A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

The novella explores the journey of Stephen Dedalus as he navigates his early manhood and grapples with his identity as an artist. As he becomes increasingly self-aware, he confronts and ultimately rejects the constraints of his upbringing, including familial bonds, nationalist ideals, and the Catholic faith. This transformation sets the stage for his later development in Joyce's Ulysses, highlighting themes of individuality and artistic freedom.