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Howard Grimberg

Dr. Graham

English 205 – Writing of Self

11 September 2010

The disconnect with society in Portrait of An Artist as a Young Man

In every person’s life, there comes a time where they decide what their role will be in

society. In Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, the main character Stephen

Daedalus (a reflection on Joyce himself) reminisces on his youth spent between various homes

and religious schools. Initially wanting to become part of the clergy, a young Stephen has a

change of heart and discovers his love for art. The lack of rigidity in art allows Stephen freedom

of repressed expressions. Throughout the story, Stephen maintains an uneasy relationship with

friends, family and society as a whole. The artistic potential within Stephen is responsible for his

eccentricity. Why does Stephen remain disconnected and distant from what society expects of

him?

To understand the role of women, it is imperative to analyze the types of relationships

Stephen maintained with women. The most apparent example (and by far the most revealing

about Stephen) is the carnal relations he continued with prostitutes. The only close relation he

has ever had with a women was of a lustful nature as he was “…surrendering himself to her,

body and mind, conscious of nothing in the world but the dark pressure of her softly parting

lips.”(71) Within the context of this relationship, he knows nothing of the long-term emotions,

merely the savage lust that overtakes his body. It is almost as if he is behaving out of instinct.

Regardless of the momentary emotional bridge Stephen made with the prostitute, he does not

have any emotional interest in her. The frequency of these events leads Stephen to an emotional

“trauma” where he felt “A cold lucid indifference reined his soul.”(73). His actions only further
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alienate him from women. The only intimate connection Stephen had caused him to feel “...his

body to which he had yielded was dying.”(79) Stephen’s perpetual disconnect with women will

surface elsewhere in the story. Stephen frees himself from temptation by writing poetry and

venting his feelings onto paper. For over a decade, Stephen has had desire for Emma Clery. His

desire remains unresolved towards the end of the story. The lone act Stephen does in relation to

Emma is fantasizing about her. He never attempts any contact. Stephen’s inability to share love

with women is an example of his non-standard social attitude.

Stephen shows intense loyalty to his family when he decides to spend his winnings in an

attempt to satisfy some of the family’s wants. Instead of bonding with his family, Stephen

succeeds in alienating himself from the rest of his family when he fails to take pleasure in his

material possessions; Stephen realizes he does not integrate well with the rest of the family, only

furthering his alienation. He does not like the conformist attitude a life in religion will certainly

grant him, regardless of any other benefits he and his family stand to gain. Stephen does not

share the same emotional state-of-mind (so to speak) as his family. While his family is rooted in

the past, Stephen seems more concerned with the present when he “…listened without sympathy

to his father’s evocation cork and scenes of his youth…” (61). Perhaps this divide stems from

Stephen’s innate artistic talent. Stephen does not envision things the same way as everyone else

does. He sees what can be, rather than what was. The feeling isolation from everyone else leads

Stephen to feel as if, “He had not yet fallen but he would fall silently, in an instant.”(116).

Stephen feels morally condemned because of his difference. Society has shamed him into

believing he is an outcast. Stephen’s clerical background only serves to reinforce the feeling of

guilt. Even among friends, he is labeled as an outsider at times. Stephen remains disconnected

from society because it refuses to tolerate his perspective and instead shuns it.
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Society has deemed Stephen an outcast, chastised for his different outlook on life. It

refuses to understand his esoteric behavior around women. His refusal to carry on intimate

relations with those of the opposite sex causes society to label him as odd. We refuse to

acknowledge that which we do not understand. Even at the very foundation of society, the

family, Stephen does not share many common ideals. In exchange for being an outcast, Stephen

is granted the gift of being an artist. His ability to see and understand the essence in things gives

him a unique perspective that is not shared by anyone else. For this reason, Stephen inevitably

does not align with the others in society. The artistic sense relieves him of the rigors of life in

ordered society. Stephen enjoys literature and art because there is no defined structure, giving

him a change from his regimented life at the cost of being estranged.