Hidden Politics
Hidden PoliticsHidden Politics:
The Impact of Politics in
The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
By Elisabeth Ireland
By definition, politics is the partisan or functional intrigue within a given group. However, in The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce, there is no such concise definition, as politics are perpetually melded with Roman Catholicism and Irish nationality. Politics themselves are presented in three different manners: directly, and through the use of symbols and commentary. The direct and symbolic portrayal of politics in Portrait occurs mostly in the beginning of the novel. However, since the novel itself follows the development of Stephen's thought processes, the full impact of these events and symbols are not acknowledged until later in the novel when a mature Stephen reflects on them.
Despite ambiguousness, politics play a crucial role in the development of the protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, and his eventual exile from Ireland.
A major contributor to Stephen's confusion growing up is the dynamic equation of Irish nationality, politics, and Catholicism. Ideally separate entities, these three qualities are inextricably intertwined. One of many instances depicting this occurred at the Dedalus' Christmas dinner, in an argument involving Dante Rioridan, Stephen's great-aunt, and Mr. Casey, a friend of the family.
---And can we not love our country then? asked Mr. Casey. Are we not to follow the man [Parnell] who was born to lead us?
---A traitor to his country! replied Dante�The priests were right to abandon him. The priests were always the true friends of Ireland. (201)
As seen, Mr. Casey first links national fervor to politics with the rationale that in order to love their country, the Irish must also follow a specific politician, Charles Parnell. Dante's reply furthers the integration of ideals by linking religion to politics, through stating that the priests were right in abandoning Parnell in the political arena. Religion and Irish nationality are also linked when Dante states that the priests were the "true friends" of Ireland. Later in the novel, when the director of his college approaches Stephen, religion is once again bonded with politics:
---No king or emperor on this earth has the power of the priest of God�not even the blessed virgin herself has the power�the power of the keys, the power to bind and loose form sin, the power of exorcism, the power to cast out the evil spirits that have power over them, the power, the authority�What an awful power� ( 293)
As noted by the critic Manganiello, the repetition of the word power transforms the meaning from...
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