Question

How did james joyce explore the conflict between illusion and reality in his works? be sure to include evidence from both "araby" and "eveline" in your response. your answer should be at least 250 words?

Answer 1

When it comes to illusion and reality in Joyce's Dubliners, we have to consider dreams and wishes of the protagonists and their actual lives. First of all, we have Araby. The protagonist is a young boy who is in love with a girl and wants to go to the bazaar called Araby to buy her a present. His illusion is that she will fall for him once he gives her the gift and that they will be happy together. The reality is that he is disappointed when he realizes that everything is futile - that the bazaar is practically a lie, and not this wonderful magical place he envisioned it to be, and that the girl will never actually love him. Similarly, if you take a look at Eveline, you will see that her illusion is to run away from home and her responsibilities to her father and finally be happy with her loved one. However, the reality is that she cannot escape - her responsibility towards her family is too great so she decides to stay home in Dublin instead of running away to Argentina with her boyfriend. James Joyce writes of the tragic Irish of Dublin in his anthology of stories, "The Dubliners." For one thing, there is often a delusion that occurs with these characters as they attempt to alter circumstances in their lives. For instance, in "Araby" the boy perceives Megan's sister as a perfection, much like the maiden for whom the knight strives. The boy watches across the street and worships from afar this girl who, in his mind, is a paragon. He envisions himself at the market as he carries her parcels.

Answer 2

When it comes to illusion and reality in Joyce's Dubliners, we have to consider dreams and wishes of the protagonists and their actual lives.

First of all, we have Araby. The protagonist is a young boy who is in love with a girl and wants to go to the bazaar called Araby to buy her a present. His illusion is that she will fall for him once he gives her the gift and that they will be happy together. The reality is that he is disappointed when he realizes that everything is futile - that the bazaar is practically a lie, and not this wonderful magical place he envisioned it to be, and that the girl will never actually love him.

Similarly, if you take a look at Eveline, you will see that her illusion is to run away from home and her responsibilities to her father and finally be happy with her loved one. However, the reality is that she cannot escape - her responsibility towards her family is too great so she decides to stay home in Dublin instead of running away to Argentina with her boyfriend. 

Hopefully this will be a good starting point for your essay!