Discuss the themes of escape in Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

Stephen
can only understand his own sense of
self through the idea of escape in the narrative.  Simply
put, Ireland is a
land that is filled with more of "yesterdays" than tomorrows for
Stephen. 
His evolution and arc of development takes full shape when the reality of his
escape
from Ireland is evident.  This is not the type of escape from
political repression or religious
persecution.  Yet, it is a type of escape
all the same.  Stephen must escape the world around
him in order to fully
develop his "non serviam credo" and the idea of him being the
author of his
own narrative.  This vision of the artist is one that convinces him to believe
in
the end that escape is the only path in order to develop Stephen's own
artistic sensibilities
and sense of identity:

Old father, old artificer- Stand me
now and ever in good
stead.

The notion in these closing

words is that escape is needed and in order for one to embrace their own true sense of
self
there has to be a point of liberation from what was and what is into
what can be or what should
be.  In this, the theme of escape is something
that becomes evident in Stephen's consciousness
and critical to helping him
embrace his true identity as the artist.