Comparative analysis of

“A Portrait of the Artist

as a Young man”
and
“The Catcher in the Rye”
Miguel Ángel Córdoba Romero
(m.cordobaromero@studenti.unibg.it)
 Table of contents
01 Theoretical frame
Franco Moretti’s “The Way of the 04 Trauma
As an ‘insoluble problem’ 07 Epiphanies
World”

02 Analysis of
characters
05 Critique of society
From a privileged narrative
08 Conclusion
point of view

Female characters
03 Notion of ‘produced’ 06 As spiritual guides

alienation
01 Theoretical
frame
Franco Moretti’s “The Way of the World”
 “The Late Bildungsroman is homeless, narcissistic and regressive”
(Moretti, 1987)

I World War Social disharmony Ideals

Metamorphosis Between the character Clash pursuing individual
Collective ritual for social ‘bildung’ and their world aspiration

(Castle, 2006) (Graham, 2018)

Why “homeless”, “narcissistic” and “regressive”?

HOMELESS NARCISSISTIC REGRESSIVE

02 Analysis of
characters
Analysis of the two main characters
Objectives of
the characters
Individual aesthetic-
spiritual objectives, rather
Recovery from
than socially pragmatic depressed status
Break with The characters develop
and take actions
traditional scheme
Initial departure, middle
departures and final
departure
03 Notions
 Alienation
Stephen Holden
(Moretti, 1987)
He was sitting in the midst of a children’s party at
Harold’s Cross. His silent watchful manner had
When I finally got down off the radiator and
grown upon him and he took little part in the games. went out to the hat-check room, I was
The children, wearing the spoils of their crackers, crying and all. I don't know why, but I was.
danced and romped noisily and, though he tried to I guess it was because I was feeling so
share their merriment, he felt himself a gloomy
damn depressed and lonesome. Then,
figure amid the gay cocked hats and sunbonnets. But
when he had sung his song and withdrawn into a when I went out to the checkroom […] the
snug corner of the room he began to taste the joy of hat-check girl was very nice. […] I sort of
his loneliness. The mirth, which in the beginning of tried to make a date with her. […] She said
the evening had seemed to him false and trivial, was she was old enough to be my mother and
like a soothing air to him, passing gaily by his senses,
hiding from other eyes [...]
all.

Progressive alienation Distaste for society

Different ideology after Mercedes Social interactions that fail

Physical representation: changing Physical representation: ‘foreigner’ in

home, changing schools. his city and own house
 Trauma
Stephen
(Moretti, 1987)
His eyes were dimmed with tears and, looking
humbly up to heaven, he wept for the
innocence he had lost. When evening had fallen
he left the house, and the first touch of the
damp dark air and the noise of the door as it
closed behind him made ache again his
conscience, lulled by prayer and tears. Confess!
Confess! It was not enough to lull the
conscience with a tear and a prayer. He had to
kneel before the minister of the Holy Ghost and
tell over his hidden sins truly and repentantly.
Holden
All the visitors could get in their cars
and turn on their radios and all and
then go someplace nice for dinner –
everybody except Allie. I couldn’t
stand it. I know it’s only his body and all
that’s in the cemetery, and his soul’s in
Heaven and all that crap, but I couldn’t
stand it anyway. I just wished he
wasn’t there.

Centrality of traumas
External world is too severe on the subject
Cause for regression as a ‘safe zone’
Balance between kernels and satellites
 Critique of society
Stephen Holden
(Graham, 2018) —When you kick out for yourself, Stephen—as I
daresay you will one of these days—remember,
whatever you do, to mix with gentlemen. […] But
we were all gentlemen, Stephen—at least I hope “Like hell it is.” I took it off and looked at it. I
we were— and bloody good honest Irishmen too. sort of closed one eye, like I was taking aim at
That’s the kind of fellows I want you to associate it. “This is a people shooting hat,” I said. “I
with, fellows of the right kidney. […] shoot people in this hat”
He could respond to no earthly or human appeal,
[…] wearied and dejected by his father’s voice. He The best thing, though, in that museum was
could scarcely recognize as his own thoughts, that everything always stayed right where it
and repeated slowly to himself: was. Nobody’d move. . . . Nobody’d be
different. The only thing that would be
—I am Stephen Dedalus. I am walking beside my different would be you.
father whose name is Simon Dedalus. We are in
Cork, in Ireland. Cork is a city. […] The memory of
his childhood suddenly grew dim.

But… From a privileged point of view!

 Female characters
Stephen
The image of Emma appeared before him, and
under her eyes the flood of shame rushed forth
anew from his heart. If she knew to what his
mind had subjected her or how his brute-like
lust had torn and trampled upon her innocence!
(Beauvoir, 1953)
Was that boyish love? Was that chivalry? Was
that poetry? […]
God and the Blessed Virgin were too far from
him: God was too great and stern and the
Blessed Virgin too pure and holy. But he
imagined that he stood near Emma in a wide
land and, humbly and in tears, bent and kissed
the elbow of her sleeve. […], they stood
together, children that had erred. Their error
had offended deeply God’s majesty […]; but it
had not offended her whose beauty IS NOT LIKE
EARTHLY BEAUTY, DANGEROUS TO LOOK UPON,
BUT LIKE THE MORNING STAR WHICH IS ITS
EMBLEM, BRIGHT AND MUSICAL. The eyes were
not offended which she turned upon him nor
reproachful.
Their only role is being “spiritual guides” with no real protagonism
Holden
“You don’t like anything that’s happening.”
It made me even more depressed when she
said that.
“Yes I do. Yes I do. Sure I do. Don’t say that.
Why the hell do you say that?”
“Because you don’t. You don’t like any
schools. You don’t like a million things. You
don’t.”
“I do! That’s where you’re wrong – that’s
exactly where you’re wrong! Why the hell do
you have to say that?” I said. Boy, was she
depressing me.
“Because you don’t,” she said. “Name one
thing.”
“One thing? One thing I like?” I said. “Okay.”
The trouble was, I couldn’t concentrate too
hot.
 EPIPHANIES
Stephen Holden
• Chapter 1: Progression towards
innocence and social ideals,
until Christmas dinner
(Moretti, 1987)
• Chapter 2: sex with prostitute
• Death of Alfie
• Chapter 3: progression
• Death of William Castle
towards individual freedom,
until sermon about hell and
• Carrousel scene
consequent confession

• Chapter 4: progression towards

religious life, until woman
walking on the beach

Processes of ‘formation’ and ‘deformation’