Unsatisfied Quest modernisum "Araby", by James Joyce compared to "Bartleby The Scrivener", by Herman Melville

Unsatisfied Quest A "Quest" is a story in which a hero or a group of heroes seek to solve a problem. Traditionally the hero was sent by a fisher king to retrieve an object to restore the health of the kingdom. The modernist movement introduced the idea that the hero could fail his quest. This leaves the quest unsatisfied. "Araby", by James Joyce, is a good example of a modernist unsatisfied quest. The main character …

…and pained sigh: "Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!" This comment is an attempt at closure but it falls short of completing the quest. The hero of the modern story seems doomed to failure. Even though the goal is not accomplished it is still a story showing the shortcoming of the characters. But the modern story truly asks is the important part the product of the quest or is it the journey that make a great story.