The short story of Araby represents many topics such as: the coming of age, meeting of imagination with reality, the loss of innocence, the consequence of idealization and so forth. The author represents these subjects with the young boy protagonist.
This boy who is secretly in love with the sister of his neighbor and friend. It’s the portrait of how human’s innocence as kids idealize life, love, and new experiences, to the point of feeling a significant disappointment when meeting reality. This boy innocence is framed significantly, as quoted from the author: "Even though the conditions of this neighborhood leave much to be desired, the children’s play is infused with their almost magical way of perceiving the world”.
A good example of this innocent youth explained in the story and its loss it’s when one day the boy has the opportunity to talk to his beloved one. She asks him if he is going to the bazaar called Araby. He, still astonished because his beloved one has addressed him, responds affirmatively even without being sure that it is so. She tells him that she cannot go because there will be a spiritual retreat at her school, so he promises to bring her a gift. Finally, the child arrives late to the bazaar because of his uncle and finds most of the businesses closed. He is very disillusioned since the bazaar was not as magnificent as he imagined it.