Ending of Portrait...

Something that differentiates the ending of Portrait from the other selections we've read this semester is the lack of fear. We don't end with a particularly tragic event, uncertain futures, or a shattered home life. Even though everything can be questioned, Stephen is confident in the direction that his life will take. The complications left are restricted to his lover/girlfriend/whatever and lingering religious comments. I'm having a hard time describing this, but what really left me speechless was how sure he was when he articulates his feelings about art, beauty, and himself.

He says to Cranly: "You made me confess the fears that I have. But I will tell you also what I do not fear. I do not fear to be alone or to be spurned for another or to leave whatever I have to leave. And I am not afraid to make a mistake, even a great mistake, a lifelong mistake and perhaps as long as eternity too" (269). Man, you just can't beat a profound statement like that. His self-acknowledgment is incredible, and even though he understands his fallibility, he knows his artistry can persevere. "I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can" (269).

It was fun to watch Stephen/Joyce grow into the assertive writer that he is. We see his moments of weakness, so the triumphs seem that much more meaningful. Characteristically, artists evoke a sense of independence in being and action, and Stephen is certainly on his way - "She prays now, she says, that I may learn in my own life and away from home and friends what the heart is and what it feels." I'm still not sure about Joyce's stance on colonialism, but I think Stephen thinks that dealing with colonialism is an individual journey of choices, as opposed to a group mentality that swallows a person whole.