Names and Words in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

“He would create proudly out of the freedom and power of his soul, as the great artificer whose name he bore, a living thing, new and soaring and beautiful, impalpable, imperishable” (184). In Greek mythology, when skilled craftsman Dedalus builds an impenetrable labyrinth to house the vicious Minotaur, he is condemned to life in the maze, so as not to reveal the secrets behind his work. Determined to escape, Dedalus the artist manages to fabricate wings, fly away from the island of Crete and leave the confines of the labyrinth behind. Similarly, in Irish author James Joyce’s kunstlerroman set during the turn of the twentieth century in Ireland, he tells the story of Stephen Dedalus’ development into an artist, as he necessarily breaks free from the restrictions of his friends, family, country, and religion. Raised to embody devout Catholic ideals, Stephen is born into an intense climate of conflict in Ireland, so much so that his memories of Christmas dinner involve adults arguing over whether the Catholic Church should be involved in Irish politics. Throughout his life, Stephen struggles to reconcile his own religious views with those set forth by his family and country. In Joyce’s novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen’s strong connection to names and words illustrates his disconnect from standard religious values, as he ultimately chooses to forego religion entirely and instead establish his voice through writing.

As a young boy, Stephen is prompted to question his place in the world along with the possibility of a ubiquitous God when he feels a strong connection to God’s name. Stephen’s first interaction with religion comes when he pronounces that he desires to marry his neighbor Eileen Vance and is forced to apologize because she is Protestant. Thus, from the outset, Stephen’s parents impress strong Catholic values on him, augmented by their sending him to boarding school where high religious morals are also expected. While in...