A series of transformations defines every human life. Whether physical, psychological, religious or sociological, alterations mark progress on the path of maturation. This idea plays a central role in James Joyce's debut novel, which follows the development of Stephen Daedalus as he transforms from a troubled youth into an artist. In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce uses water as a motif to explore the transformation of Stephen's soul. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Considered the most versatile chemical compound on earth, water easily changes energy states and dissolves countless numbers of substances. Fittingly, Joyce uses water as a symbol of Stephen's changing soul in the novel. By describing the state the water is in, its appearance, or the substances mixed with the water, Joyce can effectively mirror Stephen's state as his coming-of-age story progresses. Throughout the novel, Joyce suggests that water represents Stephen's soul. For example, while discussing philosophy with the dean of his university, Stephen mentions that a man named Epictetus once said that "the soul is much like a pail of water" (Joyce 187). From this statement, one might infer that the water in the bucket represents experiences, and every drop of water in the bucket helps to define that bucket, just as every experience helps to define the human soul. Indeed, the experiences define Stephen's soul throughout the novel. Especially in the first half of the book, water is used with a depressing connotation, reflecting Stephen's dejected state. In particular, the Clongowes moat represents Stephen's time there. When pushed into the ditch by a violent student, Stephen describes it vividly, saying, “How cold and slimy the water was! A guy once saw a mouse jumping in the foam” (Joyce 11). Stephen's illness later in the chapter correlates to this moment, combining to represent how Stephen's soul responds to the restrictive and unhappy environment. Water is similarly described once Stephen moves to Dublin, where he observes “the multitude of corks floating on the surface of the water in a thick yellow foam” (Joyce 66). The yellow foam recalls the uneasy atmosphere in Dublin and the depression that Stephen feels there. As one of the novel's key motifs, water plays an important role in two of Stephen's most significant turning points. As he listens to the fire and brimstone sermon in chapter 3, Stephen vividly imagines a second great flood coming to destroy all life, imagining “corpses floating silently among the refuse of the rubble of the world” (Joyce 117). Just as the flood would consume all life on earth, the sins of Stephen's past threatened to overwhelm his soul. This case was the beginning of Stephen's temporary transformation into a pious man. Following this transformation, Stephen experiences his defining epiphany. While at sea, Stephen juxtaposes a beautiful, peaceful ocean scene with descriptions of powerful, newfound life. Stephen, for example, “wondered at the endless drift of algae. Emerald and black and reddish and olive, he moved with the current, swaying and turning… the gray and warm air was still: and a new wild life sang in his veins” (Joyce 170). By combining the motifs of water, fire, and birds in this section, Joyce illustrates Stephen's transformation into an artist, transforming a dead soul into a soul full of fire and vitality. It is interesting to note that the,.