of darkness would be difficult to see. This also contributes to the concept of blindness, as the inability to see is an attribute of blindness. Furthermore, the narrator stated that he "hid in the shadows" when his uncle came home and also observed Mangan's sister from the shadows (1224). Not only is the setting and environment a dark, shadowy color of blindness, but the narrator also seems to embrace this dark world to the extent that he hides within it. Instead of seeking the light, the narrator retreats into the shadows where it is difficult to see, making him blind to reality and also to himself.The dark imagery and darkness of the setting undoubtedly contributes to the idea that it can be difficult to "see", thus adding to the motif of blindness. The thoughts and feelings expressed by the narrator also contribute to the concept of blindness in the story. On page 1225, the narrator freely admits, "I thought little about the future." When a person is blind or in the dark, it is difficult to see very far, especially into the future. The narrator could be so blind to the point that he is literally unable to see anything that might be in front of him because of the vast darkness that envelops him and his blindness Even on a "dark and rainy evening", the narrator. says, “I was grateful to be able to see so little” (1225) This is rather striking in that not only is the narrator blind in his ignorance and desire, but he is content and even grateful to be blind to it. reality. As previously mentioned, the narrator almost deliberately chooses to hide in the shadows and blinding darkness, but he is blind to what this does to him. The narrator also admits "I couldn't collect my wandering thoughts. ” (1225) Perhaps the reason the narrator cannot control his wandering thoughts is that he may be blind to the shadows and darkness in which he chooses to hide, and in this. blindly, the narrator wanders in confused disorientation. These thoughts expressed by the narrator indicate that he is somewhat lost, even blind, to the world around him and that he is unable to find his way – he remains in the shadows, blind. Mangan's unnamed sister contributes to the concept of blindness. The fact that she is anonymous alone fuels the idea that the narrator is blind to his childish desire for her. In fact, the narrator's name is also not disclosed, perhaps reinforcing the idea that the narrator is blind even to himself, his behaviors, and his own blindness. Not only that, but it even blinds the reader because the identities of these characters are hidden behind a curtain of darkness. Mangan's sister is only faintly described as a "brown figure" on page 1224, and then again on page 1226 when the narrator looks at the "dark house where she lived" and sees nothing but “the figure dressed in brown projected by his imagination”. Brown is, once again, a murky and indiscriminate color that makes the girl mysterious, and the narrator is enchanted by this mystery to the point perhaps of being disoriented. In this disorientation, it is difficult to see truth and reality, so through Mangan's mysterious and anonymous sister, it is revealed that the narrator is blind in his desire for her. At the end of the story, the narrator is left in the dark in a literal blindness that forces him to finally "see" himself and reality as they really are. “Looking into the darkness, I saw myself as a creature driven and ridiculed by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger” (1227). In his failed attempt to obtain a trinket at the bazaar to “win” the love of Mangan’s sister, the narrator is awakened from his disoriented daze, from his blindness. The darkness blinds the narrator in a new way, making his eyes burn, and it is in this darkness – this new kind of blindness – that he can finally reflect on himself and become aware of the reality. This enlightenment allows him to see how blind he was to his behavior and desperate desires, and in shame, his eyes burn with this awareness of the reality of his dark world. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get Custom Paper Now From Our Expert Writers.Get Custom EssayAll Round..