Portrait Of an Artist

In contrast to the previous posts on my big question, Portrait of an Artist presents a character who chose to leave the comfortable, the familiar, the expected, and strive for his dream, to be an artist. While Stephen had grown up in a Catholic church going family, continuously engulfed in doctrine and lessons, he was not true to himself. It was not until later in his journey that Stephen had the courage to break free from the binds of his religion, but he did so to pursue his true identity, that of an artist. Stephen's character presents the journey of a man who took a chance, and succeeded in not only being true to himself, but in happiness. Through Stephen's example of refusing to settle for what was expected of him, we are able to see that it is beneficial to stive for higher goals, even if it means being looked down upon, or struggling for what you want. We are shown that there may be periods of transition, even relapse, to the easy life, the life of expectations and familiarity, but that in the end, if one is true to oneself, they must reach for the stars, go for their dreams.