Some aspects of his personality could be explained through hardships when he was younger, though his childhood was by no means difficult. His family lost a lot of wealth and social standing, but he still had a roof to sleep under and food to eat. What he hasn't had is friends -- true friends -- who he can trust with anything. He's lonely. An outsider.
I think the idea of being an outsider is something a lot of people can relate to. There's always some situation where even the most confident, friendly, and popular person will feel as though they don't belong. Unfamiliar situations, especially those where the other people are all well acquainted with each other, can really make a person feel uncomfortable.
When Stephen felt left out of the group, even when it was by choice, I understood what he was feeling. I generally don't perceive myself to be an outsider, but I have been in several situations where I've felt like the odd one out.
There were definitely several moments throughout the book where I've felt a connection to Stephen Dedalus. There were also countless times where I was completely disgusted by him. He's selfish, arrogant, and lacks self control.
My opinions on Stephen are constantly fluctuating, changing multiple times a chapter. I can't decide whether or not I like him. He's an intriguing character; as despicable as he is relatable.
When Stephen felt left out of the group, even when it was by choice, I understood what he was feeling. I generally don't perceive myself to be an outsider, but I have been in several situations where I've felt like the odd one out.
There were definitely several moments throughout the book where I've felt a connection to Stephen Dedalus. There were also countless times where I was completely disgusted by him. He's selfish, arrogant, and lacks self control.
My opinions on Stephen are constantly fluctuating, changing multiple times a chapter. I can't decide whether or not I like him. He's an intriguing character; as despicable as he is relatable.
The thing about Stephen, at least after chapter 1 and certainly by chapter 5, is that he turns the position of "outsider" into a virtue, even a *necessity*. It's not that failing to fit in apparently causes him discomfort or insecurity; he convinces himself that he doesn't *want* to fit in, that in fact NOT fitting in better suits him as an artist. Maybe this is connected to the "likability" continuum you describe: we can sympathize easily with a confused and scared little guy who wants to be one of the fellows; but when he starts implicitly rejecting the companionship and peership of people "like us," we recoil a bit (or at least we call it "arrogant").
ReplyDeleteRejection for Stephen is an odd kind of declaration of love: he rejects Ireland as a place to live and work, but then he expresses his enduring fascination with and love for the culture, language, and general setting for the rest of his artistic career. The prodigal son/exile has probably done more to put Ireland on the international map of world culture than any single person. And yeah, there's an irony in this that JJ would've appreciated.