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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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Approximate Word Count: 1076
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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