Essay About Stephen Dedalus And Essay Religion

Religion in James Joyce’s a Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
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Religion and Its Effect on Stephen Dedalus
Religion is an important and recurring theme in James Joyces A
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Through his experiences with
religion, Stephen Dedalus both matures and progressively becomes more
individualistic as he grows. Though reared in a Catholic school, several
key events lead Stephen to throw off the yoke of conformity and choose
his own life, the life of an artist.
Religion is central to the life of Stephen Dedalus the child. He was
reared in a strict, if not harmonious, Catholic family. The severity of
his parents, trying to raise him to be a good Catholic man, is evidenced
by statements such as, “Pull out his eyes/ Apologise/ Apologise/ Pull
out his eyes.” This strict conformity shapes Stephens life early in
boarding school. Even as he is following the precepts of his Catholic
school, however, a disillusionment becomes evident in his thoughts. The
priests, originally above criticism or doubt in Stephens mind, become
symbols of intolerance. Chief to these thoughts is Father Dolan, whose
statements such as, “Lazy little schemer. I see schemer in your face,”
exemplify the type of attitude Stephen begins to associate with his
Catholic teachers. By the end of Chapter One, Stephens individualism
and lack of tolerance for disrespect become evident when he complains to
the rector about the actions of Father Dolan. His confused attitude is
clearly displayed by the end of the chapter when he says, “He was happy
and free: but he would not be anyway proud with Father Dolan. He would
be very kind and obedient: and he wished that he could do something kind
for him to show him that he was not proud.” Stephen still has respect
for his priests, but he has lost his blind sense of acceptance.
As Stephen grows, he slowly but inexorably distances himself from
religion. His life becomes one concerned with pleasing his friends and
family. However, as he matures he begins to feel lost and hopeless,
stating, “He saw clearly too his own futile isolation. He had not gone
one step nearer the lives he had sought to approach nor bridged the
restless shame and rancor that divided him from mother and brother and
sister.” It is this very sense of isolation and loneliness that leads to
Stephens encounter with the prostitute, where, “He wanted to sin with
another of his kind, to force another being to sin with him and to exult
with her in sin.” He wants to be loved, but the nearest thing he can
find is prostitution. In the aftermath of this encounter and the
numerous subsequent encounters, a feeling of guilt and even more
pronounced loneliness begins to invade Stephens being. Chapter Three
represents the turning point of the novel, for here Stephen turns his
life around. After the sermon on sin and hell, Stephen examines his soul
and sees the shape it is in, wondering, “Why was he kneeling there like
a child saying his evening prayers? To be alone with his soul, to
examine his conscience, to meet his sins face to face, to recall their
times and manners and circumstances, to weep over them.” Religion pushes
its way suddenly and unexpectedly back into Stephens life. After his
confession