Dependence on the Self in Portrait of the Artist as a
Dependence on the Self in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man examines the hormone-laden transition from child to adult that we all repress to the recesses of our subconscious. Stephen Dedalus’ stream of conscious portrays this painful phase of life. Stephen desires acceptance from his peers and mentors like all lost souls trapped in the whirlwind of adolescence. Stephen gains the acceptance he seeks, but each successive victory leads him further away from the security of the beaten path. When Stephen finally learns to accept validation solely from within himself he truly takes the step from boy to man and from wanderer to artist. From an early age Joyce illustrates Stephen as an unusually quiet and pensive boy. While the other students at Clongowes are content with diverting their minds with gossip and shallow conversation, Stephen worries himself with the concerns far beyond his years: “It pained him that he did not know well what politics meant and that he did not know where the universe ended”(8). Stephen fails multiple times to connect with his peers as a result of his self-preserved nature. They taunt and bully him, but Stephen still longs for connection: “They all laughed at him. Stephen tried to laugh with them. He felt his whole body hot and confused for a moment.”(7). The validation Stephen seeks finally comes when he confronts the rector about the injustice of Father Dolan’s false accusation and punishment. The other boys of Clongowes hail his subversion of the priest as an act of immense heroism: Stephen seemed powerless in the shadow of Father Dolan. When Stephen leaves the rector’s office in victory , a troop of jubilant boys congratulate Stephen for toppling the cruelty of the hated priest. They prop him up on their shoulders in revelry and throwing their caps in the air. Stephen feels a foreign emotion in place of fulfillment after this reception: “The cheers died away in the soft grey air. He was alone. He was happy and free” (40). The ensuing emptiness shows Stephen that he will not find fulfillment from the acceptance of his peers, and he turns his search for validation to a different goal.
Stephen finds his next pursuit of acceptance at a school retreat honoring Saint Francis Xavier. Stephen takes on a sharp fear of damnation after a series of sermons delivered by Father Arnall. Stephen sees in this dedication he is different from the other boys on which Father Arnall’s words made little impression. They sit unruffled and eat while Stephen cannot quit the emotion of the sermon from his mind “the silence was filled by the sound of softly browsing cattle as the other boys munched their lunches tranquilly (and) lulled his aching soul” (89). Stephen dedicates himself to the purity that his priestly mentors have imparted on him, avoiding women in the fear that even the briefest eye contact will lead him to sin. His veneration of Catholic morality catches the eye of the priests who offer Stephen entrance to the priesthood, telling him “to receive that call (to the priesthood)… is the greatest that the Almighty God can bestow upon a man”(113 The priesthood has been the path intended for Stephen since birth, and he has worked toward achieving priesthood unabatedly. To his surprise, Stephen’s thoughts turn to doubt in place of joy over Father Arnall’s offer Even though Stephen gained the validation of being offered the priesthood, a feeling of fulfillment does not follow. He decides “His destiny was to be elusive of social and religious order… He was destined to learn his own wisdom apart from the others… wandering among the snares of the world”(116). Stephen abandons the direction he has held onto so tightly and searches for meaning in the pursuit of secular knowledge. Stephen’s decision to refuse the priesthood brings the disapproval of his father who refers to Stephen as “your lazy bitch brother”(126) when talking to his other children. Nonetheless, Stephen jumps whole-heartedly into a new identity as an educated university student. Stephen often partakes in pompous, severely sophomoric intellectual discussions with his classmates . They cleverly refer to him as “Stephenophoros” to grandstand their knowledge of Latin. Stephen confirms to himself his intellectual superiority when coming across the Dean of Students lighting a fire on campus green. The dean’s lack of knowledge of the local Irish dialect evokes Stephen’s condescension: “Stephen looked at the English convert with the same eyes as the elder brother in the parable may have turned on the prodigal”(136).
The Dean of Students meets Stephen’s arrogance with a gruff departure, similar to the way Stephen drives away the acquaintance of his fellow students with his brash sarcasm. One such occasion arises when Stephen contorts to the deeply patriotic Davin “Do you know what Ireland is-asked Stephen with cold violence- Ireland is an old sow that eats her farrow” (148) Stephen has built for himself a strong reputation as an intellectual at his university but this validation does not provide the satisfaction that he seeks. He realizes that the edifice of human relationships he has based his identity on is not leading him closer to his goal but to a superficial façade of artistry. In an intimate dialogue with Cranly Stephen relays: “I do not fear to be alone, or to leave what I have to leave.”(181) Stephen knows he must leave the security of his boyhood home to truly realize his full self. Stephen has breaks his connections to boyhood, and the artist is born with this remark. Stephen displays his independence by leaving behind the analytical third person and taking up the self-sufficient first person. Although Stephen still compares his ideas to those of his peers the judgment now comes from within himself and not from a distant omniscient narrator. As the books closes Stephen departs from his mother, the first person to ever know or love him, and cries out “Welcome! O Life!” (185). He turns to his new master: the art, to show him the way of manhood. With the closing line he bildungsroman is complete “Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead” (185).
Works Cited Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York: Dover Publication, 1994. Print.
Stephen finds his next pursuit of acceptance at a school retreat honoring Saint Francis Xavier. Stephen takes on a sharp fear of damnation after a series of sermons delivered by Father Arnall. Stephen sees in this dedication he is different from the other boys on which Father Arnall’s words made little impression. They sit unruffled and eat while Stephen cannot quit the emotion of the sermon from his mind “the silence was filled by the sound of softly browsing cattle as the other boys munched their lunches tranquilly (and) lulled his aching soul” (89). Stephen dedicates himself to the purity that his priestly mentors have imparted on him, avoiding women in the fear that even the briefest eye contact will lead him to sin. His veneration of Catholic morality catches the eye of the priests who offer Stephen entrance to the priesthood, telling him “to receive that call (to the priesthood)… is the greatest that the Almighty God can bestow upon a man”(113 The priesthood has been the path intended for Stephen since birth, and he has worked toward achieving priesthood unabatedly. To his surprise, Stephen’s thoughts turn to doubt in place of joy over Father Arnall’s offer Even though Stephen gained the validation of being offered the priesthood, a feeling of fulfillment does not follow. He decides “His destiny was to be elusive of social and religious order… He was destined to learn his own wisdom apart from the others… wandering among the snares of the world”(116). Stephen abandons the direction he has held onto so tightly and searches for meaning in the pursuit of secular knowledge. Stephen’s decision to refuse the priesthood brings the disapproval of his father who refers to Stephen as “your lazy bitch brother”(126) when talking to his other children. Nonetheless, Stephen jumps whole-heartedly into a new identity as an educated university student. Stephen often partakes in pompous, severely sophomoric intellectual discussions with his classmates . They cleverly refer to him as “Stephenophoros” to grandstand their knowledge of Latin. Stephen confirms to himself his intellectual superiority when coming across the Dean of Students lighting a fire on campus green. The dean’s lack of knowledge of the local Irish dialect evokes Stephen’s condescension: “Stephen looked at the English convert with the same eyes as the elder brother in the parable may have turned on the prodigal”(136).
The Dean of Students meets Stephen’s arrogance with a gruff departure, similar to the way Stephen drives away the acquaintance of his fellow students with his brash sarcasm. One such occasion arises when Stephen contorts to the deeply patriotic Davin “Do you know what Ireland is-asked Stephen with cold violence- Ireland is an old sow that eats her farrow” (148) Stephen has built for himself a strong reputation as an intellectual at his university but this validation does not provide the satisfaction that he seeks. He realizes that the edifice of human relationships he has based his identity on is not leading him closer to his goal but to a superficial façade of artistry. In an intimate dialogue with Cranly Stephen relays: “I do not fear to be alone, or to leave what I have to leave.”(181) Stephen knows he must leave the security of his boyhood home to truly realize his full self. Stephen has breaks his connections to boyhood, and the artist is born with this remark. Stephen displays his independence by leaving behind the analytical third person and taking up the self-sufficient first person. Although Stephen still compares his ideas to those of his peers the judgment now comes from within himself and not from a distant omniscient narrator. As the books closes Stephen departs from his mother, the first person to ever know or love him, and cries out “Welcome! O Life!” (185). He turns to his new master: the art, to show him the way of manhood. With the closing line he bildungsroman is complete “Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead” (185).
Works Cited Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York: Dover Publication, 1994. Print.
