Moreover, it was the community and the religion of the community that turned him into an alienated individual and that made him so sensitive to the imperfections of the world.
Namely, the community with its religious devotion, family commitment, and political involvement made Stephen refuse it and separate from society. Giving the voice to his community in his artistic works, Stephen realized that it has always been a part of him for it has shaped his identity. 253) because he believed that his community turned him into what he was. It emphasizes Stephen’s intention to “forge in the smithy of soul the uncreated conscience of race” (Joyce and Hammer, p. The novel depicts what being the artist is all about. Under the influence of these factors, Stephen became isolated from society and devoted himself to art. Namely, these factors contributed to Stephen’s becoming a contradictory individual and his doubts concerning the choice between the religious and artistic way of life. As a child, Stephen was often a target for bullies at school and his inability to use force made him even more socially awkward. It was namely faith that turned Stephen into an obedient person unable to protect himself for when he had to fight for his own hand, he always heard the “voices of his father and of his masters, urging him to be a gentleman above all things and urging him to be a good catholic above all things” (Joyce and Hammer 92). Faith has changed the lives of a number of people and its effect on identity formation is unquestionable. His parents, especially his mother, were devout Catholics, and religion, as it is known, teaches to have hope for the better, regardless of all the tribulations. One of the most important factors was Stephen’s strict Catholic upbringing. To begin with, Stephen’s example testifies to the fact that certain factors influence the formation of the human identity. He points at the factors which shape human identity and shows the influence of these factors on the individual’s life nevertheless, Stephen’s contradictory identity and his isolation from the rest of the society are not unique to the artists only because his unfortunate experiences are typical for any individual. In this novel, Joyce discloses the nature of the human identity taking Stephen as an example. It can be seen from this novel that the author attributes alienation and isolation from the world to the artists only he describes Stephen as possessing namely these features. Stephen grows into an alienated unsociable person who questions the flawed world and unfriendly society he leaves his family and becomes an artist in order to express his sufferings in his works. The protagonist of this story is Stephen Dedalus who comes from an Irish Catholic family and whose parents often experience financial problems.
James Joyce’s novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is often regarded as a search for true identity.
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