James Joyce's semi-autobiographical first novel explores the author's own love-hate relationship with Ireland through Stephen Dedalus, Joyce's literary alter ego. Dedalus yearns to be an artist, but must first overcome the aspects of Irish society, like school and the church, that he feels restrains his creativity and stifles his soul. Joyce's use of experimental literary techniques, including stream of consciousness, is on full display in his first novel, which he further develops in his later works, Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake.