... primarily subject to aesthetic criteria. Artists such as Stephen Dedalus from James Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," and Lily Briscoe from Virginia Woolf's "To the Lighthouse," are both effected by how society interprets their art. These two characters embody their author's perspectives on what it means to grow and be a true artist. At the same time they receive contrasting messages from the society ... it then, and she heard some voice saying she couldn't paint, saying she couldn't create (Woolf 158-159). She is very skeptical of herself and her talents as an artist. "I...

• Word Count: 1274
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... come from other people. As often illustrated in literature, the views of family, friends, and community ultimately contribute to the way an individual thinks not only about himself or herself, but the way he or she learns to see the world around him/her. As shown in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, "The New Dress- by Virginia Woolf, and even my own ... life, characters' identities are constantly subject to the push and pull of external social influences and ... re-examine or even reject these influences in order to discover his/her true identity and sense of self. ...

• Word Count: 2013
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School