The Living Portrait

The most brilliant writers are able to take a piece of writing and make it more that a cluster of words bound together by a spine and covers. A true writer, according to James Joyce, is able to take a piece of writing and make it into a work of art. In his novel, The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce presents his artistic writing in order for the reader to fully understand and enjoy his autobiography and his battle with religion. Throughout the novel, there are several passages that are simply beautiful and are works of art themselves. However, there are bigger portions that fully exemplify the true nature of being an artist. As Joyce's protagonist, Stephen battles his identity with religion, he also battles the females in his life. For example, his mother is overbearing and pushy by sending him off to boarding school and wishing he could be someone he is not. He is constantly teased by all the other boys at the school and chooses to isolate himself. Also, he succumbs to his lustful desires by sleeping with a prostitute although it is against the teachings of the Catholic Church to do such actions. Finally, at the end of the novel, Stephen confronts Emma, a girl he has been mystified by for some time, and proves to himself that she is unable to control him any longer. By breaking away from his oppression from women, Stphen breaks away from his religion. Joyce could have merely said, "I broke away from Catholicism as a young man and turned to art instead". But how simply plain would it be compared to creating an interwined image of metaphors and descriptions? A true artist takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary, and Joyce proves it with this portrait of himself. He is not just a man, but a living example of the truths of art he believes.

Our "Beloved" Beliefs

Sometimes the idea that we believe or hold onto in our lives is the very thing that brings us down or causes us to lose faith. In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Sethe carries her past like a religion. She is unable to break free from the beliefs of her past which causes her to lose anything she ever was able to control in her life. When she was younger, Sethe was forced to endure the hardships of slavery and abuse through several forms. Her back reveals hideous scars from the whippings she succumbed to while on the plantation and when she was pregnant, two men stole her breast milk. This action not only destroyed the small amount of dignity she had for herself, it also stole her child’s life source. Because of these fragments of her past that Sethe is unable to let go of, she chooses to murder her daughter so she will not have to live the terribe life of a slave. The pain of the events on the plantation, the guilt of taking the life of her own child, and her inability to let these events go is what causes Sethe to become a hermit in her own home and fail at loving her only remaining daughter, Denver.
Sethe’s past has become her belief system. Just like anyone who has firm beliefs, she is unwavering in sticking with it. However, these have negative side effects. Imagine someone who is so consumed by their own beliefs that they are unable to hear, let alone respect, another perspective. Their only truth is their identity, and they forget to experience what this whole world has to offer. Sethe was caught in this trap by never allowing herself to move on from the horrors of her past in order to have a happier future. Morrison does create an image of hope by the end of Beloved, though. Once Sethe accepts and breaks from her past, she is able to move forward to a life filled with love. The past always stays with her, but she is no longer a “slave” to the memories. Morrison’s message could potentially be this: though what you believe will always be a part of your identity, we have the choice to break from our demons and move forward.

The Jail Bird's Fatal Flaw

When someone of faith cries "Thank God!" or "Praise the Lord!", usually that moment is one of extreme joy and thanksgiving for a positive turn of events. However, when the world goes downhill for people, the reaction can become completely opposite. Not only to people curse the name of God for their fate, some even denouce the existance of a God at all. Camus's character, Meursault, is an example of this human trend. After suffering through the death of his mother, Meusault kills an Arab man and is sent into prison for this crime. When in prison, a lawyer comes to him, telling him to repent by holding up a crucifix and describing how the man on that cross gave the gift of the greatest sacrifice. Meursault chooses to ignore the lawyer's plea, leaving the man frustrated with the criminal. Most of us look at this situation and accuse Meursault of being a heartless heathen that deserves his time in prison and possibly more. But in the grand scheme of things, who is to blame him for his doubt? The existance of a God may seem unclear after the endurance of a terrible event. Camus suggests that maybe we judge too harshly and too quickly on fragile subjects such as redemption. In The Stranger, Meursault's character may be Camus's idea of human nature in general: people are unable to come to terms with the idea of redemption or mercy from a greater being during a tramatizing moment in life.