Internal Adversity

Adversity can come in many different forms.  Sometimes it can be conflict with a certain person, sometimes it can be physical fighting, or sometimes it can be emotional.  In James Joyce's The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, has an internal conflict throughout the novel.  Stephen does have some tiffs with his father, but the battles he has with himself are far greater, and more important, to Stephen.  Stephen can't decide whether or not he wants to pursue a life of priesthood, or instead become an artist.  He goes back and forth between the two, first by admiring the priests and wanting to live a life of devotion like them, and then he critiques them and their lack of knowledge.  Stephen also internally debates whether or not the sins he commits are bad enough to keep him out of heaven.  Stephen constantly goes back and forth between being a priest or not; not only because of his critiques of them, but also the fact that he doesn't want to necessarily give up the sins he is committing, even though he knows they are wrong.  Joyce's use of stream of consciousness also makes Stephen's conflicts more alive and known to the reader.  The reader gets inside of Stephen's head, and can't escape Stephen's problems, much like Stephen.  The struggle becomes real to the reader, much like how it is real to Stephen.  By choosing to examine his own life and what he wants, Stephen realizes he wants to be able to think however he wants.  The life of an artist comforts him, and he chooses to pursue it, instead of priesthood.  He is finally able to make a decision best for him, and he overcomes his adversity in a way that is both inspiring and relatable.