(Crider) Wary of the Church

Dubliners repeatedly points to James Joyce’s disapproval of British rule in Ireland.  His family consisted of strong advocates of the nationalist movement led by Parnell to instigate Home Rule in Irish Parliament.  However, while they longed for a united, independent Ireland, the Joyce household expressed a frustration with the Catholic Church, which naturally would have risen as a prominent component of Irish society under Home Rule.   Within James’ short stories are several accounts of clergy members, church doctrine, and the overall religious experience that portray the Church as an improper institution. 

 “The Sisters” describes the influence a paralyzed priest, Father Flynn, has on a young boy.  Reminiscing over lessons regarding history and the Latin language, the boy is troubled that his mentor is soon to die, though he wonders if Old Cotter’s claim that a young boy ought to be spending his time with children his age, not with an old  man, has some veracity to it.  He is further troubled when company at the mourning house following Father Flynn’s death recount his mental decline and rumors regarding licentious behavior before his paralysis set in.  “Grace” illustrates another case of wariness, though not quite as immoral, towards the Church.  After his drunken fall, companions of Tom Kernan attempt to set him straight and request his presence at a Catholic retreat.  After much prodding, Kernan agrees to attend, though he refuses to support any superstitious practice, particularly the use of candles in renewal of baptismal vows. 

In one piece of criticism, Joyce stated on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church growing to become a greater power than the British Empire:  “I do not see what good it does to fulminate against the English tyranny while the Roman tyranny occupies the palace of the soul.”  His inclusion of so many religious references, many based on reality, proposes that the Church’s wide influence has ensnared its members into believing in an afterlife that is not undoubtedly genuine.  Perhaps Joyce felt the Church’s offense was greater than Britain’s because its promises instilled a “false hope” in many practitioners enduring oppression or social indignity during the late 19^th century and early 20^th.