Essay on Kinship in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Search for Kinship in Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man At the heart of James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man lies Stephen Dedalus, a sensitive young man concerned with discovering his purpose in life. Convinced that his lack of kinship or community with others is a shortcoming that he must correct, Stephen, who is modeled after Joyce, endeavors to fully realize himself by attempting to create a forced kinship with others. He tries many methods in hopes of achieving this sense of belonging, including the visiting of prostitutes and nearly joining the clergy. However, it is not until Stephen realizes, as Joyce did, that his true calling is that of the artist that he becomes free of his unrelenting,†¦show more content†¦He closed his eyes, surrendering himself to her, body and mind, conscious of nothing in the world but the dark pressure of her softly parting lips. They pressed upon his brain as upon his lips as though they were the vehicle of a vague speech; and between them he felt an unknown and timid pres sure, darker than the swoon of sin, softer than sound or odour. (Joyce, 353) This passage chronicles Stephen’s first sexual encounter, a visit with a prostitute. The encounter comes as Stephen’s intense feelings of spiritual solitude are reaching a peak; so much so that his blood was in revolt. (Joyce, 351) As a result of this revolt, Stephen goes in search of the immediate contact with others that he has lacked, and finds it in what he recognizes as sin. His wish to sin with another of his kind, to force another being to sin with him and to exult with her in sin (Joyce, 351) goes well beyond the lustful urges of young men; the true lust here is lust for companionship and an outlet to escape his torturous solitude. From the beginning of the encounter Joyce makes it clear that while Stephen believes that he has found a remedy to his problems in sin, the truth is that this is an empty solution that will not satisfy in the end. The mood of the encounter is often discomforting rather than cleansing; in the prostitute’s room there is a huge doll with her legs spread apart in the copious easychair beside the bed. (Joyce, 352) Stephen has difficulty goingShow MoreRelatedDedalus and Daedalus In James Joyce’s novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce tells1500 Words   |  6 PagesDedalus and Daedalus In James Joyce’s novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce tells us a story of a young man who struggles with who he is and who he is to become. Stephen Dedalus was born into an Irish Catholic family with very strong beliefs. Stephan believes in God and follows the path he is taught. His young life is very doctrinaire, but he believes in his God. He follows the ways of the Church because he does not want to let God down. Later, as Stephan matures, he struggles withRead MoreThe Distorted Images in Heart of Darkness4513 Words   |  19 Pagesâ€Å"Orientals† 4ï ¼Å½ Conrad as a British subject 5ï ¼Å½ Conclusion 1. Introduction Heart of Darkness is one of the masterpieces of Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), one of the greatest English novelists at the end of 19th century. It is a jungle story about a young man named Charles Marlow who travels up the Congo River into the Inner Station of the Trade Company of Ivory, always cherishing his glorious dream of finding out the blank spot on the map that he has noticed since his childhood. But he is also in theRead MoreA View from the Bridge: Story of a Brooklyn Longshoreman6101 Words   |  25 Pagescuriosity in a new longshoremen’s movement trying to clean up the corruption on the Brooklyn waterfront: Out of it would come a movie script (never to be produced); a play, A View from the Bridge; and a trip to Hollywood, where I would meet an unknown young actress, Marilyn Monroe, and at the same time come into direct collision with the subterranean machine that enforced political blacklisting and the ideological disciplining of film writers, actors, and directors (149). Miller’s distillation of thatRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesPHILADELPHIA Temple University Press 1601 North Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 www.temple.edu/tempress Copyright  © 2010 by Temple University All rights reserved Published 2010 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Essays on twentieth century history / edited by Michael Peter Adas for the American Historical Association. p. cm.—(Critical perspectives on the past) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-4399-0269-1 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-4399-0270-7