One character trait that has appeared again and again in Stephen is
his arrogance. Though present throughout what we have read so far, Stephen’s
sense of superiority has seemed to build throughout the novel. In Chapter One,
we barely see this side of Stephen. Though we do see moments where he sees
himself as above his peers and the school system, he is so overwhelmed and
isolated in nearly every scene that on the whole he comes across as innocent
and meek.
Stephen’s arrogance and sense of superiority build and become more
evident in chapters two and three. Over the course of Chapter Two, Stephen’s
sense of self-importance increases as he begins to see his life through the
lens of The Count of Monte Cristo with himself as the hero. Stephen
builds up a brooding, mysterious persona, spends hours wandering the streets in
search of a romantic encounter intended especially for him, and sees himself as
far more sophisticated and intellectually advanced than his classmates.
In Chapter Three, Stephen’s arrogance becomes deeply intertwined
with his feeling of having sinned beyond redemption. He sees himself as the
worst sinner that ever lived, and takes a kind of pride in this. In his mind,
he is superior for his act of rebellion (sinning and acknowledging his sin
without taking action to stop and ask for forgiveness) than those who truly
are, or pretend to be, virtuous.
A certain
pride, a certain awe, withheld him from offering to God even one prayer at
night though he knew it was in God’s power to take away his life while he slept
and hurl his soul hellward ere he could beg for mercy . . . on Sunday mornings
he glanced coldly at the worshippers who stood bareheaded, four deep, outside
the church, morally present at the mass which they could neither see nor hear.
(111)
To me, the most interesting thing about Stephen’s arrogance is the
possible implications it might have in light of his name. Though Dedalus,
Stephen’s last name, could be in reference to his developing identity as an
artist, the fact that his father shares the same name makes it possible to
think of Stephen in terms of Dedalus’s son Icarus. In Greek mythology, Dedalus
invented wings out of feathers and wax to allow himself and his son to escape
from the labyrinth containing the minotaur. Dedalus warned his son to be
careful not to fly to close to the sun, but Icarus dismissed his father’s
warnings, and flew increasingly higher. Eventually the wax holding his wings
together began to melt and, no longer able to fly, he plummeted into the ocean.
Stephen’s pride and arrogance reflects Icarus flying higher and
higher despite his father’s warnings, and throughout the first 3 chapters I
have been waiting for Stephen too to figuratively fall out of the sky. So far,
however, everything seems to be working out more-or-less ok for him. As we move
forward in the novel, I am curious to see if this connection will continue to
play out, and whether or not Stephen will meet a fate similar to that of
Icarus.
