Stephen Dedalus Escaping from Catholicism to Express Himself As a Young Man
             Stephen, relying on his "...night prayers..." began to identify himself with his surroundings. His strength was his prayers. Only "...God understood what all the people who prayed said...". Stephen found comfort in his prayers. He "...blessed himself..." because he was terrified of the idea of "...going to hell when he died...". Once Stephen had remind "...hell..." to himself his "...shaking would stop...", but not after the prayers. His contentment with prayers was not as strong as he wanted them to be. He prayed because he was told to do so when the "...bell [rang] for night prayers...". It was not because he understood the meaning of praying. Later on, over Christmas vacation Stephen saw the real world differently. An argument over Parnell, a Catholic hero, made him loose his innocence. The "...language he heard against God and religion..." was devastating. "...Away with God..." is what Stephen, being with the adults for the first time, recorded in his memory. He had a great deception as a result of this argument. Stephen's first major disappointment with the church was with Father Dolan. Being "...cruel and unfair to make him kneel...," Father Dolan "...pandybat..." Stephen. Father Dolan, being a priest, represented mercy and justice to Stephen. Instead, he found a harsh and a cruel person in him. Father Dolan not only failed to listen to Stephen's explanation but he also exaggerated his punishment by asking for the "...other hand..." Stephen encountered no mercy in Father Dolan.
             "...His first violent sin..." did not stop Stephen from praying. Even though he had an immense disappointment with the church, he was aware of "...eternal damnation...". He looked for comfort in the Virgin Mary as a "
             ...