Over the course of his young life, Stephen becomes obsessed with language. He speaks English as his primary language, though also learns Latin and other languages at school and college. Despite being Irish, he possesses only a passing knowledge of the Irish language. As Stephen matures, he explores the meaning of identity through art and language, and eventually realizes that his passions are his liberation.

Stephen uses language in an artistic capacity. Even as a young child, Stephen uses poetry and prose to organize and codify complex emotions. When his family yells at him for asking to marry a Protestant girl, Stephen—who is too young to understand the clash between Catholics and Protestants—retreats into himself and writes a nursery rhyme-like poem to make sense of the situation. Later, Stephen writes love poems to express his feelings for Emma. By this point, he has matured enough to understand romantic feelings, but rather than using his art as a bridge for human connection, he keeps himself separated from his peers. He never declares his love to Emma herself, as he is never quite satisfied with the poems.

Despite his passion for poetry, language is always limited in Stephen’s view.