The Potrait of an Artist as a Young Man

This novel makes a very strong case that we are products of our environments. The entire book illuminates how the various events of Stephen's childhood and adolescents shaped him into the artist he became. Joyce even admits "we are what we were". However at the same time a point could also be made that Stephen was born to be an artist. From the very beginning Stephen was different. So perhaps this book proves that that we are a combination of the two.

I don't know if this is too late but I think I might want to revise my question. It just seems kind of shallow and you can prove either side with any book. It's not really helping me get to a new level in my thinking.