"Araby" is about a young boy and his first experience with love.

Araby is the story of a young boy who is attracted to his friend's older sister. The girl, who is probably much older, is unattainable. The boy experiences the feelings of love for the first time. The boy, who is raised in a strict Catholic family, adores his love from a distance. He is constantly thinking about the girl. His thoughts of her interfere with his school work, and are present in every aspect of …

…story the narrator feels disillusioned because he was unable to obtain a gift for the girl. He felt this way because he worshiped her and wanted to get her something to show her that he had feelings for her. The narrator at the end of the story realizes for the first time that he was driven by the desire to have something that he really couldn't have and the reality that it was not attainable.