A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Synopsis

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a semi-autobiographical novel written by James Joyce, an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century.
 
This novel traces the intellectual, religious and philosophical awakening of a young man, who was brought up under Catholic and Irish conventions during his early life. The central character of this novel Stephen Dedalus studies in a boarding school and live a comfortable life though his homesick is changed after he started mingling with his boarding school boys. His family goes through a financial crisis, which eventually makes him to leave the boarding school. With his excel in academics; he has managed to get scholarship for his studies in a day school where he excels as an actor and writer in the student theater.

During this time, his sexual experience with a prostitute unleashes guilt and shame on himself . He tries to keep him away with learning from his early religious life style. He starts devoting himself religiously to the extent of his school asking him to become a priest. However at one point of time, he decides to overcome his dilemma and firmly believes in enjoying the sensual beauty is not sin. This thought brings more changes to his life which shaped rest of his life to build himself wings on which he can fly above all obstacles and achieve a life as an artist.

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