Intellectual Experience 2

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dubliner

At the James Joyce statue in Dublin

    Visiting Dublin, it was easy to see the source of many of the sentiments expressed in James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The sense of Irish nationalism and religious turmoil that Joyce's protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, grapples with was clear from the beginning. From the moment my family and I climbed into the taxi at the Dublin airport and headed toward our hotel, we felt the strong sense of Irish nationalism. Our taxi driver began the ride by explaining, at my brother's questioning, the sports emblem on his jacket: it represented Dublin's Gaelic football team. He added, "Ya support yer team on the field and in the pubs, even when the fists are involved. That's the Irish way." His pride in his team and his nation's sport was evident, and he was proud to tell us outsiders all about it. He was reminiscent of Joyce's nationalistic characters.

    This strain of nationalism became more and more evident the longer we spoke. When my mother began asking me about British slang, the driver chimed in: "Dontcha be usin' that British talk over here, girlie. The locals don't like it none." He continued to disparage his neighboring country, much to our surprise. His glowing, positive pride in his country turned into a nationalistic distaste in anything non-Irish. Stephen Dedalus best expresses this sentiment: "Whatsoever of thought or of feeling came to him from England or by way of English culture his mind stood armed against (Joyce)."

    The religious influence on Dublin is evident in a quick survey of the city. There are hundreds of churches and two main cathedrals (unusual for a city). Both St. Patrick's and Christ Church Cathedrals are still popular tourist destinations. Stephen Dedalus grapples with his own religious identity in Joyce's Portrait. From dealing with brutish religious authority figures in his childhood to his own religious piety and subsequent deviousness, Stephen sees many sides to Dublin's religious identity. The many visitors to the two cathedrals expressed the popularity of religion in Dublin. It was, however, surprising to see the pubs and drinking facilities flanking the cathedrals. This sense of deviousness or impiety was reflected by one of the priests I encountered: a friendly, older priest approached me and asked if I had an American boyfriend in the states. When I said "yes," he continued to teach me a phrase in Gaelic to tell to him. When I asked him to translate, instead of the pious statement I expected, he told me that the phrase meant "I like the Irish boys better." His jovial (however impious) sense of humor was unexpected, but reflected a lighthearted, mischievous nature that was absent in Joyce's portrayal of the Irish church, though it did fit with the impious representations.

Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York: Viking, 1964. Print.