Something about Stephen's character was bothering me.
Not because his views on women are questionable, or that his poetry is okay at best. Stephen was bothering me because he seemed familiar. He reminded me of someone I couldn't place. That is, until ten minutes ago.
Enter Tom Riddle.
Let me preface this analogy by clarifying my goal here. I'm not trying to aggressively roast Stephen-lovers. I don't think Stephen Dedalus will become the next Lord Voldemort (although he does have a thing for the Dark Arts, no?). This is an honest-to-god parallel that I believe has some merit. If you keep reading, I hope you'll understand, if not agree with, my observations regarding the similarities between Stephen Dedalus and Tom Riddle.
I'll start with the obvious. Both boys are major loners in school. Neither Stephen nor Tom has any interest in being part of a group. They aren't part of cliques, they don't hang out with friends after classes, they reject the frivolity of games and parties. Instead, Stephen and Tom permanently resume the position of "outsider." They observe their friends, but don't consider themselves one of them.
The fact that the boys choose to be outsiders is another compelling similarity. It's not that they are considered freaks and therefore excluded. In reality, Stephen and Tom are quite popular. Tom is a prefect and eventually Head Boy. Students talk to Stephen and include him in their games.
However, both Stephen and Tom are convinced they are meant for greater things. They therefore spend their time refining themselves for their destined vocations. Stephen's vocation, as we all know, is to be an artist. He spends his time reading, memorizing, and writing poetry. Tom's vocation is to purify the magical race (an undoubtedly darker calling). He spends his time creating Horcruxes, building the Chamber of Secrets, and manipulating the people around him.
Although Stephen and Tom have vastly different callings, both of them believe that they must work alone. Neither of them has a mentor, or even an institution, that they look to for inspiration or help. Actually, scratch that. Both of them had an institution they looked up to, until this institution betrayed them. For Stephen, this institution was the church. In his youth, he lived by the word of God alone. However, the conflict within his family regarding religion combined with the sermons that convinced Stephen that he was going to hell created enough disillusionment for Stephen to separate himself from the institution altogether. For Tom, this institution was Hogwarts. Hogwarts was originally a place of refuge after Tom was orphaned. However, Dumbledore's watchful eye and eventual rejection of Tom's proposition to be a teacher at the boarding school convinced Tom that he was above such an institution.
Lastly, Stephen and Tom's personalities are quite similar. They are brooding, angsty, cynical, egotistical young men. They are convinced that they are destined for greatness, but that they must work alone because no one could possible understand their world views. One could easily imagine either of them roaming the halls late at night, pondering the workings of the world, certain that they have a major role to play. God forbid Steph and Tom roam the same halls. Who knows what sorcery they'd be capable of together?
Not because his views on women are questionable, or that his poetry is okay at best. Stephen was bothering me because he seemed familiar. He reminded me of someone I couldn't place. That is, until ten minutes ago.
Enter Tom Riddle.
Let me preface this analogy by clarifying my goal here. I'm not trying to aggressively roast Stephen-lovers. I don't think Stephen Dedalus will become the next Lord Voldemort (although he does have a thing for the Dark Arts, no?). This is an honest-to-god parallel that I believe has some merit. If you keep reading, I hope you'll understand, if not agree with, my observations regarding the similarities between Stephen Dedalus and Tom Riddle.
I'll start with the obvious. Both boys are major loners in school. Neither Stephen nor Tom has any interest in being part of a group. They aren't part of cliques, they don't hang out with friends after classes, they reject the frivolity of games and parties. Instead, Stephen and Tom permanently resume the position of "outsider." They observe their friends, but don't consider themselves one of them.
The fact that the boys choose to be outsiders is another compelling similarity. It's not that they are considered freaks and therefore excluded. In reality, Stephen and Tom are quite popular. Tom is a prefect and eventually Head Boy. Students talk to Stephen and include him in their games.
However, both Stephen and Tom are convinced they are meant for greater things. They therefore spend their time refining themselves for their destined vocations. Stephen's vocation, as we all know, is to be an artist. He spends his time reading, memorizing, and writing poetry. Tom's vocation is to purify the magical race (an undoubtedly darker calling). He spends his time creating Horcruxes, building the Chamber of Secrets, and manipulating the people around him.
Although Stephen and Tom have vastly different callings, both of them believe that they must work alone. Neither of them has a mentor, or even an institution, that they look to for inspiration or help. Actually, scratch that. Both of them had an institution they looked up to, until this institution betrayed them. For Stephen, this institution was the church. In his youth, he lived by the word of God alone. However, the conflict within his family regarding religion combined with the sermons that convinced Stephen that he was going to hell created enough disillusionment for Stephen to separate himself from the institution altogether. For Tom, this institution was Hogwarts. Hogwarts was originally a place of refuge after Tom was orphaned. However, Dumbledore's watchful eye and eventual rejection of Tom's proposition to be a teacher at the boarding school convinced Tom that he was above such an institution.
Lastly, Stephen and Tom's personalities are quite similar. They are brooding, angsty, cynical, egotistical young men. They are convinced that they are destined for greatness, but that they must work alone because no one could possible understand their world views. One could easily imagine either of them roaming the halls late at night, pondering the workings of the world, certain that they have a major role to play. God forbid Steph and Tom roam the same halls. Who knows what sorcery they'd be capable of together?
This is a really compelling comparison! I agree that they're remarkably similar; they both prefer working alone and both certainly have a disregard for authority and the customs/morals of their culture. At the end of the novel Stephen starts to doubt his religion despite living in Catholic Ireland, and Tom really couldn't care less about most of wizard society's hatred for the dark arts. However, luckily for the people around Stephen, they do have some differences. I really can't see Voldemort fantasizing about being a "martyr" figure as Stephen does; he seems to prefer letting others suffer for him. Also, I don't think Stephen's quite as obsessed with power as Tom. We don't really see Stephen using the priests or his fellows to his advantage the way Tom would've, even though, as he was one of the top students, he probably could've.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that Stephen could be Snape, and Emma Lily? Stephen's pretty divisive in that he's crappy towards others, but he can also be sympathetic. Likewise he treats Emma like the one who got away. Plus, Snape is always acting emotional and conflicted like Stephen does. Both struggle a lot with shame and stuff.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this comparison. After recently reading the Harry Potter series I do see the similarities between Tom's view of the world and his role in it and Stephen's. They were both loners and thought that they each had a vocation. I do agree with Katie as well though when she says that Stephen thought of himself as more of a martyr as Voldemort does allow a lot of others to suffer before himself. Another difference is the fact that Tom does care more about power, but otherwise the comparison works.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, and YES. The second I read the sentence "Enter Tom Riddle" the connection immediately clicked in my mind. There is definitely a huge similarity between these two and how they interact with the world. Stephen's character could even have been a direct inspiration for Tom Riddle - J.K. Rowling often drew from classic literature in the series. However, there is one difference that separates them incredibly in my mind, making one able to turn into a Voldemort figure while the other one becomes an artist instead. Tom Riddle was the kid doing the bullying as a child. He was the one who would've pushed Stephen Dedalus into the sewers - in fact, if my memory serves me right, I believe Tom did, at one point, push a kid into a creek or water area of some sort. Stephen, on the other hand, was the one being bullied. Tom isolated himself from the world even earlier than Stephen did.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I almost didn't read this post once I realized it was about Harry Potter, but I think you make a really interesting comparison between Tom Riddle and Stephen. They definitely share a similar worldview and some personality traits, namely their aloofness and arrogance. However, I think you might be a little harsh on Stephen. He may only be this dark, brooding character in his head. Voldemort, on the other hand, we know became a real jerk in reality.
ReplyDelete