leads different religious life even though they belong to the same religion. However, school obliges them to do the same activities and teach them the same values in order
to shape a certain condition of faith of the students’. The personality changing of Stephen’s affirms the position of religion values
as the Other during his leading school period. After leaving school, Stephen consequently is quite free from the doctrine taught at school even though his
environment may not quit doing it. When he starts his education in a university, Stephen is not strictly bound by such regulation about religious activities. This
freedom enables him to choose how to act and to respond religion issue discussed around him. An example of Stephen’s choice is presented in his conversation with
Cranly about Stephen’s mother. —Cranly, I had an unpleasant quarrel this evening.
—With your people? Cranly asked. —With my mother.
—About religion? —Yes, Stephen answered.
After a pause Cranly asked: —What age is your mother?
—Not old. She wishes me to make my easter duty. —And will you?
—I will not, Stephen said. —Why not?
—I will not serve, answered Stephen 1992: 184.
P.S. The clauses ‘Cranly asked’, ‘Stephen answered’, and ‘Stephen said’ are indirect expressions.
Stephen chooses what he wants to do instead of what his mother wants him to do. Stephen is not shy any more to express his thought. This is also a change in his
characteristic after leaving school. It is identified through the word ‘quarrel’. It means
that his discussion with his mother does not run well easily. Stephen’s choice that is against his mother’s causes it to happen. However, he still defends his argument.
Stephen is quite bold in deciding what to do at that time. It is shown through the utterances he uses to tell the story to Cranly. Stephen’s statements are short and bold.
The moment Stephen is brave enough to state his own standpoint is the moment when his repressed idea about religion so far can finally return. His doubt
and questions about it during school period are only covered up with the preaching and teaching by the priests who also play the role of teacher. Eventually, he can
discover his own thought toward religion and express it through his action. An intense action in living a doctrine comes to its end in Stephen’s life. Doubt and
ignorance becomes his personal answer to many of his questions about religion. Considering the mechanism that constructs this case, the repression related to
religion and faith of the students occurs at school through the values taught continuously that are finally accepted as truth.
5. Stephen’s Being Active and More Sociable in University
Considering the characteristics of Stephen Dedalus told in the novel, he can be classified as a round character. He indeed resembles real human’s characteristics in
real life. One thing that identifies his round characteristics is that he develops from time to time. The discussion to answer the first question of the problem formulation
divides this development in two certain phases of Stephen’s education: at school and in university.
The most significant development that is obviously seen is the Stephen’s change from a quiet student to an active one. The problem Stephen faces when he
studies at school is the feeling of ashamed that somehow obstructs him to communicate more with people around. He is mostly not brave enough even to ask or
to defend his argument. Stephen is a clever student, though. He has in mind many things that lead him to be curious and therefore questions those things.
Stephen who studies in the university is no longer the same person as he was at school. He does a great personality change. He becomes much braver than before.
He can finally start to express verbally what is inside his mind. He is able to build a quite long conversation with his fellows. One of the examples is Stephen’s
conversation with Cranly that discusses Stephen’s faith and religion. As a clever student, the development of his characteristic from quiet to active
brings a more accommodative attitude toward the knowledge that Stephen has. He is getting braver to speak out his mind. The surprising thing is that Stephen is even
brave enough to propose a new theory of his own about beauty aesthetics to his fellows.
—The Greek, the Turk, the Chinese, the Copt, the Hottentot, said Stephen, all admire a different type of female beauty. That seems to be a maze out of
which we cannot escape. I see, however, two ways out. One is this hypothesis: that every physical quality admired by men in women is in direct connexion
with the manifold functions of women for the propagation of the species. It may be so. The world, it seems, is drearier than even you, Lynch, imagined.
For my part I dislike that way out. It leads to eugenics rather than to esthetic. …
—This hypothesis, Stephen repeated, is the other way out: that though the same object may not seem beautiful to all people, all people who admire a
beautiful object find it in certain relations which satisfy and coincide with the
stages themselves of all esthetic apprehension. These relations of the sensible, visible to you through one form and to me through another, must be therefore
the necessary qualities of beauty 1992:161.
P.S. The clause ‘Stephen repeated’ is an indirect expression. Proposing a new theory requires excellent background knowledge. It clarifies
that Stephen is a clever student, indeed. His school period also shows the same thing. What makes the difference between those two periods is Stephen’s courage to express
his thought. During his school time, Stephen only keeps his thought in mind. He even faces difficulties to ask. Considering this kind of characteristic, Stephen’s proposing
and discussing his own theory of beauty is a contrastive thing. He seems to finally gather enough courage to express his thought.
The activeness that Stephen shows in his academic life in university is a symptom. This symptom certainly implies that before it emerges, Stephen owns a
certain kind of desire that is opposing it. Paying attention to the similarity of his cleverness in university and at school, Stephen always has many things in his mind,
whether they are questions or opinion. To express these thoughts is a problem for Stephen when he studies at school. Otherwise, he seems not to face many obstacles in
doing it in his university environment. It means that there is something at school that prevents him from doing so.
This ‘thing’ that avoids Stephen from expressing his thought is what occupies the position of Other in this case. Stephen’s desire is actually to speak out and release
everything in his mind to the people around who are expected to respond it properly. The choice to keep his thought not spoken must be something that gives a
consequence that Stephen avoids. His fear is caused by his unwillingness to be involved in a problematic situation. Clongowes, as a strictly discipline school, gives
very little toleration to students who causes problem. Stephen must consider his questions and opinion as things that will cause a
trouble to school environment. For instance, his opinion about Father Dolan’s wrong punishment and Father Arnall’s quietness facing violence happened to his student for
nothing. To people at Clongowes, punishment is a common thing. The authority of teachers is unable to doubt and therefore everyone must accept it. By this situation,
Stephen must think twice if he wants to question the things around him. Leaving school, Stephen is quite eager to discuss his opinion with people
around. He even talks to one of his lecturers in the university confidently. Stephen closed the door quietly and approached the fireplace.
—Good morning, sir Can I help you? The priest looked up quickly and said:
—One moment now, Mr Dedalus, and you will see. There is an art in lighting
a fire. We have the liberal arts and we have the useful arts. This is one of the useful arts.
—I will try to learn it 1992: 142. According to this quotation, Stephen is the one who initiates the conversation. He
seems not to much shy any more. He even states that he wants to learn something from the lecturer. After this introduction, he can have a small talk with the lecturer
discussing the theory of beauty. —This fire before us, said the dean, will be pleasing to the eye. Will it
therefore be beautiful? —In so far as it is apprehended by the sight, which I suppose means here
esthetic intellection, it will be beautiful. But Aquinas also says Bonum est in
quod tendit appetitus. In so far as it satisfies the animal craving for warmth fire is a good. In hell, however, it is an evil.
—Quite so, said the dean, you have certainly hit the nail on the head 1992: 143.
P.S. The clause ‘said the dean’ is indirect expression. Stephen answers his lecturer’s question with a quite right answer. His eagerness to
have a conversation with many people shows that Stephen has finally overcome his problem of quietness at school.
These symptoms of activeness that Stephen emerge during his studying period in university affirms the existence of repression during his school period. He is able
to be active and eager because he is not bound by the Other that represses his desire anymore. The Other which limits Stephen’s activeness in expressing opinion at
school is surely the paradigm that teacher is superior to student. Students are considered as the ‘empty’ people who need to be filled by knowledge. The ones who
own the knowledge are the teachers. Hence, expressing opinion becomes a risky action that may lead a student to trouble.
Since the relationship between the students and the lecturers seems not to be that similar with what happens at Clongowes, Stephen gets more freedom to do what
he is likely forbidden to do at school. His activeness is the returning form of his repressed desire to come up with his thought. This action is possible to do since the
environment around supports it. People whom Stephen discusses with are able to accept his opinion even though it is against their agreement. The decline of paradigm
