In the story, the boy becomes infatuated with a girl. This crush on Mangan"s sister is very tough on the main character for many reasons. The first being that she does not share the love he has for her, and secondly, his crush conflicts with his strict religion. He becomes obsessed with her, watching her every move. The girl has taken over his every thought, which is why the crush conflicts with the Catholic religion. Catholicism is the worship of a single, all-powerful God. When Mangan"s sister invades the young mind of the main character, he is no longer thinking about his religion, instead, he is focused on the girl, which causes confusion about what is more desirable. .

             In "Eveline" images of religious masses come up in the story. "Through the wide doors of the sheds she caught a glimpse of the black mass of the boat lying in beside the quay wall, with illumined portholes." (32/45-47). The theme of religious masses is written into a very important time of the main character"s life. Eveline is faced with the decision whether or not to go with Frank to Buenos Aires. If she went, she would flee the responsibilities of her family and be able to finally live in a land where she could be carefree. Black mass is the traditional ceremony that witches will perform to invoke evil spirits and mock the mass of the Catholic Church. Since the theme of the black mass is used, it hints to the reader that maybe Eveline does not want to be held down by her religion. By using the words "black" and "mass" together, Joyce not only indicates the importance of Catholicism, but it shows the idea that Eveline is trying to break free from the constrictive power of the church and religion.

             Finally, the topic of Ash Wednesday is brought up in "Araby" and "Eveline." Ash Wednesday is one of the most important days in the Catholic religion.