Akilah Akins
Artist Incomplete
February 20, 2008
Artist incomplete
The end of James Joyce’s novel, A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man,
leaves us with one major question: Will Stephen follow through with his
aspirations of becoming an actual artist? Considering Stephen’s record when it
comes to becoming enthralled with something, and then soon losing interest in
it as he has already done with the Church, it is safe to say that this idea of
becoming an artist is just that: an idea that Stephen will never follow through
on. By the end of the novel, Stephen has only written two poems that he has
no intentions of publishing or sharing with anybody, and has recently started
keeping a journal. He often changes his plans in life based on his pride to
accommodate for things that he think will win him the approval and admiration
of his peers. His friends and family are not taking him too seriously. Although,
art could be the changing force he needs gain their confidence he will have to
share his art, which he seems unwilling to do. Stephen by the end of the novel
has not become an artist and will reject that idea just as adamantly as he did
with the Church.
The passion with which Stephen has decided to become an artist
is the same fervor as it was when de dedicates his life to the Catholic Church.
Considering that he changes his mind so dramatically and in completely
opposite directions he cannot possibly be serious about becoming an artist. In
the following passage Stephen has a revelation that turning his life over to God
is the life he has been looking for.
Blinded by his tears and by the light of God’s mercifulness he bent his
head and heard the grave words of absolution spoken and saw the
priest’s hand raised above him in token of forgiveness….It was beautiful
to live in grace a life of peace and virtue and forbearance with
others…Till that moment he had not known how beautiful and peaceful
life could be….Another life! A life of grace and virtue and happiness! It
was true. It was not a dream from which he would wake. The past was
past. (Joyce 126-127)
In the passage Stephen is deeply moved by the spirit of religion and has
decided he has a new life with the church. A life of ‘virtue’ ‘another life’ that
would be peaceful. He is convinced that the church is the way to live his life.
Stephen mentions ‘forbearance’, alluding to patience and moderation.
Something he later shows little understanding of by hastily deciding to become
an artist.
Stephens’s vanity, as well as his love of admiration and praise, often
guided his aspirations through life. While attending school at Belvedere
College around the age of sixteen a priest had a talk with Stephen about the
possibility of joining the priesthood. Stephen’s internal response at the
thought of this opportunity of acquiring a position of power and admiration
flattered and moved him.
Stephen gleamed to himself as he thought:
A flame began to flutter again on Stephen’s cheek as he heard in this
proud address an echo of his own proud musings. How often he had seen
himself as a priest wielding calmly and humbly the awful power of which
angels and saints stood in reverence! (Joyce 137-138)
Stephen insinuates that angels and saints will admire him for his work as a
priest, which stands in stark contrast with the previous line of ‘calmly and
humbly’. Humility has nothing to do with power and reverence. To be humble
means not to be concerned with stature and ‘reverence’. Stephen has no idea
what he really wants, nor does he know what it truly means to be a priest. The
contradictory explanation of what a priest is according to Stephen lets us know
how confused he is. This ambition and energy he exerts here is mimicked in his
later decision to become an artist.
As Stephen stumbles upon the idea of becoming an artist he has a
moment of insight that was very similar in diction and dedication to the one he
had when he decided to turn his life over to God. The thoughts and ambitions
he has in this passage match those aforementioned about the priesthood.
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, impalpablable, imperishable…His soul was swooning into
some new world, fantastic, dim, uncertain as under sea, traversed by
cloudy shapes and beings. A world, a glimmer, or a flower? (Joyce 149,
151)
There are stark similarities between this passage and the one where Stephen
has decided to start his life anew with the Church. The flowery language, the
passion, and the depth at which he is committed to each situation confuse the
subject matter that Stephen is really dedicated to. In the passage about
becoming an artist he declares he will become a great inventor. In the passage
about becoming a priest he talks of his life beginning anew, peaceful, and
happy. In the artist passage he has a rebirth of his soul “swooning into some
new world”. In this new world he abandons his pervious commitments to the
Church. His dramatic shifts in life and the fervor with which he pursues them
made me skeptical of his commitment to anything. Both claim great things and
present a Stephen who is sincere and zealous .
Now that Stephen has made this climactic decision to become an artist,
comes the subject on what he has created. However, he finds himself at
somewhat of a roadblock, with an inability to trust his work and share it with
others. By this point in the novel Stephen is sixteen or seventeen years old.
He has only produced two small works, both coming from the same inspiration,
Emma, and neither being shared with anybody. Later, at the university,
Stephen has a conversation with the Dean where he questions Stephen’s
commitment to the arts and Stephen does not produce a valid defense for
himself. This further proves that he is not ready to take on the task of
becoming an artist.
You are an artist, are you not, Mr. Dedalus?....When may we expect to
have something from you on the esthetic question? he asked. From me!
said Stephen in astonishment. I stumble on an idea once a fortnight if I
am lucky….For my purpose I can work on at present by the light of one
or two ideas of Aristotle and Aquinas….I need them only for my own use
and guidance until I have done something for myself by their light. If
the lamp smokes or smells I shall try to trim it. If it does not give light
enough I shall sell it and buy another. (Joyce 164-165).
Here Stephen is admitting he is having difficulty producing any sort of art. In
his spare time he is borrowing ideas from the great minds of Aristotle and
Aquinas. The most dangerous line in the passage is the last, where Stephen
admits that if this does not work out for him that he will simple “sell it and buy
another”. This suggests that he can simply change his mind or direction in life
at his whim. Nothing is serious and stable for him, and if he fails as an artist or
his desires change, as they did with the Church, that he will simple find a new
calling.
Those who know Stephen, both family and acquaintances, are not
completely convinced that he will follow through with his determination to
become an artist. After a conversation he has with his mother, Stephen
recalls that his mother said: “Then she said I would come back to faith because
I had a restless mind” (Joyce 221). His own mother is keenly aware of the fact
the he changes his mind often and has difficulty with sticking to one subject for
long periods of time. In another brief conversation he has with his old love
interest, Emma, he shares with her his desire to become an artist. When they
part ways, instead of assuring Stephen that he will become a great artist and
giving him her full support and confidence, she instead simply says: “she hoped
I would do what I said” (Joyce 225). She is not confident that he will follow
through with his plans. Emma never specifically acknowledges Stephens
desires to become an artist. Instead her words of encouragement are lacking
luster as if he has made many great plans before and did not follow through on
them. Her faith in him accomplishing anything he says is lost.
Finally, in the very last lines of the novel, Stephen himself acknowledges
his own shortcomings in life when it comes to being consistent. Stephen
states: “I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and
to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race. 27
April. Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead” (Joyce
225). Stephen realizes that he has made many changes and commitments
before in life, to himself, his family, and he has not always come through on his
end. It’s ironic that he ask ‘his father’ Gad to stand by no matter what “now
and ever in good stead”, suggesting that he may again in the future decide to
come back to him. Also suggests that he can never fully escape the church it’s
to ingrained in his spirit. Stephen is stepping forward “to encounter for the
millionth time the reality of experience”. This makes me wonder if there is
something maybe he life out of the story from another occasion where he
thought something would be a good idea and then discarded it as well. The
experience he is speaking of can only be one of knowing he can change his
mind whenever and however he pleases. He feels no commitment to anything
other than himself.
Stephen is still young and learning about himself and about life. He has
come a long way and has learned numerous things. Starting with his boyhood,
continuing to his family and their politics, his fervor for the church, and his
passion of the arts. However, Stephen has never fully matured on any of these
ideas. He takes each new step in life with the same amount of dedication and
excitement as he did the last. This makes it difficult to differentiate when he
is serious about something, and when something is just a fad in his life.
Stephen is still growing and maturing, and he may not find himself a permanent
place in life for a while. Being an artist is certainly not going to be his last
stop.
Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners. Barnes
and Noble Classic. New York, NY. 2004