Explanation of the symbols of the Virgin MaryIf we want to analyze these symbols in greater detail we have to summon the source where these are from. We find these terms in the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (specifically the Loreto version), which was composed in the mid-16th century. St. Peter Canisius popularized the litany in 1558 when he published it to foster devotion to the Blessed Mother in response to the Protestant “Reformers” who had attacked such devotion. The litany represents a compilation of titles praising our Blessed Mother that were used at services at the Shrine of Loreto in Italy from the 13th century.Most of the titles of the Virgin Mary are associated with the prophecies and symbolism of the Old Testament which foresaw the role our Blessed Mother played in the mystery of salvation. Several of these center on her sanctity and maternity. For instance, the Tower of David stood prominently and strongly on the highest summit of the mountains surrounding Jerusalem. Such a tower was part of the defense mechanism of the city. From it, warnings would be given of approaching enemies. Mary is compared to the Tower of David because of her holiness, being recognized as full of grace and having been conceived free of original sin. By her prayers and example, she is part of God’s “defense mechanism” by which the Kingdom of God will stand undefeated and sin will always be conquered.[1] Similarly, Mary is also called the Tower of Ivory and this symbol can be found in several places throughout the novel. Beside the first chapter, the word ivory can be found in five other places.[2] This term is also used in the Song of Songs[3] to describe the beloved bride. (A similar term, Ivory Palace is mentioned in Psalm 45, verse 9, for the same reason.) Both instances foreshadow the nuptial relationship between Christ and his bride, the Church, as conveyed in St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. One might remember, as Vatican II taught, that Mary is “a type of the Church”[4]: She conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and through her, our Saviour entered into this world. As such, “The Church indeed contemplating [Mary’s] hidden sanctity, imitating her charity and faithfully fulfilling the Father’s will, by receiving the Word of God in faith becomes a mother”[5]The role of mother is particularly clear in the term Ark[6] of the Covenant. We remember from the Old Testament the Ark of the Covenant housed the Ten Commandments, the Law of God. As the Israelites journeyed to the promised land, a cloud, signifying the presence of God, would descend upon or overshadow the tent where the Ark was kept. Jesus came to fulfill the covenant and the law. In the Annunciation story[7], Archangel Gabriel says to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you,”[8] which conveys the same notion. Therefore, Mary “houses” Jesus in the womb; she is the new “Ark.”, and the House of Gold.From this foundation flow the other titles: Jeremiah predicted that the Messiah would be named, “The Lord of our Justice”[9]; Mary is the Mirror of Justice because no one better reflected the love and devotion to our Lord in her life than Mary. Because of her pure love and because she “housed” Jesus, she is called House of Gold. Jesus is the Wisdom of God, “the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us”[10]; therefore, the Virgin Mary, who bore our Lord, is called Seat of Wisdom.For the Catholics, Mary is also a sign of great hope. Vatican II stated, “The Mother of Jesus in the glory which she possesses body and soul in heaven is the image and beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise, she shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come, a sign of certain hope and comfort to the Pilgrim People of God”[11]. For this reason, she is called Morning Star[12], because she is a symbol of the victorious Christian who perseveres in faith, and shares in Christ’s messianic authority and victory over the darkness of sin and death. The term is found in the Book of Revelation: “To the one who wins the victory, who keeps to my ways till the end, I will give authority over the nations — the same authority I received from my Father. He shall rule them with the rod of iron and shatter them like crockery; and I will give him the morning star.”[13] Also in Song of Songs we find, “Who is this that comes forth like the dawn, as beautiful as the moon, as resplendent as the sun…”[14]; as the brightness of a light penetrating the early morning darkness, Mary heralds the coming of her Son, who is the light of the world.[15]She too is the Gate of Heaven. Mary is means by which our Lord came down from heaven to free us from sin. At the end of her life, Catholics believe that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven, a fulfilment of everlasting life and the resurrection of the body promised by Jesus. Therefore, she is the gate through which Jesus entered this world, and gate of fulfilled promise by which we will share everlasting life. Therefore, we look to her as the Star of the Sea.[16] As a star guides the sailor on the stormy sea to safe port, so Mary, through her prayer and examples, guides us along our journey of life, over sometimes turbulent water, to the heavenly port.In all, Mary is the Mystical Rose[17]. The rose is considered the most beautiful flower, the flower of royalty which surpasses all others in fragrance. She has the sweetness of sanctity and the beauty of virtues. In sum, all of these titles remind people of the important role of the Blessed Mother in the Catholic Spirituality, as a model of virtue and sanctity, in her motherhood, and as a sign of the life to come.[18]These symbols are but a small part of a whole list that a symbol encyclopaedia[19] contains about the Virgin Mary. The rest of the symbols, though not included in the novel, also add something to the ideal beauty that is represented by Mary. As mentioned above, these symbols are all elements of the complex concept of beauty but for Stephen it is now perceivable and by the end of the nove he is ready to reflect it through his work of art.[20]Stephen Dedalus’s transformation into a priest of the arts is parallel to the early life of James Joyce. Both struggle to deal with the conflicts of childhood and adolescence to find a balance in which they can happily live. Since A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is written in third person, yet employs the characteristics of the protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, the use of descriptive language is essential to the reader’s understanding of the novel as a whole. James Joyce excellently uses his talent to successfully communicate Stephen’s feelings so that we, the reader, can understand the development of his attitudes and ideals about feminine beauty.

[1] cf. The Holy Bible, Song Sol, 4:4
[2] 4.530: a broken ivory handle was stuck through the pith of a ravaged turnover.
4.835: sign upon the flesh. Her thighs, fuller and soft-hued as ivory, were bared
5.196: whining on a wall? Yellow ivy; that was all right. Yellow ivory also. And
5.197: what about ivory ivy?
5.199: The word now shone in his brain, clearer and brighter than any ivory sawn All in all the word ivory occurs 10 times.
[3] Song Sol, 7:5
[4] Mary is the type of the Church, her model and mother. Differing from all the other faithful, because of the exceptional gifts she received from the Lord, the Blessed Virgin nonetheless belongs to the Church and is fully entitled to be a member. (from: Lumen gentium, No. 53) 
[5] His Holiness, Pope Paul VI, “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church” Lumen Gentium (promulgated on 21 November 21, 1964) No. 64.
[6] Places of occurrence in the novel:2.525: the glass roof making the theatre seem a festive ark, anchored among the
2.528: the grass plots. A sudden burst of music issued from the ark, the prelude of
2.534: flowing music the ark was journeying, trailing her cables of lanterns in her2.960: emptied out. On the lines which he had fancied the moorings of an ark a few
[7] cf. Joyce, 247.
[8] The Bible, Luke 1:35
[9] ibid. Jer. 23:6
[10] ibid. John 1:14
[11] Lumen Gentium, No. 68.
[12] Places of occurrence in the novel:3.110: morning star, bright and musical, telling of heaven and infusing peace, it3.480: earthly beauty, dangerous to look upon, but like the morning star which. Is3.1237: the morning star which is thy emblem, bright and musical,
[13] The Bible, Rev. 2:26-28
[14] ibid. Song of Sol. 6:10
[15] cf. The Bible, John 1:5-10, 3:19
[16] cf. ’Maris Stella’ (dealt above at p 32 in my thesis)
[17] Places of occurrence in the novel:1.219: could not get out the answer for the sum but it did not matter. White roses
1.220: and red roses: those were beautiful colours to think of. And the cards for
1.222: pink and cream and lavender. Lavender and cream and pink roses were
1.223: beautiful to think of. Perhaps a wild rose might be like those colours and
1.224: he remembered the song about the wild rose blossoms on the little green
1.225: place. But you could not have a green rose. But perhaps somewhere in the      et al.
[18] cf. Joyce, 247.
[19] Hans Biedermann, Szimbólumlexikon, (Budapest: Corvina, 1996) 25.

[20] cf. Joyce, 288.