THE BURDEN OF SOCIAL CONVENTIONS IN A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST

THE BURDEN OF SOCIAL CONVENTIONS IN A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST

The Catholics Conventions in the nineteenth century

The traditional stand of authoritarianism in the Irish church and Irish culture is a successful integration of national and religious identity in Ireland. In fact the local and national power of the church is very important and is imposed remarkably on catholic believers in the nineteenth century ; thus their necessary appellation of Catholics conventions simply because they constitute a code of behaviors that must be followed by everybody not only in Ireland but everywhere where Catholics believers are spread. In fact, the Catholics leaders such as the priests as we see it in the novel are given too much authority to direct their flocks. Everyone must obey the state of authorities, because no authority exists without God‟s permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God. Whoever opposes the existing authority opposes what God has ordered; and anyone who does so will bring judgment on himself. For, rulers are not to be feared by those who do well, but by those who do evil. So, people have to do what is good so that the priests will praise them because they are God‟s servants working for our own good. The priests are God‟s servants and carry out God‟s punishment on those who do evil. For this reason, we must obey their authorities not just because of God‟s punishment but also as a matter of conscience. We have to show respect and honor for them all for, the priests is the apple of God and the followers must obey their orders. The Catholics doctrines are consolidated in the Bible where the scripture says: ” Touch them not for they are the apple of my eye. They have the power to forgive or to punish followers their sins.” 1 And this is the reason why in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Fleming was punished by Father Arnal simply because of his bad writing of Latin words and then he misses all the questions in grammar. In this same prospectiveness, Stephen Dedalus is also punished because he has broken his glasses. All Catholics in fact must obey God‟s teaching, the Gospel that the priests are delivering in the church. In fact the Bible is composed of the Old and New Testament in which God Word are written by people ender the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And the most important thing is that the centre of the Church of Ireland‟s teaching is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus-Christ. The basic teachings of the church include that JesusChrist is fully human and fully God in one person. 1 Jerusalem Bible 9 He died and was resurrected from the dead and then He provides the way of eternal life for those who believe on him. God of course is at the beginning and at the end of everything. He is the Creator of heaven and earth and whatever that exist on earth. Jesus Himself must be believed as God only begotten Son who comes on earth to save humanity. Catholics must also believe on the elevation of Christ on heaven body and soul and the Holy Spirit which the third person of the Most Blessed Trinity from whom people receives all God‟s Grace. Another Catholics convention and which happens in James Joyce‟s A Portrait is the obedience in God‟s commandments. James Joyce uses God‟s commandments to concertize the Irish people from their bad way of behavior and after all to warn his readers on the danger which lie behind the civic and moral disobedience. This is enough a sufficient reason for Saint James when he says: ” whoever offends against on commandment becomes guilty of all” 2 . If time was to sin and to enjoy, to scoff at God and to the warnings of his holy church, to defy His majesty, to disobey His commandment and at least to hoodwink one‟s corruption from the sight of men, time shall be no more. Meaning that in that very moment God would reward the good and punish the wicked. At the last blast the soul of the universal humanity, all the sons and daughters of Adam, all are assembled on that supreme day. And God Omnipotent, God Everlasting will call the just to his side, bidding them enter into the kingdom, the eternity of bliss prepared for them. The unjust He cast from Him crying in His offended majesty after being cast into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. Among the Catholics commandments, we also have the one of love. As the scripture says: ” Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with your entire mind. This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it; love your neighbour as you love yourself”3 . In fact, the whole Law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets depend on these two commandments. According to the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, it is by love that God has created man and it is him that he loves the most among all the creators on the earth. In addition to that, God has put onto man‟s possession all the good of the earth so that he does not lack anything.

FAMILY CONVENTION IN IRELAND

The conventions of family education in Ireland mainly in the 19th century refer in a large extends to the religious believe. In the novel it can be understood by the way that the work of James Joyce takes place in a period dominated by Catholicism. With the coming of British people in Ireland with their culture and civilization, the school and religion become an obligation in traditional families in Ireland. That is the reason why Stephen sees himself being inculcated new forms of social values. And as the school is a form of education, Dedalus is sent at Clongowes-school where he mainly meets repression and cruelty of Irish leaders. Despite the cultural revival Ireland is divided into two factions of Protestants and Catholics; conservatives and nationalists. The attitude of conservatives families towards sexually common to Ireland‟s various Christian faith groups and a dominant masculinity patriarchal cultural order suppresses the freedom of a queer. As for Nationalist, their power to define who one is and who one is not in relation to imagined communities structures believe and myths. In all these cases, in the 19th century, the father is only at the head of the family and wives and children must obey and respect him. That is at last the theory. That parental authority has made that Stephen is not allowed to marry Eileen that protestant girl whom he promises to marry once he is hold. To prevent Stephen from marrying that girl, Dante gets him afraid by these words: “o! If not, the eagles will come and pull out his eyes, Pull out his eyes, Apologize, Apologize, Pull out his eyes, Apologize, Pull out his eyes, Pull out his eyes, Apologize24 24 A Portrait ; p.12. 23 This way of writing is Stephen‟s early poetic writing of rhymes. In these verses, Stephen, of course, wants to put forward the idea that no one above Catholic person has the right and privilege to marry a protestant. In fact, the influence of parents in their son‟s choice to the person to marry or not to marry has then become a family convention. Therefore, children always have to obey to their parents and bring honor in their family. From this point of view, James Joyce intention is to depict the lack of freedom which he judges essentially important for the stability of man‟s heart. Normally children should be given the freedom to choose the wives of their heart‟s inspiration and this could not depend on the belonging of any group of race ethnic or religion. According to their culture, parents must orient their children especially if the latter are young. In fact this enables us to talk a little bite about the education of the youth. Whether it is about at home or at school, we must take care of children so that they should be intellectually and socially well- bred. This is all the more important and fundamental because children are supposed to be the relieving of the future. And that is what has understood Stephen‟s parents, masters and some of his classmates when they always keep on advising him. And of course that is what we try to justify by this quotation: “He had heard about him the constant voices of this father and of his masters, urging him to be good catholic above all things (…). When the gymnasium had been opened he had heard another voice urging him to be strong and manly and heartily and when the movement towards national revival had begun to be felt in the college yet another voice had bidden him to be true to his country and help to raise up her language and tradition. In the profane world (…) a worldly voice would bid him raise up his father’s fallen state by his labors and, meanwhile, the voice of his school comrades urged to be descent fellow, to shield others from blame or to beg them off and to do his best to get free days for the school” 25 In fact, in front of Stephen‟s parents and country‟s depredation we should rely on children‟s good education in order to challenge the Irish country. Good Irish people however are identified thanks to these socio-educative values which represent some fundamental heap of fuelled cloth in Ireland. It is from that moral conception that a man is respected and honored and honored at the same moment his parents and his country.