1. How likeable is Stephen Dedalus? What are the favorable and unfavorable aspects of his character?

2. How does Stephen evolve during his time at Clongowes school? What qualities in Stephen are likely to develop as he ages? What traits are likely to fade over time?

3. How would you characterize Stephen's relationship with his family? Specifically, his relationship with his father, mother, and siblings?

4. At the beginning of the book, Stephen is unjustly punished by Father Dolan and musters the courage to speak with the rector of Clongowes, Father Conmee. What does he learn from this experience? How do his interactions with these two men shape his future?

5. By the novel's conclusion, Stephen decides to leave Ireland. Why does he make this decision?

6. In his second-to-last journal entry, Stephen notes that his mother prays he will "learn what the heart is and what it feels." What does she mean by this? Do you think Stephen understands her sentiment?

7. Joyce could have had Stephen narrate his own story, but instead, we see him through the eyes of another narrator who knows his deepest thoughts. Why might Joyce have chosen this narrative style? Having chosen this approach, why does he end the novel differently, with excerpts from Stephen's diary?

8. Although the novel presents "a portrait of the artist," we only see one piece of Stephen's work, his villanelle, which has not impressed many readers. Why don't we see more of Stephen's art? What does the poem reveal about the young artist?

9. Throughout the novel, we catch glimpses of a young woman known only as E.C., who inspires Stephen's poetry but remains a vague and silent figure. In the earlier manuscript, later published as Stephen Hero, E.C. is Emma Clery, a more defined character with detailed relationships with both Stephen and Father Moran. Why do you think Joyce chose to obscure this character in his revisions?

10. Biographies and autobiographies are typically written as continuous narratives (first this happened, then that), but Joyce's fictional autobiography is episodic: each chapter is a series of episodes separated by asterisks. What effect does this episodic structure have on the story?