Stephen's Transformation

At the end of the novel we see Stephen transformed. He is in college and pursuing his dreams. He still may be a little narcissistic but that is to be expected of an 18 year old. One of the things a lot of kids in class complained about was the fact that Stephen is very self centered. I think that this is a true statement but I feel many people are forgetting the fact that, for the majority of this novel, Stephen is a child. When you are 14 to 16 you are a very self absorbed person. Most of the time the things that affect your life are directly related to the tiny sphere that you know. It is hard for kids to understand the fact that they are a part of an entire world and it is only due to inexperience. Stephen is quite like this and literally thinks he is the character in a novel. This is only because he has a very active imagination. Kids do things like this all the time but it just took Stephen a little longer to grow out of it. I think that is what is so crucial to see at the end of the novel. That he grew out of it. He is now a young adult who is observing the world, and instead of thinking he is the center of attention, he is merely an observer.

The Director's Speech

Towards the end of Chapter 4, we see Stephen being called to meet with the Director and it is so he can be asked if he would like to join priest hood. This would be fine if not for who the Director tries to entice Stephen. His only explanation as to why Stephen should join is for the power it brings. "No king or emperor on this earth has the power of the priest of God." (171). It seems odd that the director would try and appeal to Stephen as a power hungry child. From what we know, Stephen is a soft spoken student who is not outspoken and appears to be a pure child. Why would the Director try and play to his greed if he has no signs of even possessing that trait. It is quite strange that the Director would try and play towards a sin to get Stephen to consider being a priest. "No angel or archangel in heaven, no saint, not even the Blessed Virgin herself has the power of a priest of God..."(171). I am not well educated in Catholicism but isn't this near heretical for the Director to say? The Saint's are considered to be the holiest of people and to proclaim that you are somehow more important does not sit right even for me. I think that this Director should not try and be the one to convince Stephen to join the church. I still think the outcome would have been the same but I felt like somehow the Director was trying to pull Stephen in with an unorthodox method. Then again, maybe the Director is just trying to gauge his reaction.