The Symbolism and Significance of Water in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Anonymous 12th Grade

A series of transformations defines every human life. Whether physical, psychological, religious, or sociological, alterations mark progress on the journey of maturation. This idea plays a central role in James Joyce’s debut novel, which follows the development of Stephen Daedalus as he transforms from a troubled young man into an artist. In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce employs water as a motif to explore the transformation of Stephen’s soul.

Regarded as the most versatile chemical compound on earth, water easily switches energy states and dissolves an uncountable number of substances. Fittingly, Joyce uses water as a symbol of Stephen’s changing soul in the novel. By describing what state the water is in, what it looks like, or substances mixed with the water, Joyce can effectively mirror the state of Stephen as his coming-of-age story progresses. Throughout the novel, Joyce hints that water represents Stephen’s soul. For example, while discussing philosophy with the dean of his university, Stephen mentions that a man named Epictetus once said that, “the soul is very like a bucketful of water” (Joyce 187). From this statement, one could infer that the water in the bucket represents experiences, and every drop...