Analysis Of Dedalus In A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man
1321 Words6 Pages
Less Dedalus, More Daedalus A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce depicts the life of Stephen Dedalus, a boy who is raised under a catholic family and lives under the constraints of the church. Several themes such as religious extremism and independence are introduced through the events in the novel. Throughout the novel Joyce uses the central themes and the name Dedalus as structuring elements in order to portray the conflicts in Stephen’s life, his maturation, and how the shift in childhood to adulthood of Stephen is compared to Daedalus in the Greek myths. Stephen Dedalus was raised in a devout Catholic family and initially had absolute belief in the morals of the church. Due to this, Stephen’s faith in the catholic morals…show more content… From the beginning, Stephen is caught up in the constraints of religion, family and country, similar to how Daedalus was confined in the labyrinth. At first, Stephen follows the paths that are set for him, pursuing the morals of his family and the church. Stephen’s actions here portray how Daedalus is unable to escape the labyrinth and is constantly roaming in it. Eventually Stephen falls deeper into the maze due to the morals he followed, falling into despair. However, throughout the novel, Joyce portrays Daedalus’ escape from the labyrinth by creating wings and flying out of it. Stephen’s maturation and how he frees himself from the suppressions that have kept him captive resembles the construction of wings and finally escaping from his own labyrinth of…show more content… The similarity between Stephen and Daedalus is shown through even the simplest methods. From the beginning, the connection in the two names allows the readers to assume a link between them. The novel does not simply show the story of how Stephen grows up and matures, but illustrates how Stephen Dedalus becomes the mythical Greek hero Daedalus. Although Stephen suffered from the constraints of family, religion and country, he was able to overcome them. As the conflicts acted as the stimulant to help him reach his realization, Stephen was able to mature from them and reach the state of independence. This process of acquiring independence was how Joyce portrayed the story of Daedalus. Stephen Dedalus was able to overcome his personal flaws and the oppressions of his environment. Escaping from the suppressions, Stephen became less Dedalus, his original form. And through his maturation, Stephen became closer, or even became a direct reflection of