Home in Araby and Gusev

Araby and Gusev continue the literary style of depicting home as the ideal place where

everybody aspires to secure refuge from the storms of life. In the context of literary works, home

entails not only the place where one lives but also the relationships they build with other people.

Whereas home is expected to provide solace, security and identity, it often becomes a symbol of

unfulfilled dreams leading to frustrations and disappointments.

The story in Araby is set in late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century Ireland on

a dead-end street. A Christian school for boys and several rusty houses stand on both sides of the

street. A lonely empty house stands at the end of the street, offset from the rest of the residential

estate by its own piece of land. The lonely house was at one time occupied by a priest who

unfortunately passed away. The street is quiet most of the day except when school ends and the

boys play along the street until late evening. This presentation of the physical environment

brings into fore the theme of home in Araby. The vivid details of the narrator's home show that

he lives in a secluded street that is rarely frequented by outsiders. Despite the loneliness of the

street, the neighborhood has a strong religious influence. However, most homes are destitute as

evidenced by the narrator's depiction of rusty houses and third-class train compartments.

The symbol of blindness frequently appears in Araby and helps in drawing attention to

the isolation of the narrator’s home. The story begins by describing the unwelcoming street

where the narrator lives as being blind and his house standing at the dead end of the street. It

states, “North Richmond Street, being blind, was a quiet street. An uninhabited house of two

storeys stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbors in a square ground” (Joyce 365). The

isolated home of the narrator makes a foreshadowing of the narrator's isolation from his

childhood friends during the later stages of his life. As he comes of age, the narrator's interest in
playing with his friends diminishes. He thus resorts to watching his friends play in the street

from the window. The narrator's isolation from his friends is akin to the separation of his home

from the rest of the neighborhood.

The depiction of rundown homes in Arabia heralds the harsh reality of life that the

narrator stumbles upon as he comes of age. The story of brown houses effectively captures a

moment of disillusionment for the narrator and hence recognizes failure. In this state of

disillusionment, the entire lives of many characters bear on the situation at hand. For instance,

the narrator is determined to win the love of his friend's sister. However, the image of his home

makes it difficult for the narrator to actualize his dreams. Essentially, poverty appears to stand on

the way of the dreams of most residents of the street.

Chekov’s story, Gusev, is set in the sea aboard a navy ship. The main protagonist in this

story is a military officer known as Gusev who has been discharged from his military duties in

the Far East after a serious illness. Gusev is recuperating in the sickbay of the ship alongside a

number of other soldiers heading home due to injuries or illnesses. Many of these soldiers are

likely to die before they reach their homes. While on his official duties, Gusev witnessed cruel

acts of inhumanity, which compounded his illness. Therefore, he looks forward to a time when

he will be back home together with his family. To Gusev and his fellow ailing soldiers home is a

symbol of freedom, peace, and tranquility. This presentation of home in Gusev contrasts sharply

with that in Araby where home symbolizes poverty and failed dreams.

Despite the differences, the presentation of home in both stories shows serious problems.

In Gusev, the main protagonist comforts himself by thinking about the severe cold and snow in

his home. This shows that the protagonist's home was located in a remote place where people

suffered due to the harsh climate. However, the protagonist appears to have accepted the
suffering as an inevitable part of life. In a similar manner, the main protagonist in Araby is also

concerned with the mundane life in his home. In both homes, poverty is a major social issue that

derails the plans of the protagonists.

Just like the life of the narrator in Araby is bounded by the poverty-stricken home in

Dublin, the life of the main protagonist in Gusev is bounded by memories of his poor family

back at home. The Gusev protagonist worries such much about his siblings and parents; his

dream of a blissful life at home after the service is in jeopardy. He worries about the fate of his

family after his inevitable death. This is clearly captured in the statement, “Then he begins to feel

bored and falls to think about his home, to which he is returning after five years of service in the

Far East” (Chekhov 138). Clearly, Gusev fears that his family home might go into ruins forcing

his parents to move into the streets.

An important take from the theme of the home as presented in Araby is the contrast

between real and the ideal. The narrators’ dreams of his love life and idealism are juxtaposed

with the uninspiring world around his home. The neighborhood where the narrator lives is dull

and gloomy. The young boy’s description of the poverty in his neighborhood shows that he as an

idealized image of his home. Similarly, he has an idealized opinion of his first love. Apparently,

it is not so much of the reality of life that captivates the narrator in Araby. Rather, the narrator is

captivated by the idea he has about life. For this reason, the narrator easily gets disappointed

when his dreams of an ideal home and love have been dashed.

In Gusev, the most important take about the theme of home is people’s inability to change

situations. Gusev wishes to get home alive but his condition will not allow him to reach the

shores. He is thus resigned to fate, despite his endless fantasy with his home. He knows that he

cannot change the situation but is determined to enjoy the last moments of his life as if he is at
home. This spirit of determination makes Gusev see his impending death, and that of his

colleagues as a mere passage of rite that will ultimately serve to connect him with nature.
 Works Cited

Chekhov, Anton. Gusev. Gale: Cengage Learning, 2009.

Joyce, James. Araby. London: HarperPerennial Classics, 2014.