Imagery of Dark vs Light in James Joyce's "Araby"

The most remarkable imagery in Joyce's' "Araby" is the imagery of dark and light. The whole story reads like a chiaroscuro, a play of light and darkness. Joyce uses the darkness to describe the reality which the boy lives in and the light to describe the boy's imagination - his love for Mangan's sister. The story starts with the description of the dark surroundings of the boy: his neighborhood and his home. Joyce uses these …

…shown in the end when the boy tells that he sees himself as a "creature driven and derided by vanity" (46). The boy senses the falsity of his dreams. He sees the dark reality and his eyes burn "with anguish and anger". The last sentence reveals anger, hostility and a sense of harsh realization that his love for the girl was based on ignorance and self-deception. Realizing this, the boy takes his first step into adulthood.