The Individual Combo Meal (clever, eh?)

In The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce, the "plot" progression portrays the progression of the intellectual maturity and the discovery of the individual in Stephen.  Primarily in his life, all which he was subjected to was occupying all space for intelligent thought in his mind by telling him what to be and how to feel; no provocative questioning resulted from the funneling of information into Stephen’s mind was present.  His persona was influenced by his family, his religion, his sexual urges; all which he took to extreme levels to decipher who he really was.  Stephen constantly struggles through all of these influences that constantly cause him inner turmoil, and it is through Stephen's pain and struggling that the main theme of the novel, that to question brings out one’s true self.  That being spoon-fed all of the answers in life is equivalent to owning a Bible and going to church regularly, but never actually reading the Bible.  Religion is one thing that Stephen struggles greatly with, and it is an incredibly relatable struggle as well, as many people tend to want to hear the truth of what their pastor preaches in church, yet never reflect on what he says to see what they may feel is true to them.  Religion is what a person makes it out to be, and to have a personal feel for religion; not what a priest declares is true.  In order to have fulfilling religious experiences, provocative thought must be put into it, rather than being spoon-fed the truth.  This predominant theme portrayed through Stephen’s life is the importance in questioning the truth; that is, that only through questioning can one discovery himself.

In the end of the novel, it is evident in Stephen’s manner of speech and his assertive composure when confronted about what he will do with his life that he has in fact become his own person.  When Stephen’s friend at the university, Cranly, confronts Stephen about what he will do with his life, Stephen replies:

“Look here, Cranly, he said.  You have asked me what I would do and what I would not do.  I will tell you what I will do and what I will not do.  I will not serve that in which I no longer believe whether it call itself my home, my fatherland, or my church: and I will try to express myself in one mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defense the only arms I allow myself to use – silence, exile, and cunning.” (Joyce 268-269)

In this passage, Stephen proves his freedom and full intellectual maturity to his friend, announcing that he will no longer “serve” the institutions which have been imposing their beliefs upon him, and that rather, he will follow his own artistic path to the full extent of his ability.  This marks the final stage in Stephen’s metamorphosis into an artist, as he vouches to follow his own path, using the traits of a true artist, “silence, exile, and cunning,” as his defenses in life.  This intense and powerful declaration of freedom particularly appealed to me because I love strength and passion in characters, which Stephen finally shows.  Since most young people have difficulty finding their passion, what they wish to study in college, and what they would like to make a profession out of, whenever I know of a person or character who definitively knows what they want in life and from people, I think it is something to be admired.  I for instance know what I want to do with my life; I want to be an engineer where I can be surrounded by the beauty of mathematics and advancing technology in a world where technology is the predominant trade.  It’s reassuring to know that I am not the only insane person who knows what they love, and that Stephen, too, can be insane, though our insanities lie in different realms of scholastics.

I cannot say that I particularly liked or disliked the book, as it was simply interesting.  It was unlike anything that I had previously read which had a distinguished plotline with sequential events and a definitive meaning; rather, it provided a less tangible plotline.  This lack of tangibility lead to the realization that a tangible feel was not what was intended for the book, but rather an understanding and intense thought was what James Joyce intended for the his readers.  The purpose for the novel was not for the reader to have a fun time reading about women whining about their need to marry a rich man or something absurd like that, but rather for the reader to think critically about what Stephen’s life means.  Its purpose is for the reader to get something from it; to intellectually grow from the thoughts and emotions in Stephen’s life, and, perhaps, for the reader to apply the aforementioned knowledge to his or her life, possibly questioning all that he or she has been spoon-fed throughout life.

(253) Offspring by Naomi Long Madgett

In Offspring, metaphor and imagery are used to portray the departure of a child into the outside world without the help of the mother.  The mother, compared to a tree, wants to tell her daughter to “…stretch newgrown branches closer to the sun than I can reach” (4-6), and to, “Extend my self to that far atmosphere that only my dreams allow” (8-9).  By this, the mother means what every parent wants for her child; for that child to exceed her parent and to live a fulfilling life.  The mother, as a tree, wants for her daughter’s branches to stretch closer to the heavens than her own, and for her to live a life similar to that of her own, only exceeding the mother’s achievements.  However, “…the twig broke, and yesterday I saw her walking down an unfamiliar street” (10-12), meaning that the daughter is not walking in her mother’s footsteps, but is, rather, leading a life of her own, happily.  

The imagery describes the daughter’s life in the end by saying that the daughter was walking down the street, “feet confident face slanted upward toward a threatening sky, and she was smiling and she was her very free, her very individual, unpliable own” (13-21).  Specifically the description of the sky as being threatening unveils an ominous future for the daughter.  My breaking that branch, she’s lost sight of her mother’s good direction and is spiraling toward the threatening sky; yet, she is happy.  She faces the sky with a smile, as she is free, and she is ready to face the threatening sky that is the real world.

I really love the poem as it shows the maturing of the daughter, branching out (pun intended) to the real world.  She sees that the sky is threatening, as the world is a threatening place, yet she faces such threats with a smile, as she is mature and free enough to face the challenges of life on her own.  Such is the dream of any mother for her daughter.

(281) The Death of a Soldier by Wallace Stevens

In The Death of a Soldier, the personification and metaphorical use of death are used as a means of signifying the soldier’s role in the world; his significance.  The soldier goes into combat knowing that he is only death; both his own and that of others.  This poem highlights the soldier’s death in that it is not of huge significance, nor glorified in any fashion, as the soldier does not receive such.  The narrator tells us that, “…death is expected” (1) and that, “Death is absolute and without memorial”  (7). These excerpts show death being used both metaphorically and as personification. 

By observing the lines in terms of personification, death is coming upon the soldier; bringing the soldier to his timely, unimportant end.  “The clouds go on, nevertheless, in their direction” (11-12) says the narrator, meaning that the death of the soldier means nothing to the world.  The soldier was simply a pawn in the chess game of life; its loss is insignificant.  The absoluteness of the soldier’s death secures his irrelevance.

By taking a metaphorical standpoint, the soldier is related to death.  The soldier is expected and receives no memorial for his actions, as he brought himself, death, to the world.  The soldier marks himself as evil in this fashion, recognizing what he brings to the world, and because of this, “He does not become a three-day personage, imposing his separation, calling for pomp” (4-6).  There is no celebration for him, as he does not call for such, as he recognizes that he is a wreaker of death, bringing honor to the soldier.

This poem was especially interesting for me because of how death could be taken; in terms of personification and metaphorically.  It is interesting how a soldier in general is being depicted by Stevens, if interpreted in this fashion.  The soldier’s recognition of himself as being evil is greatly significant in showing humbleness and maintaining the honor of the soldier, regardless of his insignificance in the world.