Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 1

Stephen's Character and Aesthetic Theory in “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”

Halima Tabassum

Stamford University Bangladesh

Chapter – 1: Introduction

Introduction

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a novel by the Irish modernist writer James Joyce. It

follows the intellectual, moral, and spiritual development of a young Catholic Irishman, Stephen

Dedalus, and his struggle against the restrictions his culture imposes. A portrait somber can be

placed in the tradition of the bildungsroman–novels that trace the personal development of the

protagonist, usually from childhood through to adulthood. Joyce contrasts the rebellion and the

experimentation of adolescence with the influence of Stephen’s Catholic education. For example,

his startled enjoyment of a sexual experience in chapter two is followed by the famous ‘Hellfire

sermon’ in chapter three, which leaves him fearing for his soul. The name Dedalus links to

Ovid’s mythological story of Daedalus–the ‘old artificer’–and his son Icarus, who flies too close

to the sun. We are reminded of this image when Stephen tells his friend Davin: ‘When the soul

of a man is born in this country there are nets flung at it to hold it back from flight. You talk to

me about nationality, language, religion. I shall try to fly by those nets. Though the technique

used in much of the novel’s narration can be described as ‘stream-of-consciousness, some critics

complain that this term tells us little about the effect it achieves. Joyce traces Stephen’s various

stages of development, by adjusting the style of his language as his protagonist grows up. From

the baby-talk of the opening to the high-minded aesthetic discussion towards the end, Joyce’s

language play mimics Stephen’s phonetic, linguistic, and intellectual growth. By the end of the

novel, Stephen has resolved to follow his calling as an artist and to leave Ireland to ‘forge in the
 Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 3

smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race’. In many respects, the novel represents

Joyce’s artistic development, and Stephen plays out fictionalized versions of many of his

author’s experiences: the episode surrounding the death of the disgraced Irish home-rule leader

Charles Stuart Parnell has many similarities with the arguments this event caused in the Joyce

household.

1.1 Research Objectives:

1. To find out the connection between the "artist" and "young man" of Stephen Dedalus'

character in “A Portrait of the artist as a young man”

2. To find out Stephen’s difficult moral and aesthetic choices that help to define his character.

1.2 Research Questions:

1. What is the connection between the "artist" and "young man" of Stephen Dedalus' character in

“A Portrait of the artist as a young man?”

2. How does Stephen make difficult moral and aesthetic choices that help to define his character?
 Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 4

Chapter – 2: Literature Review

Literature Review

The literature review is an important part of any research paper because it helps to identify the

scope of works that have been done so far in the research area. The Literature Review section of

this study upholds some important issues such as Stephen Dedalus, The aesthetic theory is given

in “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”, Stephen asserts three propositions on aesthete,

Look over and analyzes "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man".

2.1 Stephen Dedalus

Stephen Dedalus is the "artist" and "young man" of the title. It is impossible to consider him in

the way that a reader would consider most characters in fiction, for his roles go far beyond that

merely of the central character. He is the sole focus of the book, and the events of the novel are

filtered through his consciousness. The character is based on Joyce himself. The name "Stephen

Dedalus" itself has symbolic significance. Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr, put to

death for professing his beliefs. In Greek mythology, Daedalus was an inventor who escaped

from the island of Crete using wings he had made; however, his son Icarus flew too near the sun,

melting the waxen wings and crashing into the sea. From the novel's opening page, it’s clear that

Stephen is sensitive, intelligent, and curious. He also proves to be aloof and arrogant and self-

important. Despite his intelligence, he is often the victim of his self-deception.

Joyce's narrative is not continuous, and there is no "plot". Rather, the book is a series of

"portraits" of Stephen at various important moments in his young life, from his introduction as an

infant ("baby tuckoo") through selected schoolboy experiences to his declaration of artistic

independence as a student at University College, Dublin. The process of Stephen's maturation is

registered in his expanding awareness of the world and the novel's an increasingly sophisticated

use of language. His relationship with his family, schoolmates, teachers, friends, religion, and

country, and his language forms the essence of this novel.

In a series of epiphanies and corresponding anti-epiphanies, Stephen alternately affirms and

rejects different aspects of his existence. He makes difficult moral and aesthetic choices that help

to define his character. Perhaps the most telling characterization of him occurs during the

episode set in Cork. Here, Joyce describes Stephen as "proud and sensitive and suspicious,

battling against the squalor of his life and the riot of his mind." In the last chapter Stephen

confides to his friend Cranly that he will henceforth rely on "the only arms I allow myself to use

—silence, exile, and cunning." Given the originality of James Joyce's conception of this

character, it is significant to note that the book ends not with Stephen himself but with excerpts

from his diary that show his intention to "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."

 2.2 The aesthetic theory is given in “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”

 A Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man is one of the most notable works of James Joyce. The

novel deals with the growth of an artist, Stephen Dedalus, who is also the central character of

this novel. In the last chapter, the reader comes across his idea of “Aesthetics.”
 Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 6

The word “Aesthetic” means ideas concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty. Stephen

develops his ideas on Aesthetics based on Aristotle and Aquinas. The final chapter of the novel

opens up showing Stephen going out of the house annoyed and frustrated. Wandering through

rainy Dublin roads, he quotes poems and thinks about the aesthetic theories of Aristotle and

Aquinas. We see two Latin quotations of Aquinas. The first one means, “Those things are

beautiful the perception of which pleases”. The second one means, “The good is that toward

which the appetite tends.”

We all know that Aristotle is a famous Greek philosopher and St. Thomas Aquinas is a renowned

philosopher of the middle Ages. They had significant contributions to aesthetic theory.

2.3 Stephen asserts three propositions on aesthete:

I. Art is a stasis brought about by the formal rhythm of beauty.

II. Art or beauty, divorced from good and evil, is akin to truth; therefore, if truth can best be

approached through intellection, beauty or art is best approached through the three stages of

apprehension.

III. The three qualities of beauty that correspond to the three stages of apprehension are, in the

terms of Aquinas, integritas (wholeness), consonantia (harmony), and claritas (radiance).

Stephen questions the religious and sexual desires of the human soul and defines these as

“kinetic”. By the end of chapter 2, in the arms of the prostitute, the “movement” reaches its

climax; and the second part reaches its climax at the end of chapter 4, with the static joy at the

sight of the girl on the beach. The conflict between these two becomes a practical example of

Stephen’s theory of kinetic and static effects. Ultimately, Stephen sees both sexual and religious
 Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 7

desires as kinetic, towards which appetite ends to seek fulfillment outside itself. On contrary, the

satisfaction of the aesthetic appetite is static; it is something that satisfies or pleases in itself; it

does not move the individual to the acquisition of something or someone outside the self.

Art should not be didactic. Art is the realm of creation, so it is related only to the good and

perfection of the work produced. Thus, it remains outside the scope of human conduct and its

limits, rules, and values which are attributed to “men”. Art always strives towards perfection,

therefore it is always good. On the other hand, the artist’s decisions are ethically vulnerable.  Art

is always right, and if it ever seems to fail, it is because the artist has failed his art. The artist

must be moral in creating his art because art is specific to human beings rather than being a

mechanical production.

Stephen’s theory is bound up with the three cardinal aesthetic principles; integritas, consonantia,

and claritas of Aquinas. Integritas is the perception of the aesthetic image as one thing.

Consonantia is the symmetry and rhythm of structure and claritas is given the approximate

meaning of radiance.

2.4 Look over and analyzes "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"

We can see during the story, especially the beginning, when Stephen is spending his childhood,

his contemplation of his name and the significance of identity. As we encounter in the story:

“Stephen Dedalus / Class of Elements / Clongowes Wood College / Sallins / County Kildare /

Ireland / Europe / The World / The Universe” (Portrait, 1991, p. 12), when he writes in a flyleaf

of his book, his name, and location, he is trying to find the relationship between his name and the

place which he is physically in. His nasty classmates for scorning also had ridiculously written
 Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 8

on the opposite page: "Stephen Dedalus is my name. / Ireland is my nation. / Clongowes is my

dwelling place / and heaven my expectation" (Portrait, 1991, p. 13). By brief thinking on his

name and its relevance to the people and universe, Stephen finds out some differences (like God

and Dieu) which are existed in association with a person and an entity with its name in

comparison to his own: "God was God’s name just as his name was Stephen. Dieu was the

French for God and that was God’s name too… But though there were different names for God

in all the different languages, still God remained always the same God and God’s real name was

God. God’s name always pointed to God; whereas, Stephen’s name was ambiguous" (Portrait,

1991, p. 13).

As he moves from childhood to adulthood, without any self-awareness to consciousness, from a

Portrait to Ulysses, language is the foundation and structure of Stephan's character. To the

reader, the personal identity of Stephen is introduced by his first conversation at Clongowes

Wood College with a classmate when he is age six. This conversation starts when a classmate

questions Stephen's name and the meaning it. This part of the novel foreshowing Stephen's

identity-crisis when he has nothing to answer:  

And one day [Nasty Roche] had asked: 

— What is your name?  

Stephen had answered:  

—Stephen Dedalus.  

Then Nasty Rocke had said:  

—What kind of name is that?  

… Stephen had not been able to answer… (Portrait, 1991, p. 5)

A little time after, another classmate by the name of Athy, when Stephen is in weakly, claims

that: “you have a queer name, Dedalus” (Portrait, 1991, p. 23).   

In another part of the novel we see –

"What is your name? Stephen had answered: Stephen Dedalus. Then Nasty Roche had said:

What kind of name is that? And when Stephen had not been able to answer Nasty Roche had

asked: what is your father name? Is he a magistrate?" (Portrait, 1991, p. 8-9)

As seen in mentioned parts, Stephen's sensitivity about his name and identity continually is

challenged at school in a way that he doesn't realize the reason for it. In another word, he has

identity-crises at his childhood age. Nasty Roche who is one of his classmates, is always

challenged by the authority of Stephen's father and identity them, like Dante, who represents the

cruel, nasty, and unpleasant side of the church, (Roche = rock = church), and Stephen never can

answer his questions.

In his adolescence, young Stephen through questioning his name's meaning strives for increasing

his self-awareness. It "serves as the central dynamic of Stephen’s adolescent development and

motivates the plot of the novel by igniting its narrative desire" (Baxter, 2000, p. 207-8).

Especially, Stephen is efforting to "make a name for himself", to illustrate his attempt to find out

his identity which becomes a translation for him, it involves "a relationship between identity and

language exists at the root of the adolescent identity crisis and the adolescent’s movement into

adulthood" (Baxter, 2000, p. 204).

"Stephen’s perceptions of self and struggles with identity begin in Portrait with the questioning

of his name. The significance of his name precipitates in questions of paternity. He tries to be

loyal to his blind acceptance of authority, but his ability to do so is ruined by the argument at

dinner at home, and later by the unfair punishment he receives at school. When he is punished it

is too much for his scheme, and his confusion and disappointment are emphasized by the way he

thinks the priest is going to shake hands with him" (Mcbride, p. 32).

At school, Stephen never takes part in the activities of the other boys, so because of his identity-

crises, he sends himself to a kind of exile. He can't even talk to others. Exile, silence, and

cunning, he separates himself from others and these three categories were Stephen Dedalus's

weapon in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. As well, these were weapons of James Joyce,

its author, against the unfriendly world. He chooses these weapons to act against language,

nationality, and religion, which always make him feel ashamed and deprived of free life. Also in

Joyce's real life, he exiles himself from Ireland not only because of his dislikeness or repulsion

but also because of the unfriendliness and hatred of Irish people towards their artists. And

through the story, when Stephen visits the National Theatre on its opening night, people's hatred

is proved to him. Stephen's desire to resist authority and control, to maintain his values and

beliefs in front of the dominance rule that always efforts to bridle him, is vital for him, but there

is also a strong indication of martyrdom in his name's identity which he carries its attitude by his

name, that he identifies himself and the hidden character of his own with the Irish politician

Charles Parnell. We are also mentioned before that one of the reasons Joyce for choosing the

name Stephen is an association of him with Stephen the first Christian martyr.
 Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 11

 At the end of Portrait Stephen proclaims, "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.

Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead" (Portrait, 1991, p. 275-76).

Regardless of Stephen's father and all that he symbolizes, Catholic Church and its inflexible

rules, little by little, turn Stephen's soul to stone. Stephen’s father, in this story, is a symbol of

disorderly life which is never at the fix and steady regulation, and in the literary language, we

can refer to him as a symbol of temptation in humans. Both of the above-mentioned sources send

Stephen’s soul to prison. To set his soul free from the mysterious identity, which becomes a jail

for him, he has to discover, through self-perception, what his identity is and, next, how to accept

the entire social requirement without losing his characteristic.

Stephen creates a serious, efficient, thoughtful, and business-minded nature. He is one to make

his own decision and not to be influenced by others. He desires independence and freedom in

authority and interference of others. He is not overly ambitious and in his relations, he is inclined

to be serious and not to see the humor or likely to respond spontaneously. As we see in some

parts of the novel that he doesn't participate in boy's playing. Thus in A Portrait of the Artist as a

Young Man, Stephen gets a great deal of reader's sympathy. In a section of the story when

Stephen's eyeglasses were broken, he saw movements of life, reality, and physical truth by a

short-sighted glimpse.
 Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 12

Chapter–3: Research Methodology

Research Methodology

Qualitative Research is a method of inquiry that is adopted in various academic disciplines. It

begins with various assumptions, a world view, the possibility of a theoretical lens, and the study

of research problems inquiring into the meaning of an individual or a group as in an association

to a society or a human problem. An in-depth analysis of human behavior and the motivating

factors governing such behavior can be well understood. This method of inquiry involves the

why and how aspects of decision making along with what, where, when, and who. The report

consists of the voices of the participants, the there-flexibility of the researcher, the complex

descriptions and interpretation of the problem, and in fact, it extends the literature to call for

action. Qualitative Research traverses the totality of a situation by bringing in symbiotic

interactions between various participants. It helps in large data analysis more scientifically and

empirically. Out of the different forms of analysis in qualitative research; thematic analysis,

which has a wide range of flexibility, has been employed here. Pinpointing, examining, and

recording themes inside a given data are given greater weight age in thematic analysis. Themes

form the core as they help in narrowing down the researcher to a specific question. The themes

also take up the various categories for a complete analysis. The thematic analysis gives a greater

assignment on the organization and description of a situation and henceforth a solution or a call

of action can be derived which has the potential of offering a permanent solution to the problem

under consideration. Along with the explicit meaning, the implicit meaning of the whole process

can be easily derived with the help of this kit. By comparing different themes to establishing a
 Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 13

relationship between different themes, the analysis involved here is of greater benefit to lay out a

conclusion based on various circumstances and scenarios. Thematic analysis can be further

broken down into various subordinate themes which further help in solving complex coordinates.

The main theme which forms the umbrella to all the subordinate themes is given the maximum

quota, whereas the subordinate themes are given quotas according to the circumstance and

scenarios in which they are placed in. In this way, the historical phenomenon, geographical

settings, religious practices, tradition, and customs; all depending upon a broad factor known as

the time scale, can be used for the analysis of a much broader & in-depth study of a scenario

involving a possible call of action in the future.

Chapter – 4: Discussion

Discussion

In the application of our qualitative research under thematic analysis, the whole novel divided

into five chapters, and the fifth chapter is the aesthetic concept. The dean's inability to

understand Stephen's use of the word "tundish" may seem like a minor detail, but it symbolizes

the clash of cultures that is at the heart of the Irish experience. The dean is English and

represents to Stephen all the institutional power and prestige England has wielded throughout its

colonial occupation of Ireland. The dean is thus a representative of cultural domination. By

failing to understand Stephen's word—which is derived from Irish rather than English—the dean

reminds us of the linguistic and cultural divide between England and Ireland. With sadness and

despair, Stephen reflects that this divide may be unbridgeable, and his disappointment

underscores the discontent he already feels for stale university life. The episode with the dean

shows Stephen importance of creating his language, as the English, he has been using is not

really his own. He realizes that English "will always be for me an acquired speech. I have not

made or accepted its words. My voice holds them at bay."

Joyce reinforces this idea of speaking someone else's language throughout the novel through

repeated uses of quoted speech from a variety of external sources. The opening lines of the

novel, for instance, are a child's story told by someone else. Later, we find Stephen frequently

quoting Aquinas and Aristotle. Yet despite these constant citations, no quotation marks are used

in the novel, sometimes making it difficult to tell the difference between a character borrowing
 Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 15

someone else's words and a character speaking in his or her voice. The "tundish" episode with

the dean shows Stephen the necessity of making this distinction and the importance of creating a

distinctive and truly Irish voice for himself.

Joyce also uses these sections to explore the contrast between individuality and community. On

one hand, Stephen is now more of a free-floating individual than ever before. His links with his

family, whose sinking poverty level and carelessness repel him, are weaker than ever. His

mother is disappointed with the changes university life has brought about in her son, and his

father calls him a "lazy bitch." There seems to be little parental pride or affection to offset Mr.

Dedalus's hostility. Moreover, Stephen's social life is hardly any less solitary. He fails to share

the ideological position of any of his friends: he cannot adopt the Irish patriotism of Davin or the

international pacifism of MacCann. Even the flattering adulation of Temple fails to inspire

Stephen. Therefore, having given up hope on family, church, friends, and education, Stephen

seems to be more alone than ever. This assessment is only partly true, however, as Stephen is

never completely isolated in the novel. His family repels him, but he continues to see them and

speak to them, and his warm address to his siblings shows that he still has family ties.

Furthermore, even when composing epitaphs to dead friendships, Stephen is surrounded by his

friends and interacts with them in a lively and outgoing way. The proximity of such human

relationships is important, as Stephen retains a powerful commitment to his society until the very

end of the novel, even when dreaming of fashioning a new soul for himself.
 Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 16

Chapter–5 Conclusion

Conclusion

The study of the main character of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Ulysses, Stephen

Dedalus, showed that Joyce tried to capture the insufficiency of self-awareness and freedom in

his life, which comes into contact with universal feelings of detachment, guilt, and awakening.

The result is the relationships that are based on wrong factors and consequently instead of

shaping a new possibilities, leads to loss, failure, and destruction. Through the novel, by close

looking, it becomes obvious that reality is absolutely different from what appears in the story and

the mind of Stephen. At the end of the novel, he understood that all the ways which he had gone,

was wrong and invaluable so thereafter he decides to make himself ready for what he belongs to.

He chooses to be artist because he wants to be free from all the rules and regulations. He escapes

from this material world by using wax wings, which is symbol of his free soul. We can see all of

these despair, loneliness, and feeling of guilt, which happen to him, because he is not able to

accept others. So he tortures himself by exile and jailing within an imaginary fence in order to be

away from others. He experiences a kind of exile, silence, and cunning which shows nationality

and religious of him. This story is a kind of symbolic, allegorical one which is autobiography of

the author.
 Stephen's Character and his Aesthetic Theory 17

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