Psychology: The Potrait Of An Artist As A Young Man Essay, Research Paper

Interpretation of an authors scriptures comes with the querrie that trying to analyze ones work comes with the understanding that you know his backround equally expressive thus being able to figure out his work.

The Potrait of an Artist as a Young Man regards a fictional portrait of the author himself.

Through the book he moves from one geographical and spiritual orbit to another, walking in lengthening radius until he is ready to take up flight therefor presenting his past, a reflection of his first 20 or so years of his life.

This autobiography places it?s main emphasis on emotional and intellectual development of the young artist. Writing from his mouth he states that maturity is just an extension of ones childhood drawing from his past the events, the chronicles of his life.

Comparing the two personalities, Jamea Joyce and Stephen Dedalus it is easily noticed that the person contains characterristics of ?artistic temperment? somewhat self centered, very sensitive to surroundings and maybe even passive therefore allowing for chances to mentally take himself away from the world encompassing him. In the writing Stephen has not yet attained for himself the final chapter of artistic completion. He quickly finds out whats involved, the dilemma of social conflict, a demanding religious faction all engulfing his bubble as an imposing external environment. He searches for himself which involves rejecting his ultimate theme of love. This goal is accomplished through Stephen Dedalus whose history receeds to early childhood to the start of his artistic career.

The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man in terms of Psycology today grasps three high points in Stephens childhood period. His development contrasts itself with subconciousness having to do with psychoanalytic stages of development stemming from the Freudian theory.

We trace the awakening of his religious doubts from a tender age leading up to his first major sin. This physical sin or sexual initiation was a result of strong influence of the ID. This is where it engulfed him: ?It broke from him like a wail of despair from a hell of sufferers and died in a wail of furious entreaty?? (100).

Shame gets the better of Stephen in the next chapter as a conscience develops, like a guilty sensation fit onto ones back to keep one in check, a contrast to the biological process circadium rythem. Thus the turnover from sin is followed by remorse. During a sermon Stephon?s imagination puts him through a sufferage of torment of guilt. His Super ego now offers him a temporary oasis, a temporary pleasant satisfaction of life, leading him to seek further to order his place by considering the possibility of the Jesuits.

Although how ever much the church would or could bring him, the reality of the church taking away his senses for life was great. This further fuels to his fire of dilemmas in the psychological world that conflicts with conformity however outside exterior impressions are becoming more important but still resorts to his self made speculations. Lastly the reader meets Stephen ultimately seperated from his environment. Personal nourishment now comes from the inner-self in contrast to the external environment, receeding to the waters of self indulgent actions he becomes an outcast seperated from his peers at school, he is: ? a free boy, a leader of his own authority, proud and sensitive and suspicious, battling against the scholar of his life and against the rioat of his mind?.,? (104) At home where most stable one should be he is faced with the same problem of alienation. Although seperated from the world he begins to appreciate beauty, greatening his experiences and stimulating his mind and his senses.

At his third climatic stage during his personal development after finding himself, his individualistic self, he rebels, thus struggling with his pride of intellect. He rebels against his mother by turning his back on the symbols of authority in his life refusing to take notice. ?I will not serve that in which I no longer believe, whether it call itself my home, my fatherland or my church?..I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can??(293)

Isolating himself from family, Ireland, Catholicism, by his actions he shows that he is ready for the outside world armed with his individual self , ready to see where his creative life as an artist takes him.

Perhaps, Stephen Dedalus was an uncreated conscience of of the human race.

Sometimes artists are thought to have a divided self theme existing in their subconscience mind.

At the last stage Stephens aesthetic desire comes out on top only after only after other desires were fulfilled and proved incapable of facilitating the soul.

The beautiful to which his senses are longing satisfies itself without provoking the individual to acquire something or somebody outside of the self.

36c