A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Stephen’s family sinks into worsening poverty. They pawn their possessions to buy food and, while eating the low-quality meal, Stephen inspects “the pawn tickets” (197). Stephen’s mother believes that university has “changed” (199) him. His father insists that he is lazy. Feeling exasperated and annoyed, Stephen goes out for a walk through Dublin’s rainy streets. He recites poems and thinks about philosophy. When a clock strikes 11, he is reminded of his friend, MacCann. According to MacCann, Stephen is “an antisocial being” (201). Stephen does not agree. He suddenly recalls that he is meant to be attending an English lecture but he is unmoved, as his university experience is not what he imagined. He pictures the other students diligently taking notes in the lecture.

On his way to the university campus, Stephen thinks about his friend, Davin. Among many things, Davin is a fierce advocate for Irish independence from the British Empire. One time, Davin was nearly seduced by a housewife; the only person he has ever told of this is Stephen. Deciding not to attend his French lecture, Stephen visits the physics department of the university. He spots the dean, who is in the middle of setting a fire in the hearth. They talk about fires and aesthetics, but Stephen is surprised by the dean’s apparent lack of intellect or learning. They chat awkwardly, with the dean stopping the conversation to ask Stephen about the meaning of certain words. Stephen reflects that these words must be Irish, hence the dean not knowing their meaning as he is “a poor Englishman in Ireland” (214). Stephen believes that Irish will always be his first language and most authentic form of expression. English is, to Stephen, an “acquired language” (215).

After an unenthralling physics lecture given by “an atheist Freemason” (217), Stephen meets his friends. MacCann, Cranly, and others speak in Latin. MacCann wants Stephen to sign a petition in favor of “universal peace” (225), criticizing the reluctant Stephen for being antisocial. He mocks Stephen as a minor poet. However, Stephen is defended by a student from Ulster named Temple. Unlike the other students, Temple looks up to Stephen, admires his poetic skills, and praises his “individual mind” (228).

When Davin starts talking about Irish nationalism, he asks why Stephen no longer attends the Irish language class. He claims that Stephen is too proud, even if he is a true Irishman. Stephen and Lynch enter into a long discussion about Thomas Aquinas, Stephen’s soul, his theory of art and aesthetics, and his ideals. He believes that all art should strive for integrity, consonance, and radiance. In Stephen’s belief, the “indifferent” God has withdrawn from the world to “[pare] his fingernails” alone (245). If art is to be transcendent, Stephen says, then it must rise above the typical fray of humanity. Stephen is interrupted by Lynch, who leans in to tell him that an unnamed girl—referred to as Stephen’s “beloved” (245)—is nearby. Stephen worries that he judged the girl too harshly in the past. He thinks about her.

Stephen wakes up one morning feeling content. He has spent the night dreaming about having sex with his so-called beloved. Still thinking about her, feeling “the instant of inspiration” (247), he decides to write a poem in her honor. He remembers a night spent with this girl, singing and dancing along with a piano. The girl told Stephen that he was more of a “heretic” (250) than a monk. Before he can truly enjoy these memories, however, Stephen is struck by the thought that Father Moran might steal away his beloved. The girl—who he now names as Emma—was the subject of Stephen’s love poems 10 years ago; she is the girl he met at a party and with whom he shared the tram ride home. Stephen criticizes himself as foolish, as Emma may not even be aware of how much he loves her, but decides that it would be “folly” (253) to send the poems to her. Stephen feels a surge of romantic desire and returns to the poem.

While sitting on the library steps, Stephen sees a flock of birds in the sky. He thinks about flying and flight, including humanity’s desire to take to the skies. As he thinks about a new play that has recently premiered in Dublin, he recites a line in which Yeats writes about swallows as a metaphor for freedom. Not everyone has enjoyed Yeats’s play; some criticize Yeats for being a libelous atheist. Walking around the campus with Cranly and Temple, Stephen tunes out their arguing. He spots Emma, who seems to respond to “Cranly’s greeting” (264) while ignoring Stephen. Her actions hurt Stephen, who is jealous of Cranly. While Stephen tries to imagine Emma walking home, another student named Glynn sparks a debate with Temple about whether unbaptized children will be sent to hell if they die.

Cranly and Stephen walk home together, leaving the other students on the campus. Stephen tells his friend about an “unpleasant quarrel” (271) with his mother, who has asked him to come to church for the Easter service. Stephen has undergone a crisis of faith and no longer feels comfortable attending church. Cranly argues that Stephen’s relationship with his mother is more important than any particular doubts Stephen might be having regarding religion. He tells Stephen to just go to the church with his mother. Investigating Stephen’s apparent irreligiosity, Cranly insults Jesus Christ. He calls Jesus a “conscious hypocrite” (276) to see how his friend will react. Cranly believes that Stephen’s reactions hint that there may still be some faith lingering inside him. Stephen also confesses that he may soon drop out of university. He wants to pursue his artistic ambitions and he believes that the university is hindering him. Stephen no longer wants to serve anybody, whether that means a religion, an ideology, or an institution. He even resents the ideological imposition upon him by his family and friends. Cranly worries that Stephen may be too lonely and isolated, but Stephen does not respond.

Stephen begins to keep a journal. In his journal, he makes regular entries. These first-person entries become the main text of the novel. Stephen writes about his thoughts and his feelings at the end of each day. He documents his discussion with Cranly, then his thoughts drift to the insect-based diet of John the Baptist and his friend Lynch’s love life. Stephen writes that he has talked about the Virgin Mary with his mother, who is now worried that Stephen has lost his belief in God because he reads too much. Stephen says that he “cannot repent” (283).

In another entry, Stephen describes an argument with a student and his time studying in the library. He describes a dream about a gallery filled with the portraits of kings and another dream about silent creatures with glowing faces. Stephen writes about his father, who wanted Stephen to join “a rowing club” (285).

In another entry, Stephen writes about Emma. He met her on Grafton Street; by then, he had dropped out of university to write poetry. Stephen was excited to talk about his poetry with Emma. He told her that he wanted to be an artist. In the next entry, Stephen describes a dream in which he saw severed limbs and felt disembodied voices calling for him to join them. The last entry in the journal is dedicated to Daedalus, who Stephen once again refers to as the “old artificer” (288). Stephen prays to Daedalus to watch over him.