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.