Take two of the short stories we read in class or were assigned through the homework. Identify shared traits between the main characters as well as differences as you compared and contrast them.
“Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger” (Joyce 129) concludes the narrator of “Araby,” a story by James Joyce. It is over the course of both the stories “A&P,” by John Updike, and “Araby,” by James Joyce, that the coming-of-age journeys of two adolescents are witnessed, seeing two young boys learn from their mistakes, and such profound realizations as this are garnered. Between the two characters of Sammy, from “A&P,” and the boy from “Araby,” many striking similarities exist in terms of characterization, behavior, and conflict experienced by the respective characters. They exhibit similarly impulsive and naive behavioral patterns motivated by trivialities, and they share a common bond in the struggles they face as adolescents arising from confusion over their place in society. Differences exist between the two, however; in particular, the lessons they glean from their experiences differ. While the Araby boy learns the empty nature of vanity, Sammy realizes only that his impulsive decision might negatively impact him.
Most apparent of all the similarities between Sammy and the Araby boy is their shared pattern of rash and impulsive behavior. In the case of Sammy from “A&P,” a job that provided financial security is thrown away on a whim because of a fleeting infatuation with a gaggle of girls; such an act is both rash and impulsive, performed out of an irrational desire to be given attention by the alluring females. It is clear that this trifling want is the motivator of Sammy’s foolish behavior, for he narrates, “The girls, and who'd blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say ‘I quit’ to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero” (Updike 95), demonstrating the senseless hold that sexual attraction has over his mind. “But it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it's fatal not to go through with it” (Updike 95), Sammy further argues, revealing an illogical belief that foolish behavior is excusable under extenuating circumstances. Sammy’s own narration makes it apparent that his behavior is motivated by trivial factors; he fails to think before he acts, and once the mind catches up with the body, it falsely concludes that the most appropriate course of action is to allow reckless action to be carried out unimpeded. This behavior is therefore predicated on impulse, an instant desire driving his action. A parallel may be drawn between Sammy quitting over a transient infatuation and the travel of the Araby boy to the bazaar, the latter of which was driven by a passing fancy for a neighborhood girl. In “Araby,” the boy also narrates the plot to the reader, and it is made even more apparent than in the case of Sammy that the primary motivator of the boy’s actions are ‘love.’ “She asked me was I going to Araby. I forgot whether I answered yes or no. It would be a splendid bazaar; she said she would love to go” (Joyce 127), the boy relates, showing how clouded his mind is by infatuation as to degrade his faculties and corrupt his memories. It is in this moment that the boy decides to travel to the bazaar that is known as Araby, a split-second decision motivated out of irrational young love, much like Sammy. The same tendency for impulsive behavior as a result of adolescent affection is therefore demonstrated by both Sammy and the Araby boy. This conclusion is further supported by the Araby boy’s own admission, as he narrates, “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger” (Joyce 129), which reveals his own anger at silly actions motivated by trivialities. Both Sammy and the Araby boy tacitly admit to having committed to rash behavior, and both were motivated in their rash behavior by passing fancy and infatuation with members of the opposite sex.
The root cause of the struggles of both Sammy and the Araby boy are also comparable; both young boys are confused and dissatisfied with the circumstances they live in. Confused about the right place for them in society, the two are made more susceptible to such influences as infatuation becoming motivators for irrational behavior. In “A&P,” Sammy’s characterization in this arena is made apparent from the very beginning of the story by his irreverent narration; for example, “A few house-slaves in pin curlers even looked around after pushing their carts past to make sure what they had seen was correct” (Updike 94), is his given description of the clientele of the convenience store he works in. Furthermore, he describes other customers “like scared pigs in a chute” (Updike 95). The disdain that Sammy holds for the people of his town and the clientele of the convenience store is very clear; obviously, Sammy believes he deserves better, or else his dream, of attending a party with one of the girls, Queenie, which he describes as “Her father and the other men were standing around in ice cream coats and bow ties and the women were in sandals picking up herring snacks on toothpicks off a big plate and they were all holding drinks the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint in them” (Updike 95), would not have taken place. Such irreverent commentary on the drabness of ordinary small town life, and awe at Queenie and the possibility of what her life may be like, serve to demonstrate Sammy’s dissatisfaction with his place in society, as well as his belief that there is something better for him lying in wait. The Araby boy is similarly dissatisfied with life, but he is dissatisfied mostly as a result of confusion; the boy recounts, “I had hardly any patience with the serious work of life which, now that it stood between me and my desire, seemed to me child's play, ugly monotonous child's play” (Joyce 127). As consequence of his infatuation with a neighborhood girl, the Araby boy becomes disillusioned with all that is not associated with the object of his affection; he becomes distracted and discontented with life. By his own words, the Araby boy offers that his feelings of love were but “confused adoration” (Joyce 127). His dogged pursuit of the returned affections of the girl leads him to realize that he becomes a “creature driven and derided by vanity” by the end of the story, resultant from his struggles as an adolescent who could find little contentment in a life without love. This reflects Sammy’s very similar struggles as an adolescent--albeit, an older one--who seeks positive affirmation and attention from Queenie to give him some joy to offset the boring; likewise, the Araby boy seeks positive affirmation and attention from the neighborhood girl--his friend Mangan’s sister--in the course of his coming-of-age journey in order to give him some joy in life to offset what he considers dull.
Despite the similarities of their characterization, behavior, motivations, and struggles, Sammy and the Araby boy draw starkly differing conclusions regarding their experiences by the end of their respective stories. In the case of Sammy, his final realization is that he has committed a mistake, but he makes no attempts to rectify it, only understanding that his life will be made more difficult. “[Lengel’s] face was dark gray and his back stiff, as if he'd just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (Updike 96), narrates Sammy, informing the audience of his realization. No great epiphany regarding the futility of his action is related at any point by Sammy; he only mentions his belief that, “...it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it’s fatal not to go through with it” (Updike 95). Sammy’s learned lesson differs from that of the Araby boy, who instead has an epiphany of the futility of vanity, witnessing its degradation of character firsthand. “...I knew my stay was useless…” (Joyce 129) the Araby boy relates, adopting a meek and humbled tone. “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger” (Joyce 129), he says. The lesson learned by the Araby boy, then, is that the entirety of his adolescent journey was fruitless save for the very lesson itself regarding its futility; vanity and vain pursuit of unrequited love through rash behavior only begets foolishness and ineptitude. It is plain that the lessons learned by the two adolescents are starkly different, then, seeing that Sammy has only gained understanding of a mistake, while the Araby boy has had an epiphany regarding vanity.
The stories of both Sammy from “A&P” and the boy from “Araby” are both the coming-of-age stories of awkward adolescent males, and through both these stories, the two youths experience struggles with young love. Over the course of their journeys, they are motivated by fleeting infatuation and confusion over their role in society to commit foolish action; by the end, they both reach conclusions regarding their experiences. In the case of Sammy, it is a lesson of rashness leading to financial instability; for the Araby boy, it is a lesson of unrequited love being no reasonable object of serious consideration. The two characters, then, share similarities in their motivations, behaviors, and societal struggles, but the lessons they learn are very different; for the reader, both stories contribute understanding of the futility of vanity and the need for rational thought.
Joyce, James. “Araby.” Literature the Human Experience. Richard Abcarian, et al. 12th ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016. 125-129.
Updike, John. “A & P.” Literature the Human Experience. Richard Abcarian, et al. 12th ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016. 92-96.