Abstract

James Joyce, an Irish writer, is a world-famous master of the stream of consciousness technique. In his well-known work, the short-story collection Dubliners (1914), the third story is Araby which describes first disillusionary romantic experience of an innocent boy. The article divides a series of representative symbols in Araby and reveals the social darkness in Dublin and the decline of Catholic church. Epiphany, James Joyce’s original and unique artistic techniques, embodies in the protagonist’s expectation toward first love.Therefore, this thesis is a study of special character and plots, especially from the image of priest perspective, providing better understanding of the functions and management of such role in revealing the theme of the story which is expressed by images--paralysis. 

This thesis consists of four parts: the first chapter is introduction that introduces research background, research methodology and the structure of this thesis. The second chapter is the literature review about Araby . The third chapter is the general analysis of the priest image in the story. In the end of this thesis, conclusions are drawn from the analysis and discussion.

Keywords: Araby; priest; religion; paralysis

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 James Joyce, the Author-1

1.2 Dubliners, the collection of short stories-1

1.3 “Araby”, the short story-1

1.4 Thesis Structure-2

2. Literature Review-3

3. General Analysis of the Priest Image in "Araby"-5

3.1 The Direct Factors Related to the Priest--His Room, Books-5

3.2 The Indirect Factors Related to The Priest-6

4. the Reasons of The Priest’s Image And His Death in "Araby"-8

4.1 Mortality-8

4.2 The Priest in Western Culture, Especially in Ireland-8

5. Conclusion-9

References-11