The questions below refer to the selection “araby.”

for the boy in the story, his epiphany brings him —
a.
a gift from the bazaar
b.
renewed appreciation of the value of traditional beliefs
c.
the knowledge that his desires have been vain and foolish
d.
a seething resentment against his aunt and uncle

The correct answer is C. the knowledge that his desires have been vain and foolish.

Explanation:

The protagonist of the story is unsatisfied with his boring life; however, one day he falls in love with his friend Mangan's sister, and suddenly, there's some light in his life. He decides to go to the exotic bazaar to get her a gift to make her love him. Unfortunately, not everything goes according to his plan.

When he gets to the bazaar after a long time of debating with his uncle and aunt, the bazaar is already closing and he can't really find anything special to get Mangan's sister. At this moment, he experiences an epiphany and becomes disillusioned with his fantasies, realizing they are stupid and egoistic.

d) sarah's natural reaction to being accepted into college suggests that she has no other dreams.

sthe miracle worker  ▾search

home  >   study guides  >   the miracle worker

the miracle worker themeswilliam gibson

themes and meanings

(comprehensive guide to drama)

print  print  document  pdf  list  cite  link  link

there are two central themes in  the miracle worker: that the human spirit can triumph over even the most daunting of disabilities and that a dedicated teacher can transform the lives of those with whom he or she comes into contact. these inspirational themes have long been personified in the widely known true-life relationship between helen keller and annie sullivan, but  the miracle worker  also dramatizes collateral issues that extend beyond the particular case. underlying helen’s process of learning basic principles of what annie terms “obedience” (decorum, etiquette, and hygiene), there are more universal lessons of self-governance—the inculcation of self-restraint instead of willfulness, the development of self-discipline instead of self-indulgence. only when these lessons have been mastered can helen begin to acquire language—which, annie says, “is to the mind more than light is to the eye.”