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......

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Title: Religion In James Joyce's A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man.
Approximate Word Count: 1076
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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