In "Araby," how does Mangan's sister illustrate some of Joyce's judgments about the relationship of the Irish people to the church?

Like the narrator, Mangan's sister lives on North
Richmond, literally and figuratively a quiet, dead-end street. The neighborhood consists
of Irish families living "decent lives," within houses that "gazed at one another with
brown imperturbable faces." North Richmond is described in the story in terms of
darkness and poverty:

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. . . our play [the narrator and the other
children's outdoor activities] brought us through the dark muddy lanes behind the houses
. . . to the back doors of the dark dripping gardens where odors arose from the ashpits,
to the dark odorous stables . . .
.

In this setting at night,
"the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanterns."

In
Joyce's story, the Irish of North Richmond Street attempt to escape the hopelessness of
their lives in various ways, often by turning to the church. Mangan's sister seems to be
one of them.

As described by the narrator, she is a
beautiful, desirable young woman:

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The light from the lamp opposite our door caught
the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there and, falling, lit up the
hand upon the railing. It fell over one side of her dress and caught the white border of
a petticoat . . . .

Amid the
darkness, Mangan's sister stands in a pool of light, her beauty emphasized. She wears a
silver bracelet, and as she speaks to the narrator, she turns it "round and round her
wrist." Mangan's sister would "love to go" to Araby, saying it would be a "splendid
bazaar." She thinks the narrator is fortunate to be able to attend. She, however, cannot
go because she will be attending a retreat in her convent, the school she attends under
the supervision of Catholic nuns.

In her youth and beauty,
adorned with a bit of silver in the midst of gray poverty, Mangan's sister is called
away from life by the church; although she longs for the excitement and diversion of
Araby, she will answer the call and attend the religious retreat. Turning her silver
bracelet "round and round" as she speaks suggests restlessness, implying an inner
conflict between what Mangan's sister really wants and what the church expects of her.
Thematically, her individuality and personal desires (and perhaps her needs) are
subjugated by the church.