If I didn't make it clear enough through discussions in class, I dislike Stephen. While it may be a tad bit unjust to have such strong feelings against him, I can't help it. Especially as the book progresses. In the beginning of the book, Stephen is a questioning, innocent kid, and its all very wholesome and I felt pretty positively about him. Where it starts going wrong is when Stephen leaves Clongos. This period of Stephen being in Dublin is constantly described as moody, with Stephen repeatedly saying he is "restless". It's at this point where Stephen starts to "come of age", particularly too fast for my tastes.
One disconnect that I feel while reading the book is that Stephen's thought process has almost no correlation with his actual age. Especially during Stephen's first engagement with a prostitute. This could be due to Joyce narrating over Stephen's life, which explains the sophisticated vocabulary and descriptions. However, I feel that the extremity to which Stephen's brooding nature and self-martyrdom go is unnecessary (extra, if you will). It's this extra-ness that I dislike dealing with, both in books and in person. However, the real question is: Is Joyce's narration the cause of this extra-ness?
