A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce Rite of Passage by Han, Femi, Kevin and Ethan Tuesday, April 9 Aim: How does Stephen Dedalus in James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man mature through multiple rite of passages? Objectives: - To be able to identify Stephen's rites of passage. - To understand how these experiences changed Stephen. Rite of Passage - A ritual or ceremony signifying an event in a person's life indicative of a transition from one stage to another,

as from adolescence to adulthood. Do Now: What is a rite of passage in your own culture? Or a rite of passage of another culture that you know of ? Possible Rite of Passages Giving into lust and committing a sin, sleeping with a prostitute (Ch 2, section 5) Losing faith in the christian religion- as a child, he was very faithful but as he grew older, the faith that he had in god was lost.

Deciding to decline the offer to go into priesthood. choosing what he wants, an artist lifestyle over a religious or family oriented life. Rite of Passage Child to Young Man At the beginning of the story stephen is a young child, which is not only depicted by the context of the story, but by the actual dialog. " Dear Mother I am sick. I want to go home. Please come and take me home. I am in the infirmary. the moocow thing Your fond son, Stephen" (Page 21) Stephen's personality at Clongowes Wood College can only be described as meek and obsequious. Stephen is constantly bullied by his peers and does nothing to retaliate. The rite of passage that

Stephen experiences occurs after he is wrongly punished by the prefect for being an idle student. With a feeling of indignation and encouragement from his peers; Stephen overcomes his anxiety and appeals the rector for his unfair punishment. After this ordeal Stephen is praised as a hero by his classmates. This change can be seen as a rite of passage for Stephen, giving him more confidence and structure. The Rite of Passage Teen to a Young Man The transformation of Stephen from a pious Catholic child to a sin indulging young man occurs after Stephen succumbs to sexual temptation and sleeps with a prostitute. Stephen, no longer able to resist a life of sin and squalor changes his attitude and for a period rejects Catholicism and holds those who practice it in disdain. Although this rite of passage can be viewed as negative, it ultimately leads Stephen to transform the essence of his character and become a gifted artist and esthetics philosopher.

Innocence Sinful Squalor *Similarly, the author, James Joyce was declared a blasphemer by his native country Ireland. Joyce incurred this punishment by partaking in similar activities as Stephen including sleeping with The Rite of Passage Sinner to Devout Catholic Soon after Stephen turned to a sinner's life his school went on its annual retreat to reflect on the "conditions of their souls". During the retreat's sermon the priest, Father Arnall, talked about the horrors of hell to the students, describing it with such verisimilitude that even the most pious student would have been frightened to end up in hell. Stephen is influenced strongly by this

sermon and reflects on the condition of his soul.Stephen then rushes to his nearest confessional booth to beg for God's for forgiveness. Sinner Catholic Devout This rite of passage makes way for Stephen's second transformation as a young man. Stephen becomes a staunch Catholic, even going as far as to say his extra prayers every day and avert his gaze The Rite of Passage Devout Catholic to Aesthetic Artist The most important and final transformation for Stephen Dedalus occurs when Stephen is walking to the sea and recalls the greek

myth of Icarus. Stephen at this point in the story has asked for penance of his sin, but he then starts to shun the church once again; the text even says "... his eyes turned coldly for an instant toward the faded blue shrine of the Blessed Virgin." (Pg 176). Devout Catholic Artist Aesthetic When Stephen imagine this story, he puts himself in the position of Icarus' father Dedalus, flying high into the sky unfettered by any means, in this case the staunch Irish nationalism and adherence to Catholicism. This causes Stephen to realize his true meaning; what it means to be an artist and how to accurately form philosophies by taking into account previous aesthetic theories. Reflective Questions - Marriage and death are 2 of the most

significant rites of passage in an average person's life. How would James Joyce have written Stephen Dedalus' marriage and death? (Assume that he must get married) - Knowing Stephen's rite of passage, what might this allude to in James Joyce's life? -Did the rite of passage act in favor of Stephen's attitude towards his view and