James Joyce as a Young Man - Book Report/Review Example

James Joyce. James Joyce as a young man. GRADE James Joyce whose full was James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was a writer from Ireland. He is often counted among writers in the 20th century wielding the most influence. He is well known for the novel The portrait of the artist as a young man, a semi autobiography which he wrote in 1916. However, he has other writings including a collection of short stories referred to as the Dubliners, written in 1914. Nonetheless his best known works can be considered to be the novel Ulysses which he authored in 1922. Other works include the Finnegans Wake written in 1939. ("The life and works of James Joyce") The novel the portrait of the artist as a young man is one of James Joyce's most read writings and is essentially an autobiography by James Joyce. The central character Stephen Dedalus is representative of the author James Joyce. The book follows the life of Stephen Dedalus up from childhood to adulthood and maturity. Stephen narrates about his life. The narration of the story gives insight into the life of James Joyce alias Stephen Dedalus. From the story, we get to understand of his childhood; the bullying he experienced, his emotional and sexual development and how later in life James experienced a crisis of faith spurred on by a sermon titled hellfire given by father Arnall. Again, Stephen Dedalus can also be found in the other writings of James Joyce, Ulysses. ("The life and works of James Joyce") The plot and setting again provide meaningful insight into the Ireland at the time and more importantly the nature of Irish politics of the time. At the time of writing The portrait of the artist as a young man, it is worth noting that Irish nationalism was at it peak. The fact that James Joyce experienced a crisis of faith is proof enough that his writings have considerable religious influence more so Catholicism for the simple fact he was born and raised in a catholic family. The central character Stephen Dedalus can be said to have been named after the Dedalus a famous character in Greek mythology. In the mythology, Dedalus made himself and his son a pair of wings so that they could fly away. Dedalus who was an architect felt trapped in one of his own constructions. While the wings helped Dedalus and Icarus escape, his son Icarus flew too close to the sun and the wax on his artificial wings melted. In the end Icarus fell into the sea leaving his father forlorn. Just like Dedalus the Greek mythological character, Stephen Dedalus, in the novel The portrait of the artist as a young man, has rise above the tribulations in his life. And for this, he also needs some kind of wings. To a great extent the Greek mythology of Dedalus and Icarus is representative of the central theme of the novel, The portrait of the artist as a young man. Just like in the Greek mythology, Stephen Dedalus, refuses to follow his father's path, rebel against religion, feels trapped in his life and ultimately finds a way to escape his past. (The portrait of the artist as a young man") As the novel begins, the story of Stephen Dedalus begins to unfold. It provides information on his family and his childhood. From childhood in the family set up, Stephen then moves into schools at the Longbows Wood College which was primarily a Jesuit boarding school for boys. It had its basis on Catholicism. Thus for the most part, Stephen spends his time in boarding school apart from over the holidays. During one such holiday is when he first contact with politics during talk on the politics of the day by his family members. This is where he come to learn of Charles Stewart Parnell, a prominent Irish political leader at the time. ("The portrait of the artist as a young man") As Stephen Dedalus is growing up and subsequently matures, he begins to understand about his position in Irish life. This was in the 1900 when life in Ireland can be considered to have been turbulent. Various individuals were fighting and advocating for the independence of Ireland from British colonialism and rule. It is openly clear that when nations and countries are fighting for their independence, life then is usually precarious, sometimes even violent and chaotic. So, Stephen Dedalus in his struggles to rise above his tribulations, rebels against society. He also struggles against his beliefs and his heritage. (McManus) According to Thomas, there are three main themes in the novel, portrait of the artist as a young man. The first can be considered to be Catholicism and priest hood, which Joyce concluded are not in his future. The life of James Joyce is played out by Stephen Dedalus the main character who rebels from the catholic church and even refuses to become priest much to his mother's chagrin. Secondly, is the theme of arts. James Joyce seemed to be well aware of where his future lay. in the arts more so in writing. Again, this is effectively demonstrated by Stephen Dedalus who ends up seeking for and finding solace in writing after facing difficulties in his life. In the third theme, Ireland is resented by James Joyce as a rotten country. This can be attributed to the fact during the time of writing the novel, there is a clamor for the independence of Ireland from oppressive British rule. For this reason James Joyce talks of wanting to leave Ireland; go on exile. This is again exemplified by Stephen Dedalus. Both James Joyce and the character Stephen Dedalus end up leaving Ireland and settling elsewhere in Europe where they take up their passion, writing. (Thomas) Irish politics is major theme that has been addressed by James Joyce and represented by Stephen Dedalus in the portrait of the artist as a young man. In the novel, the portrait of the artist as a young man James Joyce uses Stephen Dedalus to idolize and sometimes admonish certain prominent characters in the Irish political landscape. For instance, there is mention of the revolutionaries of the 1916 Easter rising, the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), Sinn Fein and Charles Steward Parnell. During the writing and publishing of the portrait of the artist as a young man in 1916, some 1000 to 1500 Irish patriots tried to capture Dublin town on an Easter holiday. These revolutionaries were known as the Easter rising. The attempted capture of the town of Dublin had important ramifications. Approximately 1000 Irish people, many of whom were women and children died. More over, an estimated 500 men of British origin, who comprised soldiers and policemen, also died. The Easter rising revolutionaries had come up not spontaneously but gradually in protest owing to the decades of oppressive rule that the Irish were experiencing at the time at the hands of the British. In any society, whenever the people feel oppressed, rebellion almost always occur. Rebellion is usually a way for the oppressed people to break free and away from the chains of oppression. Consequently, it would be correct to conclude that the political situation in Ireland, with the rebellion and the revolutionaries, was not only explosive but also precarious. ("The portrait of the artist as a young man") Both the religious and political factions in Ireland during this period of the 20th century were openly divided. As a result, all the views that Stephen attempted to raise were often met with mixed feelings. Stephen was not too thrilled with the situation and he clearly felt the need to rebel. Just like Dedalus the Greek, he needed some wings that he could use to break away and fly into some new setting where his opinions were not met with mixed feelings. A setting where he could openly and freely express all his thoughts. He would later seek and find solace in his writings, his pen and paper. (McManus) The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was another group in Irish politics that were advocating for the independence of Ireland from the oppressive British. As opposed to the revolutionaries, the IRB was primarily made up of intellectuals. Though, both groups were fighting for the independence of Ireland from the oppressive rule of the British. The main man in the IRB camp was Charles Stewart Parnell. Parnell is significant to Stephen for the simple fact that his aunt, who Stephen referred to as Dante in the novel, was one of his biggest supporters. In addition, at some point, Stephen's father had been employed by Parnell. (Thomas) In Ireland, Charles Stewart Parnell was primarily a protestant land owner who also held very fundamental nationalistic principles. A talk with his Dante one time during dinner about Parnell marks Stephen's first introduction to politics and from there on he idolizes Parnell and all the things that he stands for; radical nationalism. However, at this point in time Stephen is still quite young meaning he had not yet learnt to form his own opinions, either political or otherwise. It was evident he idolized Parnell for the simple reason that his aunt was his supporter. At this period in time he was quite young to really understand what it meant that Parnell was a radical nationalist but he adored Parnell anyway. Nonetheless, as Stephen matured he learnt to form his own opinions. This is the reason that he is still in support of Parnell even after his aunt withdrew her support. (McManus) It would then appear that James Joyce just like Stephen Dedalus grew up in Ireland when politics was most turbulent. As a result, all the arguments and political discourse James Joyce participated in or overheard about the different Irish leaders at the time somehow found their way into his subsequent writings. ("The life and work of James Joyce") As far as the influence of Catholicism in the writing of James Joyce/Stephen Dedalus is concerned, it can be considered to have been un avoidable. In the novel, the portrait of the artist as a young man, Stephen's mother is portrayed as one very religious woman; could be considered to be a staunch catholic. (Joyce vi) Her only concern was that that her family would experience only peace and happiness. Consequently, she believes that her son Stephen can only find happiness in the church. However, Stephen is shown to reject the church at very young age, even before he sees the college doors. Probably because he was introduced to the church at a very young age. Still, much later and as he matured, he becomes tolerant of the church more so that he wholly embraced it to a point that he was even offered the opportunity to study as a priest. As expected, his mother could not hold back her joy when she learnt that her son had been offered the opportunity to become a priest. Her joy came from her belief that her son Stephen would receive salvation through the wearing of the priest robes. It is unfortunate that Stephen was not too keen on becoming a priest and consequently broke his mother's heart. More over, by not becoming a priest Stephen appeared to be rejecting his mother and all the ideals; of salvation and happiness that she held for him. ("The portrait of the artist as a young man") Again, James Joyce was brought up a catholic. Thus, the name Stephen can be said to have been borrowed from Saint Stephen. Saint Stephen was one of the very first martyrs, killed because he had problems/conflicts with customary religion. Just like Saint Stephen, it is openly clear that Stephen Dedalus had problems with religion, otherwise why else would he question it. In the novel the portrait of the artist as a young man, the biggest fight that Stephen is shown to be going through is the struggle with his beliefs. As a baby and like all babies everywhere, he takes all that his parents tell him as law. Again, just like all growing children, as he matures and gets exposed to many issues and things, he begins to question all that his parents say to him. Like all young people as they are growing up and on the verge of adulthood, Stephen struggles with the ideas that he has grown with and those that define him. Therefore, he begins to question and define who he really is, what he wants to do in life and his religion. As Stephen is growing up, he accepts anything to do with religion as the gospel truth. However, all this changes when the Catholic Church, Stephen's church, withdraws its support for and also condemns his hero, the leader of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, Charles Stewart Parnell. The result is an internal conflict for Stephen. The church and Parnell are two very important things in Stephen's life yet they were not united. This resulted in Stephen questioning both the Catholic Church and his hero Parnell. In the end, Stephen concluded that only one of them was right, though he was not sure which one. To quell the conflict in his mind, Stephen then turns to his family. On the one hand, his aunt, Dante, advised Stephen that God and religion came before everything else. On the other hand, Stephen's other family members advised him that God was not really necessary. Ultimately, Stephen could not look for answers on religion from his family. ("The portrait of the artist as a young man") The other place he could look for answers was in the church from the priests. However, he faced certain other challenges. He did not really believe in the priests as divine appointees for the simple reason that they had once punished him for not doing his homework even when he had informed them that his glasses were broken. He had considered the punishment as unjust and from then on had not been able to believe in the priests. While he had much respect for the priests, he did not essentially believe or care for what they preached. Accordingly, as Stephen grew older and older, religion seemed to take a back seat in his life to a point that he began to explore his life through sin, seeking prostitutes. (McManus) It can be argued that James Joyce began to formulate his ideas and feelings about family and church when he was in college. These ideas would then appear and re appear in his fictional writings. Just like Stephen Dedalus in the novel, the portrait of the artist as a young man, James Joyce chose not to remain in the catholic church as a member despite the fact that he had grown up and was raised on catholic ideals. But, even though he chose not to become a member of the catholic church he nonetheless shunned hypocrisy, especially religious hypocrisy. ("The life and work of James Joyce") Thus, religion can be concluded to have had a profound effect on the writings of John Joyce and by extension, his character Stephen Dedalus. Stephen began his writings during the period he was experiencing struggles with religion and in his quest to find answers. To a great extent, the writings seemed to help Stephen ease the conflict in his conscience. During the period when Stephen refused to become a priest, his writings replaced confession as the forgiveness from his sins; seeking prostitutes and sacrilege. (McManus) In the end, Stephen left Ireland and moved into mainland Europe just so that he could continue with what had liberated him, his writing. Writing became his life. Through his writing, Stephen was able to escape from the daily battles and troubles that had characterized much of his life. (Thomas) Evidently, Stephen Dedalus' life is one interesting journey with conjunctions of family, politics and religion. It is these issues that made his life turmoilous, making him want to escape. Writing, to a great extent provided this opportunity for him. Through his pen and paper he could easily escape from all the expectations and the toil that had come to characterize his life. The pen became the wings through which Stephen flies away like Dedalus the Greek. James Joyce can be regarded as one of the most influential Irish writers. He has written considerable works from Ulysses, Dubliners, Finnegans Wake and the novel The portrait of the artist as a young man. All his writings can be traced back to the early to mid part of the 20th century. The novel the portrait of the artist as a young man was for instance written in 1916. The novel can be said to be an autobiography speaking about the life of James Joyce since he was a child up until the time he was an adult. Through the narration of the novel, the reader is able to look into the life of the main character in the novel, Stephen Dedalus, which can be concluded to be essentially the life of James Joyce. The reader is then able to deduce that James Joyce through Stephen Dedalus was brought up in catholic family in Ireland. The setting of the novel in Ireland provides meaningful insight into the political situation in Ireland at the time. It was a period when Ireland was experiencing political turmoil, this was the time when the Irish were fighting for their independence from the oppressive rule of the British. The novel can be said to have three major themes all touching on the life of James Joyce as represented by Stephen Dedalus. These are Catholicism and priesthood something that Stephen was well aware was not cut out for him even though his parents were catholic and he was brought up with the ideals of Catholicism. Secondly, is politics. Politics becomes a major theme in the novel because James Joyce experienced the hard times that Ireland had experienced in a bid to rid itself of British rule. Thirdly is the arts (writing). This is the one thing that James Joyce again represented by Stephen Dedalus knew was for him. Writing can be considered as his passion. Consequently, the major influences into the works of James Joyce can be said to be Catholicism and the politics of the time. The main character of the novel portrait of the artist as a young man, Stephen Dedalus, can be said to have been named after the Greek mythological character Dedalus. According to Greek mythology, Dedalus was a character who had felt trapped by his own creation. In a bid to escape, he had made artificial wings for himself and his son Icarus. While they succeeded to fly away, Icarus flew too close to the sun and the wax on his wings was melted and he felt into the sea dead. Just like Dedalus the mythological character, Stephen Dedalus feels trapped and would like to escape life in Ireland. Again, the name Stephen can also be said to be borrowed from one of the very first martyrs, Saint Stephen. Just like Saint Stephen, Stephen Dedalus in the novel is shown to be in conflict with religion. Thus, Stephen Dedalus does in the end succeed in leaving but after experiencing much turmoil in his life. In the end, Stephen Dedalus seeks and finds solace in pen and paper; his writing. He also leaves Ireland and settles in another part of Europe. Thus, to a great extent, the life of Stephen Dedalus as presented in the novel, the portrait of the artist as a young is very much representative of the author, James Joyce own life. The life of Stephen is interesting because it is interwoven with stories on family, politics and religion. Religion can be said to have the most profound effect on the writings of James Joyce and in the Life of Stephen Dedalus. Stephen grows up in a catholic home and is shown as accepting religion as the truth. However, as he grows up he begins to question not only his life but also religion. The consequence, is that he shuns the catholic ideals he has grown up with choosing even not to become a member of the church. More over, even after he is offered the opportunity to become a priest he lets go of the opportunity much to the disappointment of his mother. the conflict that Stephen dedalus has with religion and Catholicism can be traced to the fact that it was not able to provide the questions he had abut life and about religion himself. he was especially not trustful of the catholic priests as being divinely appointed because at one point in school they had punished him unjustly. It was at this point in time that Stephan turned to writing to deal with his inner turmoil. Stephen Dedalus just like James Joyce could ease the conflict that he was experiencing with his conscious by resulting to writing. Thus, Stephen Dedalus the main character in the novel, The portrait of the artist as a young man, his life and experiences, to a great extent represents the life of James Joyce the author of the novel. From the story, it is evident that he grew up in a religious catholic family in Ireland during a time of political upheaval. Accordingly, it would be correct to argue that Irish politics during his youth and Catholicism to a great extent influenced the writings of James Joyce. References. Joyce, James. Portrait of the artist as a young man. New York: Wordsworth edition, 1997. McManus, Will. James Joyce, A portrait of the artist as a young man. Flying by the nets: Stephen dedalus's search for personal identification. 2002. 6 Dec 2008 'The life and work of James Joyce'. Enote.com. 2008. 6 Dec 2008 'The portrait of the artist as a young man'. Bibliomania. 2008. 6 Dec 2008 Thomas, Stephen. 'James Joyce for dummies'. Chicago Literary Club. 2005. 6 Dec 2008 Read More