After reading "Araby", I felt youthful, curious and amused. The story was intriguing and well written. It had the ability to take you there and place you in the middle of the story. I was taken back to childhood and able to relate to the young boy. The story relates to many of our childhoods and us. It allows us to experience the mixed feelings we get and how we become nervous and exciting over everyday childhood experiences. .
While reading "Araby", I thought back to my youth and found myself in similar situations as the boy. I can remember wandering through the neighborhood searching the abandon houses, finding articles that belonged to the previous tenants. We would linger into abandoned buildings and "explore" from basement to rooftop. We would find ourselves in trouble because of the dangers, yet we continued despite the warnings. One of us would be on the look out for parents and police. One sight of either would send us scattering for the metal yard looking for a hiding spot until the coast was clear. The boy's adventures in the apartment buildings took him into the lives of the tenants. He often wondered about their habits and how they went about their day. He enjoyed finding their possessions and searching through them, looking for clues. I can remember avoiding girls that I had crushes on. I felt they would laugh if I spoke to them. When the opportunity presented itself, I would find myself confused about what to say. I would become nervous, anxious and excited at the same time. Young boys go through a difficult time relating to girls. The girls seem so mature and out of our league at the time. They have grown past us and we are trying to play catch up. Youth can be exciting and emotionally draining at the same time. The boy and I had similar activities. .
I felt curious because I had to imagine the scene and the contents. I was curious about how old the boy was.
