Short Stories From Echoes

The two stories, “Araby” and “Going to The Moon”, seem to have a common theme, fascination and fear of things different. From the opposite sex to distant places, these fascinations exist within all people. “Araby” is the story of a young boy’s journey to a mystical bazaar known as Araby. “Going to The Moon” is the story of a young boy who feels “isolated and like an interloper in his world” and a dream of other worlds to be free of ridicule. The two characters mentioned above are prime examples of allure of the “other”. In the upcoming paragraphs, will explain how each of these young boys is drawn to the “other”.

First, in “Araby” there are two things that the boy is drawn to; the first thing is the mystical and mysterious bazaar called Araby. It was described by Mangan’s sister to be a “splendid bazaar”, which lead the boy to embark on his journey to the bazaar. He was the only one on the special train to the bazaar. When he arrived there, the author described it to be “big tall” and compares it to a church. But he realizes that this place isn’t as great as he thought it would be. The young boy is drawn to Araby because it is something out of the ordinary, the “other”. It fascinated him but not all is as great as it seems.

The second item that the boy in “Araby” is drawn to is Mangan’s sister. His love for her is the allure to the opposite sex. He cared for her in an almost religious love. “Her name sprang to my lips at moments in strange prayers and praises which I myself did not understand.” Also her name and her body are constantly associated to light, which often relates to religion. He went to Araby for the purpose of buying her a gift since she could not go there. He, like many other males, has a natural yet mysterious fascination of the “other” gender.

The second story is “Going to the Moon”, which has similar ties to, like “Araby” to the allure of the “other”. The first thing that draws the young boy and his family is America. Like numerous others world wide, the mystical aura of the U.S.A spreads far and wide. This story is good proof of that, America, to this young boy, represents freedom and prosperity. The first sentence in this story suggests that. “Windsor seemed a kind of purgatory to me, a temporary stop between whatever hell my parents had left behind in Italy and the vague promise of the skyline that opened up beyond the Detroit River. In winter that skyline’s tall buildings stood unnaturally still and crisp in the cold air, on the verge, it seemed, of singing; in summer they shimmered and burned in the heat and smog.” From the get go, he described Windsor to be purgatory, “place or condition of suffering, expiation, or remorse”, towards him. And he continues to describe America, like a place of sanctity and peace. To this young boy, America is a utopia, but many people would beg to differ. The riots and all the chaos quickly changed the boy’s perspective of the once “glamorous” country.

The second thing that this young boy is drawn to is his grade one teacher, Miss. Johnson. He is drawn to her in a puppy love attraction, which some young people may experience. He pictured her as a bridge to a “bright small hope” for his family and him. She treated him like she treated all her other students as if “nothing was strange or remarkable about him”. He was drawn to Miss. Johnson because that compassion was something different. It was unlike how everyone else treated him.

These two stories are related to each other through this theme. They have characters that are drawn to things, out of the ordinary. The four ideas mentioned in the previous paragraphs are all related to the mysterious fascination of all that is different. But only some of those four ideas are related to each other.

The first two that are parallel to each other are Mangan’s sister from “Araby” and Miss. Johnson from “Going to the Moon”. They are the two females from each story who each boy falls head over heels for. It is the infamous lure of the opposite sex, which many of us have experienced through out our lives. Mangan’s sister is described as a religious figure. But Miss. Johnson is described as a colourful, vibrant figure. They may vary in description but the boys’ perception of each of them is similar: a figure of compassion and love.

The next two areas which are similar are the two places: Araby and America. These two places are visualized by the character to be places of prosperity and a world of difference. Araby, the mystical bazaar, is visualized by the character to be a ‘splendid” and lively place much like we imagine Las Vegas. Then boy realizes the bazaar is not lively and seems rather dull. In “Going to the Moon”, America is a place where he can be free of ridicule and achieve great things with his life. He thought it would have no violence and basically act as a safe haven for him and his family. But in both cases, the character is quick to realize that all is not it seems. Their hopes for a new world shattered and reality kicks back in.

It may frighten us or it may fascinate us but our fascination of the “other” will continue to exist whether is be UFOs or just simply the other gender. These two stories, “Araby” and “Going to the Moon”, showed that from the eyes of two young males. These stories proved that, “Not all that shimmers is gold,” this analogy applies to many things which include people and places.