Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this story. Read these sentences from "Araby" about the boy's frustration as he waits for his uncle to come home. Joyce uses the setting to allude to how the boy feels about this particular time in his life.

I mounted the staircase and gained the upper part of the house. The high cold empty gloomy rooms liberated me and I went from room to room singing. From the front window I saw my companions playing below in the street. Their cries reached me weakened and indistinct and, leaning my forehead against the cool glass, I looked over at the dark house where she lived.

How does this allusion affect the meaning of this passage?

It describes how the boy seeks higher ground as a refuge from his confusion and passion for the girl.

It hints at how the boy's confusion about the girl makes him more understanding of his childish friends.

It depicts how the boy's frustration with his uncle's lateness sends him upstairs to find other distractions.

It shows how the boy realizes he is outgrowing his friends as he looks down on them playing in the street.