During childhood, parents are thought to be totems of support, someone to cry on, someone to help bandage a hurt knee, but not all adults are perfect role models . In Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the reader is given the opportunity to delve into a developing mind amidst a swirling fervor of confusing role models. Stephen Dedalus' biological father and mercurial mother figure are at the center of the obstacles the aspiring artist faces in fulfilling his calling in life. The book is essentially a bildungsroman and the parental figures represent the obstacles that Stephen overcomes to mature and discover himself. Simon Dedalus is the most obvious wall in Stephen's path. Joyce portrays him as a man who slips from a position above mediocre to a downtrodden and failed man. Before he saw his father fall, Stephen had respected the man. Stephen notes that his father was "a gentleman" (21), and states that it was "his father's house" (32), not his. Although Stephen respects his father, the two were not very similar. Simon preferred to brag about his successes and opinions at social gatherings (“Is it for Billy with the lip or the tub of guts in Armagh? Respect!” [44]), while Stephen opted to sit back and observe the proceedings (“ His silent and watchful attitude became accustomed to him and he took little part in the games.” Later, the family began to lose money and Simon also began to lose his mind. His father turned to alcoholism and homesickness to suffocate the current situation.Eventually Simon Dedalus transforms to reflect some of the barriers that await him. His father travels to his old hometown of Cork to remember the good old days of his youth. Stephen recognizes this as a foolish waste of... half of paper ......writes something indifferent and normal like: “Yes, I liked it a little too much I know” (253). he acquired the skills necessary to thrive as an artist. Throughout Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen Dedalus faces the obstacles of becoming an independent artist in the form of parental figures. His biological father, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the prostitute, and his biological mother all represent a combination of obstacles that prevent him from thriving as a poet. These figures connect to ideas such as religion and exploration, national bonds and free will. Joyce concludes the reader on the topic with the scene with Emma. Regardless of any preconceptions, the reader can take home Joyce's ideas about free will and the need to be independent..