Teen-Angst Eradicated!

“Gradually, as his soul was enriched with spiritual knowledge, he saw the whole world forming one vast symmetrical expression of God’s power and love. Life became a divine gift for every moment and sensation of which, were it even the sight of a single leaf hanging on the twig of a tree, his soul should praise and thank the Giver.”

James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (126)

This passage showcases a shift in tone from the previous three chapters. Here, Stephen seems to take on a more sophisticated language (for example: enriched, vast, life, divine) while describing his new found passion for life as a result of his strict religious schedule. I would argue that Stephen now seems himself as evolved and now separated from his past angst filled lifestyle where he fell victim to the influence of “sin”. Now, Stephen is focused on God and the life that God has created, shifting the focus from himself to the world around him.

Free Expression and Flight

“His throat ached with a desire to cry aloud, the cry of a hawk’s or eagle on high, to cry piercingly of his deliverance to the winds. This was the call of life to his soul not the dull gross voice of the world of duties and despair, not the inhuman voice that called him to the pale service of the altar. An instant of wild flight had delivered him and the cry of triumph which his lips withheld cleft his brain.”

James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (p. 143).

The early portions of this chapter are marked by Stephen dedicating his time and efforts towards rejecting physical senses and existence and forcing himself to focus on the sanctification of his soul and his deliverance to heaven. He avoids all positive sensory stimulation and strictly limits his expression, such as by not controlling his voice to be unnecessarily loud or joyful in song or whistle. Stephen turning away from nature and vibrance is reflected in the style of this portion, which uses dull and somewhat morbid language, especially when Stephen reflects on his future in religious profession. After realizing that his purpose cannot lie in priesthood and accepting that he cannot avoid “falling” religiously, Stephen’s world, and the style of the text, becomes vibrant again, and he begins to remember the joy of sensory observations and free expression. This builds up to a climax in which Stephen feels the urge to cry out in triumph, and feels as though he is flying freely, in stark contrast to his earlier muted, restricted expression and sensation.

An Awful Power

“No king or emperor on this earth has the power of the priest of God. No angel or archangel in heaven, no saint, not even the Blessed Virgin herself has the power of a priest of God: the power of the keys, the power to bind and to loose from sin, the power of exorcism, the power to cast out from the creatures of God the evil spirits that have power over them, the power, the authority, to make the great God of Heaven come down upon the altar and take the form of bread and wine. What an awful power, Stephen!”(Joyce 133)

Joyce uses a lot of repetition in this passage, emphasizing the power that priests possess. There’s some irony in this emphasis, as the priest begins to claim power over angels and archangels, the Virgin Mary, and even the power to force God to Earth; all of which runs counter to the faith. Through this, Joyce suggests that the priest and the church conversely, have no real, tangible power that Stephen should believe in, or be forgiven by – instead, they are motivated by an emotional and spiritual power to control and lord over others,.

Falling but not yet fallen

“The snares of the world were its way of sin. He would fall. He had not yet fallen but he would fall silently, in an instant. Not to fall was too hard, too hard; and he felt the silent lapse of his soul, as it would be at some instant to come, falling, falling but not yet fallen, still unfilled, but about to fall.”

-James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man, (pg. 175)

This passage was the split for me in the story’s tone with how his once very structured and formal speech reverted back to repeating phrases/words, dramatically long sentences, and how one thought took up a whole a paragraph. From this paragraph on the story reads in a very similar way to chapters 1 and 2 versus how it read during chapter 3 and the beginning of chapter 4 (older and more religious influenced Stephen).

Religious Mind

“He offered up each of his three daily chaplets that his soul might grow strong in each of the three theological values, in faith in the Father Who had created him, in hope in the Son Who had redeemed him and his love of the Holy Ghost Who had sanctified him; and this thrice triple prayer he offered to the Three Persons through Mary in the name of her joyful and sorrowful and glorious mysteries.”

James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Pg. 125)

I love the way this passage begins to sound like a prayer, especially in the end with “her joyful and sorrowful and glorious mysteries.” There is no change in punctuation to show that this is anything different from traditional narration, but I think this is an example of the Uncle Charles principle. This is a clear tone shift from ealier in the novel- now it is noticeably more religious. As Stephen becomes more religious and a “good Catholic” his thoughts may become almost prayer-like.

God’s Punishment versus God’s Forgiveness

“The muddy streets were gay. He strode homeward, conscious of an invisible grace pervading and making light his limbs. In spite of all he had done it. He had confessed and God has pardoned him. His soul was made fair and holy once more, holy and happy.” (122)

After pages and pages of hearing the punishment of hell and Stephen’s growing fear and agony towards the possibility of ending up in that situation, we read the forgiveness fill almost less than a single page of the book. While this contrast caught my eye, word choices further highlighted situations, one of them being “In spite of all he had done it.” The pages of fear towards hell over his adultery being summarized as “all” was an interesting choice, as if the sin were over-dramaticized. Right after, the passage says “He had confessed and God had pardoned him.” It seemed to be ironic to me, that God had the power to pardon him and, according to Stephen, only did when he confessed. When just two paragraphs before, God is said to have “mercifulness,” Stephen seems to leave out the agony he had gone through — agony God could have pardoned — and immediately credits his forgiveness to God. If God, in this story, were so merciful, then why did Stephen become physically ill upon the pages of the priest’s description of his possible punishment from his adultery?

Guilt and Amendment

“A restless feeling of guilt would always be present with him: he would confess and repent and be absolved, confess and repent and be absolved again, fruitlessly……But the surest sign that his confession had been good and that he had sincere sorrow for his sin was, he known the amendment of his life.

—I have amended my life, have I not? He asked himself” (Joyce, 166).

Throughout Chapter 4 Stephen is constantly trying to justify himself through devoting his life to being a good Catholic, down to the weekday. His tone changes however, when he becomes angry and ashamed that his past temptations come back for him and he has to repent again. Though he says “The very frequency and violence of temptations showed him at last the truth of what he had heard about the trials of the saints” (165) he finds the cycle of penance and “sin” to be constant humiliation and pointless. He changes his tone again when he comes to the realization that his life has changed for the better and he’s saved himself from an eternity of misery. Stephen lets his guilt consume him and keep him secured to his Catholic faith.

Creative Mind

“His evenings were his own; and he pored over a ragged translation of The Count of Monte Cristo. The figure of the dark avenger stood forth in his mind for whatever he had heard or divined in childhood of the strange and terrible. At night he built up on the parlour table an image of the wonderful island cave out of transfers and paper flowers and coloured tissue paper and strips of the silver and golden paper in which chocolate is wrapped. When he had broken up this scenery, weary of its tinsel, there would come to his mind the bright picture of Marseilles, of sunny trellises and of Mercedes.”
-James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man, (pg. 68)

This passage was interesting to me, because this brought to mind the discussion from our previous class about how Stephen displays signs of having a highly creative mind. This passage displays his ability to use common objects (usually considered trash) to create something, in this case a scene from a book he likes.

How Stephen conceptualizes the world

“A vague dissatisfaction grew up within him as he looked on the quays and on the river and on the lowering skies and yet he continued to wander up and down day after day as if he really sought someone that eluded him.”

James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Pg. 55)

Stephen is beginning to grow into a young man, and with that growth it is leading him to discover more about his expanding feelings about life and his relationship with other people. As Stephen is growing he has become more of an observer, rather than just escaping into his own imagination. The scene above describes him taking in, with restless wonder, the streets of his new home. I thought it intriguing how he still resides to find meaning in his imagination. Here Stephen imagines what it would be like to really be searching for someone of his affection. One that could reciprocate his new found feelings of desire and want. He urges him forward, even with his growing discontent with his new feelings.

Her

“The light spread upwards from the glass roof making the theatre a festive ark, anchored among the hulks of houses, her frail cables of lanterns looping her to her moorings.”

–  James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Pg.  78)

The theater, in this context, is regarded to as a woman, with pronouns such as “her” used to describe it. This is interesting as this occurs after Stephen comes face with a beautiful woman, and perhaps the narration shows how he is thinking of her even while describing architecture.

Commonplacing Joyce 9/17/23

“-God help us! he said piously, to think of the men of those times, Stephen, Hely Hutchinson and Flood and Henry Grattan and Charles Kendal Bushe, and the noble-men we have now, leaders of the Irish people at home and abroad. Why, by God, they wouldn’t be seen dead in a tenacre field with them.” -James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

No Sympathy for Stephen

“-I told them all at dinner about it and Father Dolan and I and all of us we had a hearty laugh together over it. Ha! Ha! Ha!” (Joyce 76).

Joyce, J., & Deane, S. (2003). A portrait of the artist as a young man. Penguin Books, pp 76

I find it interesting to see the provincials’ words being spoken by Mr. Dedalus as it seems to separate Stephen from the authority figures in his life. Seeing this moment through Stephens’s point of view emphasizes his isolation as he witnesses the adults around him making light of a painful memory.

 

Social Education

“And it was the din of all these hollowsounding voices that made him halt irresolutely in the pursuit of phantoms. He gave them ear only for a time but he was happy only when he was far from them, beyond their call, alone or in the company of phantasmal comrades.” Joyce, pp. 70

As a growing boy, Stephen faces socialization from many different sources, all attempting to educate him to act the way they want. He appears reticent to listen to them, but who does he want to be in his society and culture?

Maturity Unveils Stephan’s Childhood Ignorance

“For some time he had felt slight changes in his house; and these changes in what he had deemed unchangeable were so many slight shocks to his boyish conception of the world. The ambition which he felt astir at times in the darkness of his soul sought no outlet.”

Joyce, James Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Oxford World’s Classics, pp.53

As Stephan matures, he becomes more perceptive to the state of his surroundings. This can mark artistic development along with maturity as Stephan relates his newfound perspectives with deep reflection and inquisitiveness.

Emotions

“His tormentors set off towards Jone’s Road, laughing and jeering at him while he, torn and flushed and panting, stumbled after them half blinded with tears, clenching his fist madly and sobbing” (Joyce 69).

Through the first chapter our perception of Stephen dealing with his emotions or expressing it was rather passive. Contrary to chapter one, this chapter shows anger, anxiety and guilt.

Stephen Matures

“Words which he did not understand he said over and over to himself till he had learned them by heart: and through them he had glimpses of the read world about him.”

Joyce, “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” 52.

In chapter one of “Portrait,” we saw Stephen’s developing mind make sense of the world around him through the investigation of words (ex. when Stephen analyzes the different uses for the word “belt,” or when he meditates on the sound of the word “suck”) (Joyce 7, 8). In chapter two, as Stephen matures, we don’t receive the same associative childlike thinking as before, but can still recognize from the content that we are privy to the workings of Stephen’s mind.

saddening behaviors

“She too wants me to catch hold of her, he thought. that’s why she came with me to the tram. I could easily catch hold of her when  she comes up to my step: nobody is looking. I could hold her and kiss her”

James Joyce, “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”, Oxford World’s Classics, New York  2000, pp.58

Are these thoughts truly the thoughts of Stephen, or are they something he was was lead to assume do to the societal influences surrounding him?

 

 

Nothing Stirred

“Nothing stirred within his soul but a cold and cruel and loveless lust. His childhood was dead or lost and with it his soul capable of simple joys, and he was drifting amid life like the barren shell of the moon.”
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce, Chapter 2, p.97
His growing up, his adolescent years has led him to a dark recking of his father’s choices, drunkenness and poverty for his family. He is embarrassed by his father’s behavior as they tour his old college and haunts.
Valeri Drach Weidmann/ September 15, 2023/ Judgements on his life especially his father, James Joyce, disillusionment

Ebbing Time

“The tears filled his mild eyes; something precious had passed away. This was the pang that had been sharpest during the last few years- the sense of ebbing time, of shrinking opportunity; and now he felt not so much that his last chance was going as that it was gone indeed. He had done all that he should ever do, and yet he had not done what he wanted”

James, Henry. “The Middle Years” (337)

This passage shows how the main character, Decombe, is going through an end-of-life crisis. He is realizing that his time living is finite, and that time is running out for him, he’s approaching death.

the consequences of infatuation

“‘You chose to let a fortune go?’ ‘I chose to accept, whatever they might be, the consequences of my infatuation,’ smiled Doctor Hugh.” 

James, Henry. “The Middle Years,” (354).

It is interesting how the “good or bad” of a consequence is only measured in how much value you place on what you become enthralled with. Doctor Hugh does not describe the consequences of his infatuation as bad, more matter of fact that he had such adoration and love for Dencombe’s writing, that choosing the literature, over the fortune, was well worth any perceived negative outcome. To him the choice was easy. It is interesting to consider how, although in reality the Countess’s fortune may have more societal value, Doctor Hugh’s personal value shifted with his infatuation. And in the end he smiles when he tells Dencombe he chose him over the fortune.