“A portrait of the artist as a young man” is a “Kunstlerroman” and the story of a young artistic aspirant in a particular social context. This is why the political context of the novel is so important, because it provides the environment in which the artist can grow. This political and social context therefore remains a force always present in the story, introduced in great detail in the first book. chapter, and providing one of the most powerful reasons for Stephen Dedalus' self-imposed exile in the fifth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned'? Get the original essay The novel is set against the backdrop of the anti-colonial movement against the British in 19th-century Ireland, which began with the Act of Union in 1800, making Ireland part of the United Kingdom and abolishing a separate Irish Parliament in Dublin. Throughout the century, various political and social movements emerged in Ireland, expressing the demands of the Irish for greater control of their own affairs. The Home Rule movement, led by Charles Stewart Parnell (probably the greatest individual force at the time), is particularly relevant to this novel; the land reform movement led by Michael Davitt also comes into play. The first line of the novel catapults the reader into the heated political arena of this period. Baby Stephen listens to a story told by his father about "a cow going down the road" who met "a nice little boy named Baby Tuckoo"1. Here, the cow, symbol of Ireland, is placed in direct confrontation with Baby Tuckoo, or Stephen. This confrontation becomes one of the main themes of the novel, and is evoked whenever the nation is mentioned. For example, even when Stephen writes his name on the flyleaf of his geography book, he cannot limit his address to "Clongowes Wood College, County Kildare, Ireland", but must continue as follows: "Ireland, Europe, world ". , The Universe”2 – implying that even at this age, Stephen sees himself not simply as an Irishman, but as a citizen of the Universe. This is later confirmed by his rejecting narrow Irish nationalism and choosing to leave Ireland for Europe in self-imposed exile. The novel, as previously stated, is set in revolutionary Ireland from 1880-1900. , and the history of this period is filtered to us through Stephen's consciousness. Stephen's father, a staunch supporter of Parnell, is opposed to Dante (Stephen's housekeeper), who is a fanatical supporter of the Catholic Church. The two brushes still kept in Dante's press – one green and the other brown – become politically symbolic, designating Parnell and Michael Davitt respectively. The colors brown and green recur constantly throughout the novel, from the green earth and brown clouds that Fleming had colored in Stephen's geography book, to the red and green holly in the house's Christmas decorations by Stephen. We also later discover that Dante tears the green velvet from the back of the green brush to indicate his changed feelings towards Parnell, in accordance with his break with the Catholic Church. The famous Christmas dinner in the first chapter rudely makes Stephen aware of wickedness. and the wickedness of politics. But even before this section, we have several examples in which we are aware of the fact that Stephen's life is never free of politics. An important example of this is the daydream Stephen has in the Clongowes Infirmary, about Parnell's death. It is curious that every time Stephen thinks of Parnell and his immensepopularity, Dante is always involved in one way or another, expressing forceful opposition to the leader. This enmity between the two camps is so great that Stephen is sometimes confused, expressing pain at not knowing what politics means. Christmas dinner brings all this into focus, and for the first time he sees calm, dignified adults arguing bitterly and viciously over issues that he, at the age of six, is unable to understand. importance. He sees Dante shouting with a complete lack of control, at those who commit heresy by defying the Church, and sees his father and Mr. Casey shouting profanities at the priests and crying uncontrollably for their deceased leader. The seeds of revolt against Church and State are sown even today in the mind of Stephen. He cannot listen to the serious faults of the Church when he was a child, then accept the priesthood later in chapter IV, in his youth, and therefore, despite himself, rejects the offer made to him by the director from Belvedere College. Parnell, However, he is much more than just a historical figure and takes on a powerful symbolic presence in Stephen's consciousness. His heroic stature takes on tragic dimensions, and Joyce takes advantage of this to unite the religious and political themes of the novel. Although he is a great political figure, Parnell's downfall is brought about by religious institutions, and this fact plays a large role in shaping Stephen's mind from childhood to adulthood. In Chapter V, during his conversation with his friend Davin, Stephen makes a very important remark. statement about those aspects of man's life which attach him to certain worldly ideals which he prefers to avoid – “The soul is born....... first in those moments of which I have spoken to you. It has a slow and dark birth, more mysterious than the birth of the body. When a man's soul is born in this country, nets are thrown for him to prevent him from escaping. You talk to me about nationality, language, religion. I will try to fly through these nets. »3. In this novel, politics, like religion, family, language, and religion, is seen as another of the “nets” thrown over the soul “to keep it from escaping.” It's like an obstacle to the artistic spirit, and Stephen decides to get around it, like all the other "nets". The fifth chapter analyzes in detail the reasons why Stephen rejects nationalism and nationalist politics. Consistent with his role as a rebel against authority, he is the only student to refuse to join McCann's campaign for universal peace. Another example of swimming against the tide is his refusal to participate in nationalist politics at the request of his friend Davin, who is himself a staunch nationalist. At this time in Ireland, nationalist fervor was finding an outlet in all aspects of traditional Celtic life and culture, including traditional sporting events, through the Gaelic Athletic Association founded by Michael Cusack. Not only does Stephen hate physical activity, but he directly rejects Davin's call to join the mainstream. Stephen also clearly gives us the reasons for his rejection. He compares Ireland to "a sow that eats its own litter", because, in his view, his country is an example of the betrayal of those people who gave their lives and comfort for its cause. He refuses to pay the price for the mistakes and conscious acts of betrayal that his ancestors committed and decides to leave his country for the continent, in order to better express himself as an artist. He recalls with painful bitterness a particular instance which proved to him beyond doubt that Ireland is not a place where art and artists can flourish: the first performance of Yeats' play " There,.272.