By far, I thought A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was the most complex book we read this semester; and perhaps one of the most complex books I've ever read. Consequently, I have thought a great deal about this blog post. James Joyce weaves such a layered and intricate character throughout a number of life experiences, it's incredibly difficult to pull apart individual aspects of his composition. Even though my question deceivingly appears broad and fairly simple to answer, I feel like especially with novel, it's near impossible. Stephen Dedalus is one of the most multifaceted characters I've ever discovered. I couldn’t possibly sum up his attributes in one blog, but I’m sure going to try.
As the novel begins, we find Stephen just beginning to come into his own world. It is oddly childlike, but lacking that childlike wonder and innocence. Young Stephen is pushed around at school (but never stands up for himself, I might add), immediately deals with family issues, and is unable to make a connection with many people in his world. In the first part of the novel, happiness is found in fantasy, in his imagination. Stephen becomes entranced with becoming someone else. He pretends to be Edmund Dantes of the Count of Monte Cristo and fully accepts such a role even in public. Happiness isn’t in reality. It’s not that he feels utter sadness in his own life; it’s that he feels most comfortable in such a make-believe land. And with comfort, comes happiness.
When Stephen begins to grow into his teenage years (I’m assuming since we are never really sure of his age), he begins to experiment with a multitude of different ways for happiness in his life. He experiments with prostitutes, being extremely pious, and slamming his emotions one way or another throughout his schooling and university days. He experiences such vigorous emotions all throughout the text, but I sincerely don’t think happiness is one of them. But now that I’m thinking about it, I can’t think of a point in the novel where there is one main emotion that is being portrayed through any character. There is anger, sadness, potential humor, fear, and possibly happiness thrown in somewhere, but it’s never one sole emotion. But on the same token, it’s not like some of the other works we’ve read this semester where there is just tragedy after tragedy. It’s not like Oedipus Rex or Kind Lear where all we tend to feel is remorse and devastation.
I’d say if I had to pinpoint a happy moment for our hero, it’s when he is listening to no one but himself, such a time that essentially doesn’t exist until the very end of the novel. It’s when he has the knowledge to block out all other perspectives and opinions and focuses on himself. I think this occurs most at the very end, when Joyce is writes again in first person. He takes on a journalistic form, and I feel that it’s the first time we see Stephen authentically expressing himself and feeling satisfied with his life. And I truly think that’s as close as he’s going to get. I think Joyce, through this entire novel, is proving that Stephen Dedalus is not capable to achieving utter happiness. He will forever be molding and changing into different emotions and creations. He’s so unconventional, and it’s fitting that his emotions would not be either.
In fact, nothing in this novel is conventional, including the existence of happiness within its pages. It's fragmented and often times impossible to see.
But that does not mean it's not there.
