The moment of epiphany in the novel of "Portrait of the artist as a young man"

 

Through  the novel of “Portrait of the artist as a young man”, Stephen Daedalus experiences a moment of epiphany that mark the climax of the novel; the starting point of the flight of Stephen’s creative freedom. James Joyce uses imagery to show the impact of this moment on him as a person and his life.

 

This specific moment of epiphany is produced by seeing a young girl wading in the water at the beach. Stephen gives detailed and beautiful description of the girl’s body  for instance, “She seemed like one whom magic had changed into the likeness of a strange and beautiful seabird”. “Her long slender bare legs were delicate as a crane’s and pure save where an emerald trail of seaweed had fashioned itself as a sign upon the flesh” and “Her bosom was as a bird’s, soft and slight, slight and soft as the breast of some dark-plumaged dove”. Stephen is astonished by her looking, beauty and every single part of her body, and he compares the girl to a bird many times. In addition, «Heavenly God! cried Stephen’s soul, in an outburst of profane joy. He turned away from her suddenly and set off across the strand. His cheeks were aflame; his body was aglow; his limbs were trembling. On and on and on and on he strode, far out over the sands, singing wildly to the sea, crying to greet the advent of the life that had cried to him”. Through this quote, the girl amazed Stephen and took his mind away. Also, she affected his life and his creative freedom, from this moment he discovers his talents. 

 

To sum up, in this moment of epiphany, this girl-bird inspired Stephen and let him know his talents and his aspires to beauty, freedom, love and also the poetry, to leave his current life and leave Ireland.