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Stephen often evokes music to describe the intuitive, mysterious loveliness of certain experiences: the sound of the gas pipes at Clongowes is a song, the wheels of the train to Cork beat out a rhythmic music, the words in poems sound out melodies, memory itself is like music. Music also signals moments of transition and discovery; a simple melody turns Stephen away from the priesthood and reminds him of his artistic ambitions. More generally, music represents a loosening of boundaries: “the music passed in an instant, as the first bars of sudden music always did, over the fantastic fabrics of his mind, dissolving them painlessly and noiselessly as a sudden wave dissolves the sandbuilt turrets of children.” Stephen responds strongly and intuitively to music, and it helps restore his childlike, artistic connection to the world around him.
Music Quotes in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
The A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man quotes below all refer to the symbol of Music. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1, Part 2
Quotes
The fire rose and fell on the wall. It was like waves. Someone had put coal on and he heard voices. They were talking. It was the noise of the waves. Or the waves were talking among themselves as they rose and fell.
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Music Symbol Timeline in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
The timeline below shows where the symbol Music appears in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1, Part 1
...is walking along a neighboring road, where a woman named Betty always sells candy and sings an old song. Stephen’s mind drifts to the song, which reminds him of the sensations...
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...eat his eyes if he doesn’t apologize for his accidental profanity. Stephen makes a little song out of the threatening words.
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Chapter 2, Part 3
...the muffled noise and lights of the theatre from a comfortable distance. From afar, the music perfectly expresses his confused feeling, and he feels his emotions flow outward from him.
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Chapter 2, Part 4
...pray, but finds he can’t pray to any god, and his prayer takes on the music and rhythm of the train wheels.
(full context)
Chapter 4, Part 2
...consider the matter very carefully. As they shake hands, Stephen hears a lovely snatch of melody from outside; suddenly, the priest’s face looks lifeless and bleak. After he has left, he...
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...a house, because they will soon be evicted from their current home. They all begin singing a song together, as they often do, and Stephen joins them. He notes how the...
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Chapter 4, Part 3
...he walks, Stephen looks at Dublin in delight, and feels memories overwhelm him like lovely music. Suddenly, he hears his friends calling his name. They have been swimming in the chilly...
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Chapter 5, Part 2
...talking to E____ C____ at a party; she had asked him to play piano and sing, which he did gladly, but afterwards he negated the charm of the songs with sarcasm....
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Chapter 5, Part 3
...the punishment of a vindictive god. Just then, the young men hear a servant woman singing an old Irish song, and Cranly says in Latin: “a woman sings.” The beauty of...
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