ns and looks over the pages. Shortly thereafter, the narrator claims that “[t]his rebuke…paled much of the glory of the Wild West…But when the restraining influence of school was at a distance [he] began to hunger again for wild sensations…”. This passage demonstrates the control the church has over the opinions and thoughts of the narrator. In addition, if Father Butler is considered a symbol of the church, the fear felt by the students at the prospect of his disapproval and the freedom they feel when the “restraining influence” of the church was at a distance prove the suffocating nature of religion. It is from this stifling existence that the narrator yearns to escape. This is further illustrated when Leo Dillion doesn’t appear for the ditch day because he worries that they “might meet Father Butler or someone out of the college”. Even though Father Butler’s influence on the boy’s thoughts dwindles when school lets out, he is always in their minds. His presence in their thoughts, especially at time when they are planning an activity for which they could be punished, is a parallel to the feeling of a sinner who worries what God’s punishment will be. These passages prove captivity because the purpose of ditching class was to escape the rigid and stifling world and to find excitement in the unknown. However, even in the midst of the possibility of freedom, the boys can’t help but think of what would happen if Father Butler found them. In Araby, although there is no clergyman, the theme of religious captivity is still present in Mangan’s sister, who is a symbol of the Virgin Mary. Just as a statue of the Madonna is lit from behind, on a pedestal, and defined in shadow, Mangan’s sister is lit from a lamp behind a half-opened door, while she waits on the steps for her brother to come inside, in the shadows of dusk. Just like the Virgin Mary, Man...
