The Fragmented Narrative of A Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man

Joyce’s narrative style in A Portrait is non-chronological, as there is no plot and does not follow the traditional introduction, climax and conclusion, yet its writing style is intended to render the flow of the characters’ myriad impressions. The strategy that used by Joyce is Flash-forward, the story going forward in time and telling the story fairly intuitively but chronologically, especially from childhood to manhood. (Aaron Gansky).

The five chapters of the novel are clearly fragmented: the focus of each chapter is also different. Every chapter show new things that Stephen learned and the new ideas and viewpoints of Stephen toward: religion, art, politics, family, society and sexuality. The five chapters are representing the development and growth of Stephen from an inexperienced child to an artist, for example at the beginning Stephen is a child when he cannot understand from any politics, religion and society issues.

Though later during the Christmas dinner Stephen is progressed and trying to join the adult discussions and learn more about religion and politics. Besides the final chapter of the novel shows that Stephen becomes better to know the torture of hell and the repent of sins and he even has ability to decide about what he wants to do in life. (Stanley 265)

At the beginning of the novel Joyce tries to represent the level of Stephen’s maturation that mirrored with narrative throughout the story. Here Joyce represents the childlike of Stephen by using simple vocabularies and imitates the style of children’s story, for example:

Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow…His father told him that story: his father looked at him through a glass: he had a hairy face. (Joyce 5)

Joyce opens up the novel with the typically fairy-tale-like phrase “Once upon a time” to introduce a narrative of some past events and this phrase in itself is used at the beginning of children’s stories which also highlights that Joyce’s A Portrait is a classic example of Bildungsroman, in which it focuses on the growth of Stephen from youth to adulthood. (Ida22)

As the narrative develops and Stephen grows up more, his childish language and his immature personality are fading away at the same time. At one of the events, Christmas dinner, when adults are gathered around the table, Stephen tries to join them and learn more about politics, society and religion, and it says that his attitude represent his personality when he becomes aware of the “outside world”. While some rough words about death of Irish parliamentary leader, Parnell, and about Protestantism and Catholicism used by Stephen’s father and their guests, but Dante Riordan and Mr Casey are know that Stephen also at the table, they are trying to soften their words:

- O, he’ll remember all this when he grows up, said Dante hotly – the language he heard against God and religion and priests in his own home. - Let him remember too, cried Mr Casey to her from across the table, the language with which the priests and the priests‟ pawns broke Parnell’s heart and hounded him into his grave. Let him remember that too when he grows up. - Sons of bitches! cried Mr Dedalus. When he was down they turned on him to betray him and rend him like rats in a sewer. Low lived dogs! And they took it! By Christ, they took it! (Joyce 28)

So Stephen is confused when Catholic Dante and the secularists Mr Dedalus and Mr Casey talking very roughly and Stephen learn that life is full of conflicts. Also Stephen notice about the problem, when he “felt the glow rise to his own cheek as the spoken words thrilled him”. (Joyce 32). This quote says that great minds and emotions are thinking about great things just like politics and religion, and also these great things are exist within the young boy. Through these events Joyce tries the development of Stephen, and indicates his character throughout the narrative. (Brady 100)

Stephen’s routine lifestyle has affected him so profoundly that enables him to constantly make new choices and possibly changes particularly to further strengthen his personality and character. At the end of chapter two, Stephen did some moral sins, when he sleeps with a whore. But later he becomes aware about his sins, when the young boy proves them:

He had sinned mortally not once but many times and he knew that, while he stood in danger of eternal damnation for the first sin alone, by every succeeding sin he multiplied his guilt and his punishment. His days and works and thoughts could make no atonement for him, the fountains of sanctifying grace having ceased to refresh his soul. (Joyce 87)

Chapter three completely focuses on Stephen’s religious awakening as he had done something wrong and he feels guilty and he falls into life of degeneration. The chapter ends when Stephen comes to an old priest to whole, and he told his sins and proves them. So that is a crucial stage in Stephen’s coming-of-age because these religious experiences and perceptions indicate that he is decided to involve himself to church and Catholicism: “Another life! A life of grace and virtue and happiness! It was true. It was not a dream from which he would wake. The past was past” (Joyce 123). (Ida 31-32)

The last chapter, chapter five, Stephen decides to leave Ireland and live in exile. This clearly says that his continuous search for his own identity might be seen as his necessary to victory, this exile seems like something predictable because it’s needed to his development and to be an artist. Since Stephen was a rebellion against Irish society, religion, politics, culture, country and home and he has many dreams for himself as an artist makes some problem, while the young boy is unable to find a good place in society, his exile was about to happen. In response to Cranly’s questions in chapter five “what then is your point of view?” he says;

I will tell you what I will do and what I would not do. I will not serve that in which I no longer believe, whether it call itself my home, my fatherland or my church: and I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defence the only arms I allow myself to use, silence, exile and cunning. (Joyce 219)

The quote above says it all. The young boy has enough power to go along with his struggles and he has confidence to fix the will of his religion, nation and family. Toward the end of the story there are many times that he has difficulties with his inescapable consequences of his vision. In which they prepare Stephen to get his way from circle of ideas and thoughts that have characterized him. (Block 184)