The term “stream of consciousness” is bandied about a fair bit. It isn’t very often that the persons using the term are actually familiar with the narrative technique. James Joyce pioneered the style in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man his first novel; in it he uses the stream of consciousness narrative mode to bring the reader psychologically closer to Stephen’s mind.

In the final pages of the book, in which the narrative viewpoint switches from a third-person to Stephen himself, Joyce uses the style to greatest effect. In that passage he gives the reader unfiltered access to Stephen’s mind, which is meaningful in that it shows us Stephen finally grown into his own man. The novel’s main focus is the development of Stephen from a boy to a young man. As such, having access to his mental processes is a perfect way to express this.

Stream of consciousness also allows for interesting use of montage throughout the novel; we are able to see Stephen connect different ideas together with mental leaps. Lastly, Joyce places heavy emphasis on moving the story forward through epiphany. On his journey from boy to artist, Stephen has numerous moments of enlightenment, and displaying Stephen’s raw mental experience during those moments is a powerful way to convey the potency of the epiphany and the growth of the character.