“Araby” is a bit of an antiquity because it is so far removed from our own modern culture, where we don’t experience the same climate of religious oppression nor do we inhabit the same traditional world where strict gender distinctions are made. And if false piety exists, most people today don’t care about it. Therefore, the story loses much of its relevance to contemporary readers.
Gay and Lesbian theory is a great way to bring “Araby” into the 21st century. Here’s the pitch: the boy is so caught up and confused by cultural expectations (romance novels) and religious oppression, that throughout the story he is deceiving himself—suppressing his true sexual identity. Throughout the story, he is in a perpetual state of confusion and internal struggle; he doesn’t know whether he should perceive her as an ethereal angel or a woman, but his is really a subconscious expression of his battle for another sexual identity. His quest for Mangan’s sister is spiritual, but his epiphany......
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