Throughout James Joyce’s The
Dubliners, the author takes a negative approach towards the Catholic
Church. In many scenes across the various short stories, the Church is depicted
as corrupt and hypocritical. One jibe appears in “The Boarding House,” in which
the Madam’s daughter, Mary, is described as a “little perverse Madonna.” This
description becomes appropriate when she is caught sleeping with one of the
borders. The sacrilege of naming an unchaste character after the Blessed Virgin
suggests that the Church is less pure than it would have its followers believe.
Yet the story “Grace” carries many more implications about
the Church. Here, a group of friends try to convince Mr. Kernan to return to
the Church, hoping to inspire a conversion of sorts. They discuss the doctrine of papal infallibility, and
Joyce’s treatment of the doctrine highlights the absurdity in the belief. For
instance, Mr. Kernan asks about corrupt popes in earlier times, and after
grudgingly acknowledging the criticism, Mr. Cunningham says, “Not one of them,
not the biggest drunkard, not the most… out-and-out ruffian, not one of them
ever preached ex cathedra a word of
false doctrine.” Ex cathedra
literally means “from the chair,” meaning that the pope speaks with authority
as head of the Church, and Catholic teaching states that anything the pope
preaches ex cathedra is infallible. Yet
Mr. Cunningham’s statement is illogical, as one cannot take another’s word
about morality as infallible, least of all a drunkard’s. Mr. Cunningham does
not offer any proof of his declaration, yet the men all blindly agree with him,
as mirrored in the line, “He drank and the other gentlemen followed his lead.”
Through this scene, Joyce emphasizes how Church teaching governs the Dubliners’
thinking. It prevents them from questioning, thus hampering growth and change.
Finally, the last scene of “Grace,” finds the group of men
listening to a priest’s homily, which describes God’s mercy in terms of
business. These associations violate the Church’s sacredness, making it seem
cold and secular. Thus, Joyce views the Catholic faith as an unfavorable
quality in the Dubliners.
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ReplyDeleteI'd like to see how your thoughts on Catholicism's role in Dubliners would compare to Adam's. You both have reached intriguing conclusions!
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