Excerpt from “Araby” by James Joyce

Question

Use the passage to answer the question.
Which of the following excerpts from the passage contrasts most sharply with the protagonist’s perspective at the end of the story?

“Her brother and two other boys were fighting for their caps and I was alone at the railings.”
“These noises converged in a single sensation of life for me: I imagined that I bore my chalice safely through a throng of foes.”
“The sight of the streets thronged with buyers and glaring with gas recalled to me the purpose of my journey.”
“The high cold empty gloomy rooms liberated me and I went from room to room singing.”
“It would be a splendid bazaar, she said; she would love to go.”

Answer 1

“The sight of the streets thronged with buyers and glaring with gas recalled to me the purpose of my journey.”