“A
Portrait
of
the
Artist
as
a
Young
Man”:
Shaping
Identity By
April
16
2012

Powell Texts
and
Contexts 16
April
2012 “A
Portrait
of
the
Artist
as
a
Young
Man”:
Shaping
Identity The
first
scene
of
James
Joyce’s
novel
“A
Portrait
of
the
Artist
as
a
Young
Man”
presents the
protagonist,
as
a
child
then
as
a
young
man.
This
scene
condenses
the
journey
by foreshadowing
the
challenges
the
protagonist
will
experience
leading
to
him
becoming
the
artist he
was
meant
to
be:
we
are
introduced
to
three
major
forces
that
shape
his
identity
and
thoughts; Irish
Nationalism,
Catholic
Identity,
and
sensitivity. James
Joyce’s
choice
of
Dublin,
Ireland
at
the
end
of
the
19th
century
as
the
setting
is critical
for
this
novel.
Ireland
was
experiencing
oppression
and
reform
from
their
conquerors,
the British.
The
political
dimension
of
this
time
period
is
introduced
using
the
implications
of
song. The
music
is
used
to
represent
the
struggle
for
Irish
independence
which
is
a
consistent
theme throughout
the
novel.
The
song
begins
with
“O,
the
wild
rose
blossoms”;
when
a
plant
is
wild
it
is often
growing
rampant
implying
that
it
is
an
unwelcome
weed
in
an
environment
that
is
not
its own.
Suffocating
all
other
life
“on
the
little
green
place”
which
is
Ireland.
The
song
ends
with Stephen
pondering
“O,
the
green
wothe
botheth”;
if
the
rose
were
green
instead
of
red
implying Irish
independence
however,
still
saying
the
rose
is
still
a
rose
regardless
of
the
color.
This
could mean
that
even
if
the
Irish
governed
themselves
it
was
still
be
oppressive
because
it
is
a traditionally
confined
country.
This
foreshadows
his
feelings
of
entrapment
within
his
own country,
eventually
leading
to
him
leaving
Ireland. The
entrapment
was
largely
felt
because
of
the
divide
in
religion
between
Catholics
and

Protestants
in
particular.
This
divide
is
directly
related
to
the
first
scene
of
the
novel.
Stephen Dedalus
is
a
very
devout
Catholic,
weary
of
sin
and
reverent
to
the
Virgin
Mary.
However,
his relationship
becomes
strained
when
he
develops
temptations
for
what
is
unholy.
This
foreshadows the
challenges
he
will
face
with
his
religious
identity
effecting
his
character
development eventually
making
him
into
the
artist
he
is
destined
to
become.
The
first
temptation
he experiences
is
a
crush
he
develops
on
the
girl
next
door,
Eileen,
who
is
Protestant.
He
knew
this was
wrong
he
was
ashamed
of
these
feelings
so,
“he
hid
under
the
table”.
His
uncle,
Dante,
was furious
exclaiming
that
if
Stephen
did
not
stop
then,
“the
eagles
will
come
and
pull
out
his
eyes”. Dante’s
violent
anger
towards
Protestants
goes
against
Stephens
sensitive
nature.
This
first negative
experience
he
has
with
his
faith
foreshadows
others
he
will
have
as
the
novel
develops. Stephen
realizes
later
that
the
way
in
which
he
was
raised
under
the
Catholic
light
is
not
suitable for
his
delicate
and
compassionate
nature,
eventually
leading
him
to
becoming
a
nonbeliever. Ultimately
deciding
to
embrace
life
and
all
of
humanities
pitfalls
believing
there
to
be
beauty
in man’s
sinful
nature. The
novel
starts
with
“once
upon
a
time”:
this
is
the
beginning
of
a
rhyme
that
Stephen’s father
told
him
as
a
child.
The
language
used
in
the
story
is
childish:
“moocow,”
“tuckoo,”
and “nicens”
all
of
which
can
be
considered
childish
mannerisms.
Stephen
identifies
with
the
“baby tuckoo”
character
inserting
himself
into
the
story
then
creating
his
own
ending:
this
is
the beginning
of
him
searching
for
the
purpose
for
his
existence
and
place
in
life.
The
poetic
way
in which
he
views
his
life
and
his
naive
way
he
makes
sense
of
life
shows
his
sensitivity.
Aside
from the
language
Joye
uses
also
uses
syntax
and
paragraph
structure
to
depict
the
naiveness
of
a
child’s thoughts.
There
seems
to
be
no
consistent
train
of
thought
jumping
from
the
father
telling
the story,
to
Stephen
looking
at
his
father’s
features,
and
back
again
to
focusing
on
the
story.
This

inability
for
Stephen
to
stay
on
topic
and
only
being
able
to
describe
his
experiences
in
simple

words
and
phrases
are
signs
of
immaturity.
These
streams
of
consciousness
that
James
Joyce writes
in
evolves
as
Stephen
matures,
into
having
deep
contemplations
of
beauty,
religion,
and
art as
an
adult. The
narrative
of
“A
Portrait
of
the
Artist
as
a
Young
Man”
by
James
Joyce
charts
the development
of
Stephen
Dedalus
from
childhood
to
manhood.
The
first
scene
presents
critical aspects
of
the
novel
that
develop
Stephen
Dedalus
into
the
artist
he
becomes.
Irish
nationalism, Catholicism,
and
Stephens
sensitive
nature
are
critical
for
his
character
development:
influencing his
attitudes
towards
his
life.
The
result
of
these
major
influences
is
seen
in
Chapter
Five
when
he developed
a
theory
of
aesthetics
and
realizes
that
he
is
meant
to
be
a
poet
and
a
writer
by
trade and
bring
Irish
culture
to
the
world
reclaiming
its
autonomy.