"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" of James Joyce: MISCELLANEOUS objective questions Note 1

The York and the Lancaster group in the classroom: The Yorks and the Lanceasters were the opponents in the famous War of the Roses (1445 – 1485) – The symbol of York group was a white rose while that of the Lancaster group was a red rose. Here the class has been intentionally divided into two groups to stimulate competitiveness between the students. Stephen was the leader of the York group while Jack Hawton was the leader of the Lancasters.

In Father Arnall’s class the competition was to solve a difficult sum. But Stephen was defeated.

Book of Sir Walter Scott FASCINATES Stephen: The Bride of hammer moor.

Pernobilis et pervetusta familia :An illustrious and old family tradition.

“darkness falls from the air” and “brightness falls from the air":These lines are taken from Nash.

Stephen’s mother's Wish :Stephen’s mother wishes him to perform his easter duty. Stephen refuses by saying ‘I will not serve’ imitating Satan’s infamous ‘non serviam’.

How many children: Although Stephen is not certain, he feels that his mother must have given birth nine or ten children of whom some had dies.

Pascal, Gonzalo: Pascal is mentioned because he would not let even his mother kiss him from fear of contact with her sex and Gonzalo is mentioned because he was of the same opinion.

 ‘whited sepulcher’ : Jesus is here called a white sepulcher by Cranly. Jesus had himself called the Jews of his time whited sepulcher in the sense of conscious hypocrites. [Mathew (23:27)]

Mulier contat: A woman is singing.

‘still harping my daughter: The phrase is taken from Polonius’s utterance in Hamlet. [‘Still harping my daughter.]

Stephen speak of the spiritual heroic refrigerating apparatus of Dante A Alighieri: Stephen makes such comment about Dante because he objects to the denial of the body in live as in the Platonic love celebrated in Dante’s love for Beatrice in La Vita Nuova. 

Stephen into a ditch: Wells pushed Stephen into a ditch full of cold water because he refused to exchange his snuff box for Well’s seasoned lacking chestnut. It was a common game to break chestnut by striking one against the another. The seasoned hacking chestnut is one which has remained unbroken in spite of its breaking many other.
            The result is that Stephen fells sick.

The tram journey: While returning from the party Stephen finds that he is on the upper step while Emma is on the lower. He feels that passion and love well up for her and longs to touch her but being still a timid character he dares not to do. But this longing remains with him and affects his entire life.

Ardhendu De

Related posts on this Novel:

• Stephen in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is the Search of an Artist in Exile.

• A Portrait of the Artist as a Young is an ‘Aesthetic Autobiography’ of James Joyce

• ‘Aesthetic Autobiography’ -- a Satisfactory Description of the Genre of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young