stephen’s meeting with the director

Stephen’s meeting with the Director

• The Director’s tone is lighthearted and insignificant, but abruptly changes to seriousness

• Stephen contemplates priesthood briefly, but then realizes the austerity of it.

Religious Imagery• During the meeting, the Director uses

imagery to try to convince Stephen to become a priest

• Stephen vividly imagines being part of the clergy:

“He longed for the minor sacred offices, to be vested with the tunicle of subdeacon at high mass, to stand aloof from the altar, forgotten by the people, his shoulders covered with a humeral veil, holding the paten within its folds, or, when the sacrifice had been accomplished, to stand as deacon in a dalmatic cloth of gold on the steps below the celebrant, his hands joined and his face towards the people, and sing the chant Ite, missa est.”

Symbols

• Water – cleansing of Stephen’s soul

• Bridge- Stephen’s departure from the church

• Disorder- Stephen’s preference for real life, not priesthood

Symbols

• Bird imagery- Stephen’s need for freedom

• Daedalus and Icarus- Stephen’s balance between freedom and overestimation of abilities

Temptations of St. Anthony

• St. Anthony was a Christian saint from Egypt

• He faced temptations such as wealth and lust during a pilgrimage in the desert

• Stephen also overcomes temptations

St. Stephen

• St. Stephen was the first Christian martyr

• Stephen Dedalus’ name is an allusion to St. Stephen

• Both St. Stephen and Stephen encountered conflicts with their established religions

Stephen’s Vision of “The Girl”

• Beginning of chapter: Stephen obsessed with church (i.e., the Virgin Mary)

• Later: seeks feminine beauty elsewhere

Stephen’s maturation

• Looks objectively on his family• Realizes his destiny• Makes his own decisions about the future

More Chiasmus

• Female conclusions– Different aspects of feminity

• Family reappears– Separate unit

Transubstantiation

• Bread and wine are literally Jesus Christ• Essentially, the belief that an everyday

object carries huge spiritual significance

Eucharist

• Other names:– The Last Supper– Communion

• Greek for “thanksgiving”• Occurred for the first time at Passover

Lent

• Preparation for Easter• Aspects:– Prayer– Repentance– Self-denial

• Other denominations celebrate, including:– Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Anglicans

• Baptists and Mennonites have traditionally ignored Lent