The wide playgrounds were swarming with boys playing football. All were shouting and the captains urged them on with strong cries. The evening air was pale and chilly, and the greasy leather ball flew like a heavy bird through the grey light. He kept on the edge of his line, out of sight of his captain, out of the reach of the rude feet, pretending to run now and then. His body felt small and he did his best to hide in plain sight.

James Joyce's novel "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" revolves around the story of Stephen Daedalus, a young intellectual Catholic man, and his struggles with adhering to the restrictions of society. The story takes us through his struggle with religion, society's 'rules', innocence, childhood experience, and also his becoming an adolescent.

In the given passage from the text, the narrator talks about a scene in the playground where the protagonist is reluctant to be a part. Instead of actively participating in the game of football, the narrator reveals that Stephen "kept on the edge of his line, out of sight of his captain, out of the reach of the rude feet, pretending to run now and then . . .[doing] his best to hide in plain sight." Moreover, through his use of words such as "swarming" and "greasy", the narrator reveals his repulsion and refusal to be a part of such a game, suggesting that he did not enjoy the game either.