Transcendence

Since its publication in 1914, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, taken as the pioneering experimental novel in modem western literature, has aroused great sensation in the west Among various narrative techniques, a prominent and prevailing one is the adoption of contradictory symbolism to reveal the conflict between the inner world of the hero and social forces in order to display the exploring experience of an Irish young artistChapter One discusses the symbolic meanings of. the objects specifically nominated in the novel. The sea is compared to his wakening consciousness as well as the dangers and hardships encountered in his growth. The birds function as freedom and punishment The dark street implies psychological maze and the pass of life. The symbolic meaning of flowers varies with the different colors and the conflict between the red rose and the green one hints the clash between England and the Ireland. The voice represents the boring statements, the cliches of his father as well as the call from God. The water has dual symbolic meanings of rebirth and terror.Chapter Two is a tentative probe into the character symbolism. The name of "Stephen. Dedalus" symbolizes the theme—flight; the family members stands for the religion and authority while the relationship between Stephen and his classmates indicates indirectly his attitude towards religion, nation and art; In the female characters, Eileen implies the disharmony between Stephen and religion. Emma is a symbol of a perfect woman, Mother suggests country and Dublin prostitute has ambivalent symbolic meanings of beauty and ugliness while the wading girl functions as the director to his road of artChapter Three studies the symbolic implication of language. First, two sets of images in dichotomy serve as an important symbol spelling themessage that Stephen is doomed to give up his religious conviction and family for art The word "foetus" is associated with the hero's epiphany—the discovery of his identity. "Tundish" symbolizes the culture clash between Irish culture and British culture it attached to, which finally inspires Stephen's escape from Ireland to continue with his pursuit of art. Satan's comments upon God manifest Stephen's determination to divorce from the church and devote himself to art.Chapter Four scrutinizes the symbolic suggestion in structure. The symbolic prelude foretells the fate of the hero. By constructing a symbolic story., the author implies the theme of the hero's attempt to get rid of the control of his family, his nation, and religion and his struggling towards his artistic dream. The ending with Stephen's diaries predicts his outset of art career. The symbolic meanings of the beginning and Ihe ending echo each other. The main parts correspond with Dante's Divine Comedy, which express deeply the hero's struggle in the hell, purification in the purgatory and epiphany in the heaven.In a word, the thesis ventures to make comments on the application of symbolism in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in which the technique is so powerfiilly employed by the master of stream consciousness to make readers fully aware of the hero's painstaking efforts to struggle for his artistic development in a hostile surrounding, a breathtaking story telling his nanscendence towards a young artist.