Shifts in Tone Between Chapters

One aspect of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man that we have discussed in class is the way James Joyce organizes the book: chapters often end when Stephen feels excited, powerful, and independent, and new chapters begin with unexciting scenes that contrast with the end of the chapter before. A significant example of this is between the end of Chapter I and the beginning of Chapter II, when Joyce deliberately builds up the final scene of Chapter I to be a climax of the events that have occurred up to that point. While describing Stephen's conversation with the rector and the following moments when he is with the other schoolboys, Joyce repeats the words "faster" and "quicker" to emphasize the rush Stephen gets from question Father Dolan's authority and being celebrated by his classmates. Joyce also includes details like how Stephen bumps into the door on the way out of the rector's office, highlighting the idea that Stephen finds his visit with the rector so important that he focuses on little else. The especially dramatic part of the chapter when the other boys hoist Stephen on their shoulders and repeatedly yell "Hurroo!" adds to the fast-paced, adrenaline-filled emotions Stephen has as well.

In our class discussions, we have speculated whether or not the extreme mood shifts between chapters are meant to undermine Stephen's feelings of independence or epiphany. Chapter II begins with an unglamorous description of Uncle Charles' terrible tobacco, which gives a starkly different vibe from the three-cheers-for-Conmee scene at the end of the previous chapter. Not only is the content less exhilarating, but the language is much more earthly than the sentences near the end of Chapter I. The "reeking outhouse" and "villainous awful tobacco" described at the start of Chapter II are the complete opposite of the happy friends throwing their caps and "smell of evening in the air" Stephen encounters just a page earlier.

Despite the clear shifts in subject and tone across the first two chapters, I don't see the less pleasant scenes of the book as diminishing Stephen's satisfaction at other points. For me, the fact that intense scenes are followed by calmer, less ideal language may even accentuate Stephen's moments of glory. I like Joyce's style of framing the most climactic points in Stephen's life with some of the least exciting scenes because I think it accurately represents real-life scenarios. I find that both Stephen's experiences and my own memories can be described as a few major events that stand out from the duller moments surrounding them. So the dramatic shifts in tone are not just there to weaken Stephen's highest points; they exist to set the most exciting moments apart from everything else and to give glimpses of what Stephen's life is like in the time between the spread-out, climactic moments.

Thoughts About the Definition of Coming of Age

For me, coming of age means taking part in what you want to do and what you are capable of. By doing the things in life you can do and like to do, you become more like an independent, powerful adult. Coming of age involves a certain amount of experience: enough to realize what you can or can't do, and enough experience to tell what you like and dislike. Coming of age means to ameliorate in some sense, at least as far as discovering through experience the things that suit you and taking charge to do those things. In this way, coming of age is often an ongoing process of gaining a purpose in life, and can't necessarily be pinpointed to a single event. Even late in life, people keep finding things they can do and doing those things, so coming of age never really ends.

I understand coming of age as mostly a mental shift or process, but physical change can play a role in becoming an adult too. Both physical maturation and deterioration can affect coming of age because they both show the things you are capable of. Getting stronger and focusing on physical growth may allow you to gain experience (which is central to coming of age) by conquering physical obstacles. But becoming physically weaker or sick does not act as an anti-coming-of-age; to the contrary, losing physical strength can spur your mental maturation by showing emotional strength. By overcoming struggles related to health or the body, you develop some of the personal responsibility and willpower needed to act as an adult.

Another key aspect of coming of age is being proud of yourself, or being able to vouch for your actions. What sets many children apart from adults is a clear motivation (or lack thereof) behind their actions; while kids may do things impulsively or not be able to explain themselves, adults should be able to show why they have made various decisions. To come of age not only means finding what you are capable of doing and doing those things, but also being able to justify your actions. I think when it comes to growing up, someone who has a wide range of experiences and feels accomplished from what they have done may be more mature than someone who is not fulfilling their potential. It will be interesting to notice how characters in the novels we read this semester fit into my own ideas about coming of age. I look forward to seeing how characters develop their ideas of what they want to do and what they are capable of doing in life, along with how they grow to feel accomplished from the things they have done.