What is love? Love is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a feeling or disposition of deep affection or affection for someone. Love is an emotion that we as human beings want to pursue and ultimately satisfy. James Joyce disagreed with this perception through his short story “Araby”. Arabia represents love as a demonstration of futility that will inevitably lead to a lower quality of life. Joyce represents this idea through the protagonist's human experiences and how they vary. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Throughout the story, Joyce leaves the narrator nameless; a teenage Catholic schoolboy and his love interest "Magan's sister". By adopting this anonymity, the author removes the identity of the narrator and allows him to follow his superficial perception of love. Joyce makes the boy live in an oppressive and joyless environment, in which the narrator is unable to detach himself from the dark environment, until he finds the girl to immerse himself in, distracting himself. Joyce demonstrates this through the narrator's description of "Magan's sister." The visual image that Joyce presents to the reader is completely physical; “a lamp….. caught the white curve of her neck, it illuminated the hair that lay there”. This vivid image reflects the boy's physical appreciation only for his exterior, with complete disregard for his interiority. This is further shown through the symbolism of his vague shape of a lit lamp, highlighting his lack of knowledge of his personality. Therefore, Joyce attempts to demonstrate how the narrator assigns his personality traits through physical observations. Joyce criticizes society, questioning why humans fall in love and are satisfied through aesthetics before any intimate personal connection. To further investigate Joyce's concern; the narrator questions his own motivations throughout his journey. After overcoming obstacles to reach the market, and almost finishing his search and finding love, he suddenly realized that he was “a creature driven and mocked by vanity.” He considers himself a creature of passive voice, ashamed of the effect of travel on his character. This disappointing ending distracts the audience from their expectations by forcing the reader to question their search for love and whether it is worth the sacrifice. Joyce challenges the belief of how love is fulfilling, insisting that it only acts to isolate oneself from true friendships which will ultimately diminish satisfaction and quality of life, stating that friendships are more important than love. At the beginning of the story the narrator reflects on the experiences he shared with his friends, stating how “their cries rang out in the silent street.” The use of silence highlights the absence of noise, evoking the usual idea that silence equates to fear and loneliness. However, Joyce draws attention to how their cries filled the empty space, the important role of friendships, and how they can overcome difficult emotional challenges. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get Custom Essay Joyce rejects the belief that love is fulfilling and expresses how the journey of love will lead to pain, self-isolation, and the loss of meaningful friendships. Through anonymity, vivid imagery, imagery, contrast and symbolism the author is able to express his doubts about love. Joyce adds that the pain produced during the journey to find love is often unnecessary?