Portrait Themes and Symbols

Religion throughout Stephens life has been a means of imprisonment. It kept him from experience and tied him down from expressing his true beliefs. Many times and escpecially towards the end of the novel Stephen chooses to use quotes about birds to represent himself and how he needs to flee Ireland because there is nothing inspiring for him there.

Religion symbolizes a part of the bars the were keeping Stephen back. The Church filled Stephen with obligation and with guilt, all things that held him back from becoming the artist that he at heart was. Because of religion Stephen is filled with a terrible guilt for what he later realizes where just experiences that would be important cornerstones within his life. The religious life also obligates Stephen in a way to lead a life as a priest. He struggles with this because he does feel drawn to that life at first but realizes that there is nothing in it for him. That his true passion is words, not being this false image of purity that he has in his mind. Stephen's parents also make a barrier keeping him back from his calling. They alienate him because of his detachment from his religion, just set up another barricade against Stephen.

Another continuing symbol I saw throughout the book was the flame on the cheek. I don't know if this is just an expression or something unique to Joyce's writing. It seems like when something good happened that brought Stephen a step further towards his "enlightenment" as an artist the flame on his cheek appeared or it glowed brighter. But if something happened that discouraged him the flame would have dissipeared.

Joyce also continuously brings in an image of female purity which contributes to Stephen's poetic thinking and gives him something to throw his passion at. There is the girl in the beginning when Stephen is feeling guilty and then the one he sees across the river towards the end. They are also crucial points in showing Stephen's growth and in his descriptions of female beauty.