What are examples of symbolism in Araby?

Much of
the symbolism in the work revolves around Catholicism. One example of symbolism is the Catholic
priest, who could be said, given the overall ambivalence toward the Catholic Church in the work,
could be said to represent the entire Church. The bazaar represents exoticism in the rather
parochial world of Dublin, and the boy's trip there is somewhat of a pilgrimage. Mangan's sister
is an example of chasteness and femininity, traits associated with the Virgin Mary. On the other
hand, both the pawnbroker's widow anditself might be read as representative of crass
commercialism and materialism, with Araby being a notably shallow form of
it.