Stephen Dedalus and Contemporary Youth: A Comparative Study of Identity, Rebellion and the Quest for Freedom in a Changing World

Abstract

James Joyce’s A portrait of the artist as a Young Man, focuses on hardships and goals of young individuals. In this paper through Stephen’s journey we goes through similarities of his life and challenges faced by contemporary youth. Both struggle to overcome the complexities of identity formation, complaints of traditional education, search for intellectual freedom. When comparing to modern expression of individuality Stephen’s quest for artistic autonomy this paper highlight the relevance of Joyce’s protagonist. The novel is highly experimental. When we compare Stephen’s quest for identity to modern individuality like social media activities and their creativity using technology. This paper highlight the relevance of Stephen Dedalus. Through this comparative analysis we get an insight into the dynamics of youth, education and society.