re in there is a moment of human truth however the summit of the mountain is inconclusive for the stories end in the final moment of decay.The ultimate point of decay of self in Joyces Counterparts is of the protagonist Farrington’s emptied shell filled with anger which he displaces on his son because he “let the fire out!” (p.233) Paralleling that of the fire of self, Farrington let extinguish. This loss of Farringtons self Parallels that of the loss Joyce portrays in Araby in the collapse of the protagonists Romantic perception of existence for as the lights go out in his once perceived Camelot, he sees himself “as a creature driven and derided by vanity.” (p.202) However in both cases the protagonists are left to wallow in their own decayed state of existence. In Counterparts Farrington is left in the ultimate state of a deserted sense of self, shown in the beating of his child. Similarily the main character in Araby is left in what he precieved to be the end of a Romantic journey in which holds the key to winning over the damsel. However as the story ends the protagonist is left “gazing up into complete darkness” (p.202) with a lost perception of existence.In the short story “Araby” Joyce relates the loss of a Romantic interpretation of the protagonists view of existence. While in his short story “Counterparts” Joyce explores the mounting and inevitable accelerated downward spiral of the loss of identity. Both stories relate that through loss one can gain a glimpse into a human truth. Joyce further shows the futile nature of human truth by leaving the protagonists in their own moments of decay. This is shown by the “complete darkness” (p.202) in the Romantically destined goal of the protagonist from “Araby,” and the paralleling beating of Farrington’s son. In these stories Joyce focuses on small moments of human truth related through th...
