James Joyce
James Joyce is often presented as a troubled man whose reputation as a writer exceeded his actual lifestyle. His personal and family life influenced his writing tremendously. Constantly battling different obstacles, he developed different methods of coping with all these situations. His parents? strong convictions in Roman Catholicism were thrust upon him at an early age. Joyce later renounced his parents? tradition, after having been schooled by Jesuits for most of his early childhood. His parents, besides being severely religious, also suffered from poverty for much of Joyce?s childhood. His father?s alcoholic lifestyle did not help the situation either, and would appear as a theme in much of Joyce?s writing and would affect his adult life as well.James Joyce was born into a devout Roman Catholic family on February 2, 1882 (Peterson 1). Both his mother and father were deeply religious, his father even served as a fierce Irish Catholic patriot, always willing to defend his faith. His religious education officially started at the age of six wit
Meeting and growing old with the woman he loved and having two lovely children did give him something to live for. His education in a Jesuit environment left him with a lasting impression, causing Joyce to call himself ?A Jesuit for life, a Jesuit for diplomacy? (O?Brien 6). After graduating from Belvedere, he enrolled in yet another Jesuit institution, the University College in Dublin (Williams 1). His education at Clongowes Wood would come to an abrupt end in 1891 when, after three years, his father, due to lack of funds and increasing debt, would have to withdraw young James (Peterson 2). And yet, James Joyce remains one of the most frequently named Irish authors of the 20th century. His rejection of Catholicism might have been imminent and inevitable but the Jesuit ideals that were instilled in him through his childhood were lasting ones. His father?s alcoholism added to his grief as a child, as did his mother?s death, causing him to tear away from the only home he had ever known. James? Jesuit education didn?t stop there. h the Jesuits at Clongowes Wood College about 40 miles away from his home in Dublin (Peterson 2). His life can be said to have been rocky and troublesome, but he also had some glimmers of light. It was at Belvedere where Joyce developed a keen interest in theology and even thought of becoming a priest. This Jesuit day school was a continuation of his religious education. His father wanted to provide the best possible education for his oldest son (O?Brien 5). But he soon found out that the vows of celibacy and chastity were much too demanding for him to overcome and crushed the notion of becoming a holy man (O?Brien 7).
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