Adult Conversations 101

                The argument between Mr. Casey, Mr. Dedalus, and Dante during the Christmas dinner helps to reveal Stephen’s development and characteristics. The whole novel appears to be told from the perspective of Stephen and is comprised of his own thoughts and observations.

                This dinner “was [Stephen’s] first Christmas dinner and he thought of his little brothers and sisters who were waiting in the nursery” (26). This is the first time Stephen is dining with the adults, instead of with the other children. Stephen hears the whole conversation regarding the clash between religion and politics firsthand. Interestingly, all the dialogue in the novel up to this point uses dashes, instead of the more commonly utilized quotation marks in order to show exact words.

                Prior to this point, Stephen had always referred to his father using the word father. However, as his father speaks about politics, he refers to him as “Mr. Dedalus.” However, as Dante defends the Catholic religion, he continues to call her “Dante.” Only at one point does Stephen refer to Dante as “Mrs. Riordan,” when she appears to be quoting on page 27 (It seems that she is quoting Matthew 18). Throughout the whole discussion, he always refers to Mr. Casey as “Mr. Casey.” The more formal addressing to his father and Mr. Casey implies that he does not quite understand the current state of politics in Ireland, while his continued use of Dante shows that he instead empathizes with her view of religion. He states that “Dante must be right,” showing that he has more knowledge regarding religion, due to his Catholic schooling, than about the political events happening in Ireland at the time (30). The one time he refers to her as Mrs. Riordan is during her quoting, and therefore shows that he does not understand the meaning of the passage. Stephen finally refers to his father as “father” when “he saw that his father’s eyes were full of tears” (34). Although Stephen does not understand the political side of the conversation and sides with Dante’s religious side, he does understand what crying is. Crying, an emotional response to a saddening event, is something Stephen has experienced before, and can therefore empathize with his father, understanding that he must be feeling depressed.

                Stephen’s use of honorific titles towards his father and Mr. Casey show his lack of understanding regarding their conversation. However, his continual use of Dante shows how he agrees with her views. I believe that as the novel progresses, Stephen’s utilization of language will change in order to reflect his thoughts, beliefs, and understandings.