Hidden Politics

Hidden 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 …

…drive Stephen into exile. This is because although political refuge is what Stephen seeks, he realizes due to the multi-faceted character of politics, true refuge is unattainable without completely segregating himself from the other entities associated with it. Thus, in the end, both the exposure to politics, and the unification of politics with Catholicism and nationalism drive Stephen to the decision to abandon his family, his homeland, and all that he knew of Irish nationality.