James Joyce's "Araby" has references and allusions to the bible intertwined within it. The allusions I noticed were to the Garden of Eden and the story of "Adam and Eve." "Araby" alludes to the Garden of Eden when Joyce says, "The wild garden behind the house contained a central apple tree..." Like the garden behind the house, the Garden of Eden also contained a central apple tree. The story is one extended allusion to Adam and Eve. For example, the narrator of the story, a boy, becomes so obsessed with a girl that he begins to lose focus. He starts to not pay attention in school and loses his devotion to other parts of his life. This is similar to how in "Adam and Eve" Adam is captivated by the beauty of Eve and forgets his devotion to god. The boy is really into the girl, but the girl shows no interest in him. In fact, the only time the girl speaks with the boy is when she tell him to fetch her something from the bazaar. The boy is manipulated by the girl’s beauty and agrees to go to the bazaar. He is enamored by the girl similarly to how Adam was with eve. He almost makes the same mistake as Adam when he goes to the Bazaar, but he is luckily saved by the "two great jars." The jars act as guards who had fallen victim to temptation. Thankfully, they protect the boy from the same fate. They distract the boy at the last second and at their site he decides he no longer needs to buy anything. This moment represents the boy’s realization that both good and evil exist in the world. This new knowledge of good and evil is similar to that of Adam and Eve's after they ate the apple from the tree. Before eating the apple, Adam and Eve lived in a protected world of peace and happiness. However, after eating the apple god revealed the real world where everything wasn’t harmonious and provided. The boy realized that the girl is not entirely good. This in a way marks the end of his innocence, as now he is open to the real world. Overall, "Araby" contains a biblical allusion to the Garden of Eden and a story-long allusion to "Adam and Eve."
Joyce, James, John Wyse. Jackson, and Bernard McGinley. James Joyce's Dubliners. New York: St. Martin's, 1993. Print.
Joyce, James, John Wyse. Jackson, and Bernard McGinley. James Joyce's Dubliners. New York: St. Martin's, 1993. Print.