Rapid Redemption

      Stephen's outlook on the state of his soul goes through a radical and rapid change between parts two and three of chapter three. As we discussed in class, his outlook is incredibly bleak in part two. Not only does he feel that he is damned to Hell, but he feels that his sins of sleeping with prostitutes are so great that he is beyond redemption. This quickly changes on the retreat though.
      Stephen goes up to his dark room after dinner for further self-examination and finds himself fearing the darkness, which represents his soul that he feels will remain dark and sinful forever. However, soon thereafter he considers that "it was bound to come to the light," and his hope for redemption is already on display (97). Stephen also soon demonstrates a maturity in understanding what it will take for him to achieve this redemption. He needs to move beyond "kneeling there like a child saying his evening prayers," and although he does not fully understand what he needs to suffer to attain redemption, his praying to God for strength demonstrates a certain amount of spiritual maturity in that he realizes he needs help (97). He may live life separating himself from his fellow man, but he needs God by his side for the sake of his soul. He opens his consciousness to God, and God's voice drives him towards redemption when Stephen hears "Confess! Confess!" (99). The old Stephen shines through when he considers leaving the chapel without confessing and running into the dark streets, much like he previously avoided truly confronting questions about his sexuality and manhood by sleeping with prostitutes in the dark alleys, but he does not give into temptation this time. He confesses and seemingly pulls a 180 degree turn in the state of his spirituality as compared to part two. He refers to his own heart as "purified," and in stark contrast with his earlier fears of never overcoming his sin he emphatically declares that "the past [is] past," and that he is now living "a life of grace and virtue and happiness" (104).
      This complete redemption seems to come a little too quickly and easily, but this may simply speak to Stephen's impressionability and the awesome affect that the retreat and the priests' words have on him. One question we might ask is what drives Stephen's redemption: legitimate desire to be good or fear of condemnation? Because he was previously so resigned to condemnation and because the disgust he develops over his sins seems so genuine, the former would seem to be the more convincing answer. On the other hand, his imaginations of Hell are so vivid that he actually becomes physically ill, so the argument could certainly be made that his intense fear of Hell drives him to seek redemption. Does fear or legitimate desire to be good drive the young artist towards his redemption?