At the end of James Joyce’s Araby, the boy feels a profound sense of disappointment and disillusionment. After being filled with romantic notions and eager anticipation about visiting the bazaar, he arrives only to find it nearly closing and lacking the enchantment he had envisioned.
As he stands in the empty, dimly lit hall, surrounded by the mundane reality of the stalls, the boy experiences a harsh awakening. His idealized visions of Araby shatter as he recognizes the disparity between his dreams and the unremarkable truth. The realization that his quest for beauty and meaning in a mundane world has led him to nothing more than a trivial experience strikes him with a deep sense of failure.
The story concludes with the boy’s internal reflection, a moment of clarity and bitterness as he acknowledges the futility of his desires. This ending encapsulates the theme of lost innocence and the sometimes harsh realities of growing up, leaving the boy with a lingering sense of regret and a newfound awareness of the complexities of life.