While there aren’t any major, story-altering deaths in The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce, the main character goes through a type of spiritual death and rebirth through the novel. Stephen Dedalus finds himself constantly wavering between accepting and denouncing religion and the church. However, in going through varied phases of fearing God, loving him, disagreeing with the church, and then agreeing with its message, Stephen’s spirit goes through a period of darkness and then into peaceful searching. It makes the reader wonder if this is how a soul may feel after being the body passes on – a kind of relaxful drifting through the world to see what all is around us.
I think the reactions of the other characters in the novel to Stephen’s transformation mirror the reactions most people have from a loved one passing on. There is confusion as to why it even happen, maybe hurt that they no longer have the same person around, and then finally acceptance that life has a smooth current that can change each minute. The ending seems cathardic in this way because even with his former life becoming irrelevant, both Stephen and his friends can accept with solemn tolerance the new life that he will lead.
The only true deaths in Portrait are of somewhat distant relatives and activists whom Stephen never knew personally. Thus, Stephen hasn’t ever fully felt the pain of losing someone close and further illustrates his status as a young man with many experiences to have in his life.
