My thoughts on Mr. Dedalus

Although the book gets increasingly more difficult as it progresses I enjoyed it for the most part. I liked Joyce's style and the progression of the novel as a whole. I thought that his use of diction while he portrayed Steven as a young boy, and then how he changed that diction as he grew older I found really enjoyable. Steven's maturation through the novel was done in a unique way, and I think that Joyce was unbelievably able to capture the emotion and experience of a boy coming of age. The way he described Steven's childhood and his experience at Clongowes is horrifying but it is also a fairly true depiction of a boy's fear of being away from his family. I know as a child I had to go to summer camp and the thought of leaving my parents to be with people I didn't know for a day was horrifying to me. Steven's experience as a young boy is one of despair, and this is in part due to his own internal instability. Steven's thought that his sexual feelings are wrong and sinful is just another part of that coming of age process. All humans question their own motives and feelings and emotions at one time or another and Joyce accurately portrays the struggle of man coping with himself. Although Steven is only a boy he is trying to find an answer to his 'awful' thoughts. As Steven matures though we, as readers, really see a change in him. Steven finds his own identity after becoming devout to his religion. I think one of the reasons I liked the book so much is because we all go through I period of finding ourselves. There comes a point where we discover who we truly are. Joyce's portrayal of Steven's realization was far from perfect, however as a budding adult Steven came to rationalize his own thoughts and actions.