Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

¶ … Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man sunandmike

Chapter One of James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man traces Stephen Dedalus's early childhood experiences from his toddler years through his first term at boarding school. As a baby, Stephen's world is a collage of sensations. His first memories are of his father reading him a story, his parent's distinct smells, and the colors of Dante's brushes. The young Stephen is acutely aware of heat, cold and other tactile sensations. These sensations are initially Stephen's main way of understanding and interpreting the outside world. Yet beyond his physical impressions of the world around him, Stephen forms an immature worldview based on his impressions of religion, politics, and relationships. Stephen's world is shaken up by his first semester at Clongowes, during which he is bullied, homesick, and physically ill. Through several key events, Stephen is forced to confront his own weaknesses and to recognize the shortcomings in other people. Stephen also confronts weightier, adult issues in his immature mind. Politics, metaphysics, religion, and sexuality all arise in the young consciousness of Stephen Dedalus. An introspective and thoughtful young boy, Stephen struggles with both conflicting emotions and conflicting messages from the world. Chapter one essentially shows Stephen's growth from a toddler to six years old, during which he creates personal opinions about himself and other people.

Stephen's earliest memories are pleasant, as all his physical and emotional needs are taken care of. He forms an early appreciation with the sounds of words when he listens to his father's moocow story as well as Dante's scary story. The young Stephen also shows some primitive comprehension of meaning, as he realizes that the eagles will "pull out his eyes" if he doesn't apologize (p. 4). Stephen's character is revealed as being obedient, gentle, sensitive, and introspective. He recalls hiding under the table, indicating his tendency to feel shame, shyness, or embarrassment. Early memories of his "small and weak body" on the rugby field point to his physical all well as emotional sensitivity. The other boys have "rude feet" as well as rude words (p. 5). He feels like he doesn't fit in, and is summarily bullied and taunted in the schoolyard. Stephen's feelings of physical coldness blend with his experiences of cold-hearted children. Instead of toughening up young Stephen, being bullied exacerbates his introversion. He avoids sports: "it would be better to be in the study hall than out there in the cold," (p. 7). Stephen retreats to his inner world and his intellect to insulate him from the literal and metaphorical chill surrounding him at school. When Wells pushes him into the "cold and slimy" cesspool, Stephen immediately comforts himself with warm imagery. He daydreams about fireplaces, tea, and even the "warm smell" of Dante's slippers (p. 8). Daydreaming helps Stephen remain detached from the world and to minimize pain.

Daydreaming is natural to Stephen, whose early memories mingle with multi-sensory fantasies. Colors, feelings, smells, tastes and sounds commingle to color the present moment and help Stephen understand the world. When Wells humiliates him in front of his classmates, he feels the embarrassment throughout his entire body. Stephen is unable to fight back, for he is not aggressive. Instead, he withdraws further. His poor eyesight also serves as a symbolic barrier between him and the outside world. It prevents him from playing sports well, which leads to his being unpopular. Ironically, breaking his glasses causes him to become a hero by the end of the chapter. Until then, however, young Stephen contends with conflicting emotions and ideas when Wells teases him about kissing his mother. "Was it right to kiss his mother or wrong to kiss his mother?" (p. 14). Surrounded by confrontational or hostile peers, Stephen matures through these social trials. Stephen feels proud of himself for not having told on Wells because he remembers his father's admonishment. He is becoming conscious of social etiquette and standards of behavior, especially those he will need in order to fit in at Clongowes. Stephen's young personality struggles to reconcile the known comforts of his parents and home with the harsher reality of Catholic School.

Because Stephen is acutely uncomfortable at school, he constantly dreams about returning home for the Christmas break. However, when he does return home he is surprised by the discordant conversations and events that take place. While at school he develops an immature awareness of the geo-political world. Studying geography reminds him of the enormity of the universe and this catapults young Stephen into thoughts of God, which make him feel exhausted. Plus, "it pained him that he did not know well what politics meant and that he did not know where the universe ended," (p. 17). Knowing that Dante's green and red hairbrushes corresponded to Parnell and the Church, respectively, Stephen's version of politics is overly simplified. As a result, Christmas dinner comes as an even greater surprise. On the one hand, Stephen has become indoctrinated into the Church because of the Jesuit rituals. He performs his prayers dutifully and believes in both God and the Church.

Therefore, Stephen wrestles with the adults' discrepant reactions to Parnell's death. Suddenly politics, which were once embodied only by the colors of Dante's hairbrush handles, are pitted against religion. The scene at the Dedalus Christmas table becomes a battleground between politics and religion, and between Stephen's father and Dante. Stephen, who had so looked forward to the gaiety of the Christmas feast, is silenced and shocked by the adults' arguments. First, Dante and his father debate whether or not priests should preach politics on the altar. Simon Dedalus and Mr. Casey seem to be condemning the Church, which startles Stephen. After all, his daily life at Clongowes is consumed with Catholicism, ritual, and prayer. Moreover, it was his father who sent his there. Stephen cannot quite grasp why his father and Dante disagree so fervently. Stephen only knows how it makes him feel. He is aware of the Uncle Charles' attempt to protect "the boy" from the adult arguing. He also notes that his mother is uncomfortable during the entire ordeal. Stephen listens intently while the bickering escalates, and doesn't daydream much during the episode. Instead, his intelligent and sophisticated young mind soaks up his environment, however uncomfortable it is. Stephen is also introduced to the gravity of sexual misconduct through the conversation about Parnell. Both the issue of sexuality and the issue of being a Protestant remind Stephen of his friend Eileen. Back at school, Stephen is again confronted with his inability to understand both religion and sexuality. The rumors about the five misbehaving students confound Stephen, as they break rules of religious, moral, and sexual misconduct. The entire Christmas fiasco brings several elements of Stephen's life into conflict. When he watches his father cry, Stephen feels "terror-stricken" and completely confused.