The Labyrinth In David Grant's 'Minotaur'

Stephen becomes vividly aware that he lives in a labyrinth that houses his personal “Minotaur” towards the end of the novel when he begins to dream about figures in a cave. “The labyrinth … in which the monster is confined may represent a cave” (Grant 341). In the realm of Stephen’s unconscious dream state, Stephen sees creatures with phosphorescent faces advance towards him from within a cave, but Stephen never states where he is viewing them from, indicating the possibly that Stephen dwells inside the cave with the creatures. Assuming that the cave references the labyrinth Stephen has been trapped in all his life, the creatures’ faces that give off light symbolize a false “light at the end of the tunnel” for Stephen. The creatures are most
On one plane, Stephen’s labyrinth exists in his mind; the many confusing and contradictory thoughts and opinions Stephen holds are each winding paths that cause Stephen to feel lost. On another plane, Stephen’s labyrinth is a metaphor for his journey through life and time on earth; the many possibilities and choices of Stephen’s life are each paths that could lead to his freedom in union with God after death. With that in mind, Stephen maneuvers each labyrinth differently to ultimately engage with
During the retreat Stephen goes on in which heaven and hell are clearly defined, Stephen finds himself flying too close to God. "His brain was simmering and bubbling within the cracking tenement of the skull" (Joyce 110). Stephen burns himself by flying too close to God’s perfect image and Stephen’s brain begins to boil under the realization he can never truly live up to God’s perfect plan for his life. As Stephen falls back to into his labyrinth he comes to realize he can never truly escape the labyrinth while he is on earth. "... Stephen often fails to realize fully the extent to which he is enmeshed in that nightmare, and consequently his declarations of freedom are ... premature" (Buttigieg 45). Stephen comes to realize towards the end of the novel, no matter how high he flies on earth, he will never permanently escape his labyrinth. Stephen adopts this pessimistic mindset, and ceases to pursue escape in God altogether; Stephen has no reason to return to God after the conclusion of the novel because Stephen no longer seeks freedom from the