Religous_Symbolism_In_“Eveline“_&_“Araby“

Religous Symbolism In “Eveline“ & “Araby“ James Joyce (1882-1941) rejected his Irish-Catholic heritage and left his native homeland at the age of twenty. Though he was ostracized most of his life, Joyce wrote almost exclusively about his native Dublin. Although Joyce rejected his religion, he relied on the use of religious symbols to make a point. In “Araby” and “Eveline” Joyce uses religious symbols to show the importance of the Catholic religion in both of the main characters’ lives. Both of these stories take place in Dublin, Ireland, a place that is very strong in its belief in the Catholic religion. In “Araby,” the imagery of the infamous “Fall” is presented to the reader within the second paragraph to indicate its importance. The themes of religious masses can be found in “Eveline.” The concept of the Catholic Ash Wednesday is presented throughout both “Araby” and “Eveline.” The second paragraph of “Araby” presents the idea of the Adam and Eve story known as “The Fall.” “The wild garden behind the house contained a central apple tree and a few straggling bushes under one of which I found the late tenant’s rusty bicycle pump.” In eveline, araby, religion, catholic, important, life, main, joyce, dust, wednesday, religious, ash, very, time, story, mass, character, both, one, lives, catholicism, because, word, symbols, show, responsibility, importance, eve, black, adam, words, throughout, through, theme, stories