Childhood and Adolescence in James Joyce’s “Sisters” and “Araby”

Abstract

The stories “The Sisters” and “Araby” are the part of Dubliners, both put at the beginning of the compilation, which can be considered as a presentation of the whole life cycle. This article develops what childhood and adolescence mean to Joyce and how he presents it in these two texts, the theme of the transition from childhood to adulthood being central. This transition period is considered as adolescence when children lose their merits, which only can happen if the child will receive a “psychologically traumatic blow”. This essay also considers the motif of a “spiritual paralysis” — a collective image of human vices, which all Dublin citizens are cursed with. Though Joyce describes this city as a mythic kingdom, he is still writing about current social problems, which refers not only to Dublin but also to the whole of Ireland. This article develops the most remarkable symbols, endowed with polysemy, through which the relationship of children and adolescents with the world is revealed. Furthermore, the author discussed the language of both stories, as it has features of children’s speech in it, which presents the lack of complete understanding of the world.