From the beginning of the book, Stephen was established as an outsider. The author very clearly paints Stephen as merely an observer, and not an active part of the scene. It is evident with how little he speaks out and engages in dialogue, usually content with listening, and how he rarely speaks up for himself in the beginning of the book. This is highlighted in the scene in which the group of boys are playing rugby. Even in Stephen's one moment of triumph in his early childhood stage, after he successfully spoke to the teacher about his unfair punishment and went to celebrate with the fellows, the fellows leave him behind to celebrate on their own, and when they cheer, it is not for him. He doesn't completely share in their happiness and he is not included.
I actually find it rather sad but understandable how the little boy who never really made any friends was so drawn to literature. In books, we can find characters we relate to and experience adventures we never can in real life. Books give us an escape from life and allow us to become engaged. Stephen, the loner child, began to connect with characters who were also outsiders and loners. Therefore, his favorite literature (Byron, Count of Monte Cristo) ended up being what society considered "heretical", as it dealt with dark romantic heroes and dark storylines dealing with revenge and horrible wrath. Stephen began to see himself as the dark romantic hero, often projecting onto the hero of Count of Monte Cristo, and sees himself with no choice but to embrace sin. The scene in which he writes his first poem romanticizes the scene with the girl he met on the tram and completely changes the actual events. It is clear to me that he changes "himself" in the scene to rather be one of the romantic heroes he reads about. He then goes to look in the mirror. I definitely interpreted the mirror scene as him searching for a change within himself after writing his first poem -- change to become the romantic hero he wants to so badly. Since he was a young, lonely boy, Stephen's projected himself onto the heroes of the novel, who have dashing adventures, wooed beautiful ladies, had fascinating stories and were outsiders, just like him.
