Portrait of the Artist

I hope everyone had a great spring break...didn't seem long enough! Anyways, I thought this reading this week was funny, I enjoyed the whole "moocow" phrase, as that's what my younger brother used to call cattle. It was an interesting read nonetheless and I enjoyed it.

What I think is most interesting in this novel is that there are the existing themes of religion, the role of an artist, and individuality, but there is also a theme of the human finding themselves throughout the turmoil of life despite the consequences of their actions, expectations of others, and obstacles they face. This is seen throughout this entire novel; the reader sort of goes on a timeline adventure of Stephen Dedalus's life, and more so James Joyce's life, since this IS a semi-autobiographical novel. I found through some research that this story was based off of a novel called Stephen Hero, but completely rewritten. Joyce was writing that novel when he became frustrated at what his wife, Nora had said it would never be published. I like how this novel is based off of Joyce's life, because I like when authors are brave enough to write about their life--from their success and failures to their dreams and most intimate of thoughts...basically I like autobiographies that are somewhat stories as well.

I found that this novel was highly relatable, even for someone living in the 21st century. The scene where Stephen goes for a walk on the beach and sees the beautiful young girl which triggers an epiphany is very relatable. The beginning of the epiphany starts with this passage..

“A girl stood before him in midstream, alone and still, gazing out to sea. She seemed like one whom magic had changed into the likeness of a strange and beautiful seabird. Her long slender bare legs were delicate as a crane's and pure save where an emerald trail of seaweed had fashioned itself as a sign upon the flesh. Her thighs, fuller and soft-hued as ivory, were bared almost to the hips, where the white fringes of her drawers were like feathering of soft white down. Her slate-blue skirts were kilted boldly about her waist and dovetailed behind her. Her bosom was as a bird's, soft and slight, slight and soft as the breast of some dark-plumaged dove. But her long fair hair was girlish: and girlish, and touched with the wonder of mortal beauty, her face.”

He uses such delicate language when describing her, which hints what is coming to the reader. He continues with:

“She was alone and still, gazing out to sea; and when she felt his presence and the worship of his eyes her eyes turned to him in quiet sufferance of his gaze, without shame or wantonness. Long, long she suffered his gaze and then quietly withdrew her eyes from his and bent them towards the stream, gently stirring the water with her foot hither and thither. The first faint noise of gently moving water broke the silence, low and faint and whispering, faint as the bells of sleep; hither and thither, hither and thither; and a faint flame trembled on her cheek.

-- Heavenly God! cried Stephen's soul, in an outburst of profane joy.”

This one line is the climax of the entire story. Joyce does an excellent job with imagery too—I can picture the whole thing in my head. It’s such a powerful passage, it makes the reader happy for him and gives a wave of relief (at least for me) that he realizes this. I became so attatched to the character of Stephen I guess simply because I could relate to the hardship of coming into one’s own and finding themselves. Continuing with the epiphany:

“He turned away from her suddenly and set off across the strand. His cheeks were aflame; his body was aglow; his limbs were trembling. On and on and on and on he strode, far out over the sands, singing wildly to the sea, crying to greet the advent of the life that had cried to him… To live, to err, to fall, to triumph, to recreate life out of life! A wild angel had appeared to him, the angel of mortal youth and beauty, an envoy from the fair courts of life, to throw open before him in an instant of ecstasy the gates of all the ways of error and glory. On and on and on and on!”

He realizes that love is natural to want, and that beauty shouldn't be a shame to desire, like how the church reinforces. He feels as though there should be no boundaries and doesn't want to conform or abide to any religion or other set of rules. That is why he chooses to live his life as the most liberating thing he can be--an artist. I personally can relate to a society where there are certain expectations you as a young adult have to live up to in order to be formally 'accepted' by society. Even if people don't admit or act that way, it's still in the subconscious. To further explain what I mean, look at homosexuality in today's world. Although it is becoming more widely accepted, most people still find it 'wrong' or they don't accept it, due to their religion or even just their personal beliefs. This can parallel to Portrait of the Artist in a way that is different but works. I have more things to say about this piece, but I’ll save it for next week. :)

Also, now I know who that picture is of on our teacher's homepage!