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A Life Aligned with Art
In James Joyce’s novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the character of Stephen
Dedalus functions as the conduit for the archetypal qualities of a true artist. His natural
sensitivity and attention to detail affords him a clear view of the aesthetic dimension of all facets
of his life. While his natural inclinations lend themselves to a deep appreciation and
understanding of art, his stifling environment leads him to withdraw his emotional investment in
his surroundings in an attempt to protect himself. The progression of Stephen from a dynamic
and impressionable character to that of a static and indifferent personality parallels his
developing perception of a true artist. Stephen’s final appraisal of what it means to be an
exemplary artist is afforded credence by the reader’s comprehension of Stephen’s analogous
development as an individual.
Stephen Dedalus’s detail-oriented and impressionable nature is conveyed from the very
start of the novel. The first sentence of the book finds him introspectively musing over a story
told him by his father: “Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow
coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a
nicens little boy named baby tuckoo” (Joyce 5). It is as if he is retelling the story to himself in an
attempt to grasp every detail. At his first boarding school, his awareness and sensitivity is
relayed through his difficulty in engaging in the moment and his inability to understand the
mocking insinuations of others. While playing an outdoor game with the other boys, he
capriciously meditates upon subjects such as his own physical capabilities, the etiquette taught
him by his mother, the temperature of the abbey, the extensive knowledge of Dante, and the
beauty of various colored roses. His inability to comprehend the mocking intimations of others
is made clear in that he is exceedingly puzzled by his classmate’s indication that kissing his
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mother before going to bed is both right and wrong at the same time: “He felt his whole body hot
and confused in a moment. What was the right answer to the question? He had given two and
still Wells laughed” (12). His sensitive nature is further highlighted during Christmas dinner
with his family. A charged dialogue over current political and religious happenings ensues, and
emotions between the family members run high. Being the youngest and most reserved member
at the table, Stephen does not interject his opinion, but he does attempt to incorporate the heated
discussion into the framework of what he knows about the issue and the people arguing. He
thinks through the discussion asserting to himself that, “He was for Ireland and for Parnell and so
was his father” (32). His last recorded recollection reveals that he is overtly conscious and
affected by the emotional strain of the conversation: “Stephen, raising his terrorstricken face,
saw that his father’s eyes were full of tears” (34).
Stephen’s natural awareness and depth of feeling undergo a transition in chapter two of
the novel. The faint glimmer of optimism afforded him by his keen interest in his surroundings
becomes shrouded by his family’s financial difficulties and his own perception of his
insufficiency. At the beginning of the chapter, Stephen still maintains and embraces his own
acute sensitivity. When he hears the elders speaking of Irish politics, “the subjects nearest their
hearts” (54), he hungrily listens with interest, lending an “avid ear” (54). He further indulges his
awareness and sensitivity through fictitious extrapolation based on the novel The Count of Monte
Cristo: “At night he built up on the parlour table an image of the wonderful island cave out of
transfers and paper flowers…” (54).
As his life at home becomes increasingly strained and his surroundings fail to supply him
with the meaning and purpose he craves, he gives way to a sort of despondency: “He was angry
with himself for being young and the prey of restless foolish impulses, angry also with the
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change of fortune which was reshaping the world about him into a vision of squalor and
insincerity” (58). In response to his situation, he retreats from his natural openness to the world,
intentionally becoming emotionally indifferent so as to avoid the hurtfulness of life. He shirks
from social situations, enjoying what he refers to as “the joy of his loneliness” (60). He relays to
his friends that “For him there was nothing amusing in a girl’s interest” (67), and he also
purports that in relation to his friends, he is indifferent to their views: “He was neither flattered
nor confused but simply wished the banter to end” (68). While the suppression of his own
sensitivity does not afford him the consolation desired, he continues to push emotionality away.
So vehemently does he suppress his sensitivity by disengaging from the world that he begins to
lose grasp on reality. He digresses so much that he has to remind himself of his own identity:
“He could scarcely recognise as his his own thoughts and repeated to himself: I am Stephen
Dedalus” (81).
In chapters three and four of the novel, Stephen’s once dynamic and impressionable
nature further solidifies as one that is static. His final hardening is brought about by the initial
shattering of his indifference toward the world. He starts out, “a cold indifference reign[ing] in
his soul” (90), and is reawakened to his natural awareness and sensitivity by a set of fiery
sermons delivered by Father Arnall. This awakening of emotionality only lasts a short time,
however, and by the end of chapter four, Stephen has once more slipped back into his resolute
unconcern. The spark of life and hope that religion had afforded him fades into utter frustration:
“It surprised him however to find that at the end of his course of intricate piety and selfrestraint
he was so easily at the mercy of childish and unworthy perfections” (132). Disappointed by the
church, by Ireland, by his family, and by the constraints of his own youth, Stephen resolves to
fully suppress his impressionability.
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By chapter five of the novel, Stephen has fully distanced himself from the emotional
turbulence of his past. His final embracement of an attitude of indifference occurs concurrently
with the emergence of a strikingly similar perspective of art. In chapter five, Stephen discusses
with one of his school mates the intricacies involved in the conception of art, and he defines art
as “the human disposition of sensible or intelligible matter for an esthetic end” (184). After
giving his friend a detailed overview as to the philosophy of art, he finishes his discourse by
telling him that, “The personality of the artist at first a cry or cadence or a mood and then a fluid
and lambent narrative finally refines itself out of existence, impersonalizes itself” (189). By
defining art as such, Stephen illustrates his own perspective on life: life is best lived and
appreciated when one is emotionally removed or “refine[ed] out of existence,” (189). He goes
on to define the position of an artist stating, “The artist, like the God of the creation, remains
within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible, refined, out of existence” (189).
For Stephen, the most talented artists are capable of conveying the “sensible or intelligible”
(184) matters of life without being overtly or emotionally involved. Attainment of complete
objectivity is the ultimate goal.
Stephen’s progression from an impressionable and aware individual to that of an
indifferent character lends credence to the artistic philosophy espoused by Stephen in the final
chapter. Stephen is seemingly most satisfied when he is able to simultaneously analyze the
world and yet remain emotionally aloof: “He would create proudly out of the freedom and power
of his soul, as the great artificer whose name he bore, a living thing, new and soaring and
beautiful, impalpable, imperishable” (149). Interestingly, the ambiguity surrounding Stephen’s
continued development and final state of happiness leaves the final evaluation of Stephen’s
artistic nature open to interpretation by the reader. The reader does not know how Stephen ends
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up and whether he will embrace the fullness of life as a developing artist or continue to turn from
everything that causes him pain. Just as Stephen is unconsciously grappling with his future, so
too, each of us as humans will be confronted by choices about our futures. What Joyce conveys
through the character of Stephen is that life is open-ended and that one can create their own
destiny. Each of us has a choice as to his interaction with what is placed before him. As we
choose a path for Stephen, we should also be compelled to choose a path for ourselves.