Throughout the novel, Joyce makes quite a few allusions to
classical/classically-based works, from the Father's description of Hell (Dante's Inferno), to
Stephen's very name and his epiphany. After Stephen’s revelation at the end of
Chapter 4, we see Stephen being open about his doubts of Christianity. He no longer possesses that devotion (if you can call it that) to God he once had. He has
lost faith.
Much of Stephen's earlier life was centered around the Church. Now what? Is he that artist of independent spirit completely separate from the rest of the world? This might be a stretch, but I would say that Stephen's revelation reflects a change in his source of inspiration. After his revelation, I think Stephen turns to the classics for inspiration. As his friends tease him, he realizes the significance of his last name, and all the symbolism that comes with it (flight, freedom, the artificer, etc...). He begins to view the world differently and becomes the “artist”, like Daedalus of Greek myth. Also, much of his aesthetic theory is based on Aristotle and Aquinas (who drew on Greek philosophy for a lot his work). The last line of his journal even says "Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead." Perhaps the "father" he mentions refers to God (maybe he still has some faith), Daedalus of Greek myth, or even Simon Dedalus. Either way, he sees this father figure as an artificer, like Daedalus of Greek myth. It shows his changed view of the world. Earlier he was under a vengeful God and much of his faith in this God was through fear. Now, this new father figure is a creator, an artificer. Stephen sees him in a much more positive light and feels free to view the world as he sees fit, as opposed to mortifying his senses in his devotion to the Christian God.
Much of Stephen's earlier life was centered around the Church. Now what? Is he that artist of independent spirit completely separate from the rest of the world? This might be a stretch, but I would say that Stephen's revelation reflects a change in his source of inspiration. After his revelation, I think Stephen turns to the classics for inspiration. As his friends tease him, he realizes the significance of his last name, and all the symbolism that comes with it (flight, freedom, the artificer, etc...). He begins to view the world differently and becomes the “artist”, like Daedalus of Greek myth. Also, much of his aesthetic theory is based on Aristotle and Aquinas (who drew on Greek philosophy for a lot his work). The last line of his journal even says "Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead." Perhaps the "father" he mentions refers to God (maybe he still has some faith), Daedalus of Greek myth, or even Simon Dedalus. Either way, he sees this father figure as an artificer, like Daedalus of Greek myth. It shows his changed view of the world. Earlier he was under a vengeful God and much of his faith in this God was through fear. Now, this new father figure is a creator, an artificer. Stephen sees him in a much more positive light and feels free to view the world as he sees fit, as opposed to mortifying his senses in his devotion to the Christian God.
Stephen's relationships with "the father figure" are extremely convoluted throughout the novel. These figure include his biological father, Simon, the priests at school, and God. By the end of the novel, he feels that he must abandon all three and all three spurn him. He is exiled, like Satan, by a few different fathers and maintains that he is in the pursuit of art and knowledge and that the rules of the fathers are limiting him.
ReplyDeleteWhere does this leave the women in the book? Pretty much on the side. Except for his mother who assume a Mary-like role in that she always loves her son and wishes the best for him. She is not a punisher like Simon/priests/God.
This is all true, and it's a neat way to break it down to see him as embracing the classical paradigm reflected in his surname (over the Christian one reflected in his first name? although he's still got the martyr thing going on at the end, so I don't know). But I don't know that the division is quite so neat--remember that his aesthetic philosophy is drawn more from Aquinas than Aristotle, and of course Dante is a product of Catholic culture too. And his conversation with Cranly implies that Jesus is in the mix, too--that Stephen's idea of martyrdom does entail a certain identification with Christ. As Cranly says, his mind is "supersaturated" with Catholicism, even as he wants to turn to more classical models.
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