Conflict in The Portrait

Rachel Bergman December 19, 2000 AP English/Steele Essay: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Acclaimed Irish author, James Joyce, uses conflict as a major tool in enhancing his novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. One of the best illustrations of how conflict is used to give life and color to the novel, is the conflict between Stephen Dedalus's loyalty to the church, and his own need to satisfy his …

…finds for himself his true calling in life. He discovers that he is not meant to live a life of ceaseless piety, but rather one of joy and happiness, a life where he can appreciate and express the beauty of the world around him. By the end of Stephen's journey, he no longer is tied down by the rules of the Catholic church, or by his family. Now he can spread his wings and fly.