Religion and Its Effect on Stephen Dedalus

Religion is an important and recurring theme in James Joyce's 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 Stephen's 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 Stephen's 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 beg

exchange shows the emptiness he has to show for it. In response to the

mind now that he felt his soul beset once again by the insistent voices

Catholic teachers. By the end of Chapter One, Stephen's individualism

represents the turning point of the novel, for here Stephen turns his

find is prostitution. In the aftermath of this encounter and the

religion there can be no true feeling or outlet for these feelings.

of the flesh which began to murmur to him again during his prayers and

her, finally convinces Stephen to abandon religion. His running escape

religion. The end of Stephen's life in Ireland rings hollow, for this

"nets" by which he flies, leads to the loss of his naivete and later to

"What is offered me on the other hand?...An eternity of bliss in the

woman and the knowledge that, as a priest, he could not even talk to

pass the first night in the novitiate and with what dismay he would wake

companionship. At the close of the novel he says, "Old father, old

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1084
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)