喬埃斯的『年輕藝術家的畫像』，如同他的其它作品一般，主要是以十九世紀末二十世紀初的英國殖民地愛爾蘭為背景。在殖民主義的社會架構下，史蒂芬，就像愛爾蘭的知識份子一樣，接受的是英式教育，學的是英國文化與英國人的價值觀。因此他無法認同他那被殖民者所輕蔑的國家、文化與同胞，甚至於無法認同他自己的父親。他所崇尚的是他的殖民者的英國文化。但是不管他的英文多麼流利抑或是多麼地英國化，在當時的社會架構下，他仍然被定位為次等的愛爾蘭公民。於是在這樣一個英屬殖民地的社會架構下，史蒂芬持續地掙扎於他的愛爾蘭出生和他英式的思考與價值觀這樣的內心矛盾中。本論文主要是在探討史蒂芬，在十九世紀末二十世紀初的愛爾蘭，身為愛爾蘭的高級知識份子，如何突破愛爾蘭在英國殖民主義制度下的社會架構，以重獲與殖民者同等的機會與尊重。
　　為了要突破這不公平的社會架構，並且重拾他被殖民者所剝奪的自我定位的權利，史蒂芬必須先揭示當前社會權力架構的不正當性，並且證明他反叛社會當局的正當性。在此論文中，研究者借用了德希達 (Derrida) 的解構的觀念來闡述史蒂芬如何瓦解當時社會架構下的界線，並揭示被此社會架構所屏除在外的其他可能性的存在。此外，拉剛 (Lacan) 的鏡像理論也被用來證明史蒂芬企圖追求一個英雄式自我並且重塑自我形象。為了要證明他反叛的正當性，史蒂芬不僅把自己塑造成一個來取回他被篡奪的身份與權利的王儲，甚至於把自己當作是上帝所派遣的黑暗使者，來這世上重制被扭曲的社會秩序。
　　在此論文的最後，研究者依照史蒂芬自己的藝術理論，證明『年輕藝術家的畫像』不只是史蒂芬敘述自己經歷與過往的自傳，更是他一直所追求實現的重建自我形象的藝術—史蒂芬經由不斷地重述自己的經歷與內心的矛盾，他把自己塑造成一個對抗不平等的社會結構以創造新的展望與自我的現代英雄。

　　James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, as other works of his, is situated within the historical background of late 19th and early 20th century British-ruled Ireland. Under the British colonization, Stephen, like other Irish elites, is educated with the English value and concepts that disparage his own Irish culture and countrymen. By adopting the British value, he becomes incapable to identify with his Irish father, who has been effeminized by the British colonial power. However, no matter how well he speaks English or how English he has become, he is still an Irishman who is foredoomed by the social context of Ireland to be forever inferior to his British oppressors. Stephen is torn between his Irish origin and English mind. Therefore, the main purpose of this thesis is to show how Stephen, as an Irish elite in late 19th and early 20th century, attempts to break through the confinement of the colonial context of Ireland in order to obtain an equal chance and value as his British oppressors.
　　In order to break through this unjust social context that he suffers from, and to regain his deprived right to be who he wants to be, Stephen must denounce the righteousness of the social authority that has imposed an inferior identity upon him. With the help of Derrida’s idea on deconstruction, especially his idea on the differential nature of language, the researcher tries to demonstrate how Stephen undermines the boundary set by the colonial authority by revealing its absurdity and inconsistency, and how he proves the existence of other possibilities that has been pre-excluded by the colonial authority that is in power. Moreover, the researcher applies Lacan’s idea of mirror effect and the pursuit of one’s self-image to support the argument that Stephen is pursuing after his own self-image. If the present context denies him a unified and distinguished self-identity, then he will create a new context for himself. Stephen will prove his own legitimacy to retrieve what he has lost. To justify his revolt against the colonial power and the social value of his colonizers, Stephen makes himself as a usurped prince of an ancient regime who comes to retrieve his lost right and identity and as a dark avenger of God, the one and only authority and Truth, to reset the perverted order of the world.
　　At the end of this thesis, the researcher concludes that A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is not only Stephen’s self portrait of his personal past and struggle, but it is also his art to recreate a unified self-image as a modern hero, who fights against the hostile social environment of the colonized Ireland for new possibilities and new identity.

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