In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen Dedalus is described as the alter-ego of the author. What term describes this relationship?

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Multiple Choice

In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen Dedalus is described as the alter-ego of the author. What term describes this relationship?

An alter ego is a fictional version of the author, a second self inside the story that lets the writer explore thoughts, conflicts, and ideas through that character. In this novel, Stephen Dedalus functions as Joyce’s stand-in, letting him map out his own coming‑of‑age questions about identity, religion, and art. The link goes beyond just who tells the story or who the central character is; it’s about a close personal mirror of the author within the narrative. That’s why the relationship is described as an alter ego. Foil would mean a contrasting character used to highlight someone else’s traits, and while Stephen interacts with other figures, that term doesn’t capture the author’s personal reflection. Narrator points to who is telling the story, and Protagonist notes the central character, but neither conveys the author’s modeled, inner self as clearly as alter ego does.

An alter ego is a fictional version of the author, a second self inside the story that lets the writer explore thoughts, conflicts, and ideas through that character. In this novel, Stephen Dedalus functions as Joyce’s stand-in, letting him map out his own coming‑of‑age questions about identity, religion, and art. The link goes beyond just who tells the story or who the central character is; it’s about a close personal mirror of the author within the narrative. That’s why the relationship is described as an alter ego.

Foil would mean a contrasting character used to highlight someone else’s traits, and while Stephen interacts with other figures, that term doesn’t capture the author’s personal reflection. Narrator points to who is telling the story, and Protagonist notes the central character, but neither conveys the author’s modeled, inner self as clearly as alter ego does.

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