Section five of James Joyce＇s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is designed, among other things, to dramatize a young poet＇s ascension to the rank of ＂priest of art,＂ Where Stephen had previously contemplate...Section five of James Joyce＇s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is designed, among other things, to dramatize a young poet＇s ascension to the rank of ＂priest of art,＂ Where Stephen had previously contemplated being a Catholic priest, he now decides to embrace the world girdling Catholicity of global culture and its full range of spiritual traditions. To show how Stephen becomes a priest of art, Joyce has Stephen face three challengers in the form of MacCann, Davin, and Cranly, who all upbraid Dedalus to abandon his apostasy and conform. These three all try to tempt Dedalus away from his devotion to his individuality and personal integrity, and are analogues to the temptations faced by the Buddha on the eve of his enlightenment under the Bo tree. The Buddha faced Kama, the God of Desire; Mara, the Lord of death; and Dharma, who represents Duty. Stephen faces the temptations of social activism （and its attendant ego inflation） in the form of MacCann, a self-destructive Irish Nationalism in the figure of Davin and finally his obligation to his parochial and demanding family as represented by Cranly＇s arguments. Cranly （Dharma） even enjoins Stephen explicitly to make his Easter duty. These are dangerous distractions which can all keep Stephen from his goal, which is the Nibbana of artistic achievement. When Stephen triumphs over these three tempters he has come through the fire of self-doubt and is ready for his larger fate as an artist.展开更多
文摘Section five of James Joyce＇s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is designed, among other things, to dramatize a young poet＇s ascension to the rank of ＂priest of art,＂ Where Stephen had previously contemplated being a Catholic priest, he now decides to embrace the world girdling Catholicity of global culture and its full range of spiritual traditions. To show how Stephen becomes a priest of art, Joyce has Stephen face three challengers in the form of MacCann, Davin, and Cranly, who all upbraid Dedalus to abandon his apostasy and conform. These three all try to tempt Dedalus away from his devotion to his individuality and personal integrity, and are analogues to the temptations faced by the Buddha on the eve of his enlightenment under the Bo tree. The Buddha faced Kama, the God of Desire; Mara, the Lord of death; and Dharma, who represents Duty. Stephen faces the temptations of social activism （and its attendant ego inflation） in the form of MacCann, a self-destructive Irish Nationalism in the figure of Davin and finally his obligation to his parochial and demanding family as represented by Cranly＇s arguments. Cranly （Dharma） even enjoins Stephen explicitly to make his Easter duty. These are dangerous distractions which can all keep Stephen from his goal, which is the Nibbana of artistic achievement. When Stephen triumphs over these three tempters he has come through the fire of self-doubt and is ready for his larger fate as an artist.
