Stephen's Epiphany

Although I do agree with Kathryn in that Stephen appears to have many realizations during the last chapter of this novel, I think the main epiphany Stephen has is to chose art over religion. He goes on a rant about how the soul "has a slow and dark birth, more mysterious than the birth of the body" (182). He believes that the soul is unable to fly completely due to different "nets" than get in its way, such as language, nationality, and religion, all of which Stephen wants to overcome and conquer. He realizes that he can truly express himself through interpretation of art, therefore he chooses art over religion. Also, in a conversation with Cranly towards the end of the chapter, Stephen admits that he "tried to love God"by "tr[ying] to unite [his] will with the will of God instant by instant" (217) but he eventually failed and gave up. Also, in a way, Stephen also finds his independence and realizes he does not need to rely on anyone but himself. He is no longer afraid to "make a mistake, even a great mistake, a lifelong mistake and perhaps as long as eternity too" (223). He is willing to take the risk of having no one by his side, standing alone, following his own beliefs and morals. Essentially, by abandoning his religion for art and a life of independence, Stephen is happy.