James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as A Young Man is a semi-autobiographical novel that tells of the early life of Stephen Dedalus. The last name of the protagonist alludes to Greek Mythology's Dedalus. Like Dedalus, Stephen in the story works on bulding "wings" so that he can do away with the things that he thinks is holding him back like religion, society, and family from his aim of being a true "artist".
"I will not serve that in which I no longer believe, whether it call itself my home, my fatherland, or my church: and I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defence the only arms I allow myself to use—silence, exile, and cunning."
The book traces Stephen's journey through his formative years. I was amazed at Joyce's use of language to depict the growth of the character. As the character matures, the words used for the narrative becomes more complicated. The thought process also becomes more complex. Stephen studied in a boarding school when he was young and was heavily influenced by the Catholic faith. As a teen, he tries to reconcile his physical desires with his faith. Stephen eventually abandons everything in favor of pursuing his dream of being an artist.
"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."
I liked the book because I think it more or less captures the process of self-discovery that we all go through. As Stephen puts it: "I was not myself as I am now, as I had to become."
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