One specific part of Portrait comes to mind when thinking of religion. When Stephen is listening to a lecture about hell, including many images similar to Dante's Inferno, his fear is heightened due to the graphic images of hell that the preacher conveys. Stephen then proceeds to have his own dream about hell, a much more vivid and personal experience. Stephen realizes that he is doomed to hell, a physical and spiritual torture. I think this is one of the most important ideas, even today; people should not be afraid of their religion, they should do things, such as living a moral life, because they want to, not because they are afraid of being doomed to some idealistic, torturous place.
Stephen also endures many struggles between choosing religion and choosing women. He gets with a prostitue and then later feels guilty and dedicates his life to the church. He realizes that he cannot be a priest and has an epiphany when he sees a girl in the ocean. Stephen understands that he should not ignore his sensuality, it is a natural part of human life.
While we may not all grow into artists like Stephen does, the important message in this book pertaining to my big question is to find a happy medium where you are doing what you like because you want to do it. Whether its womanizing or being a priest, you must do what makes you happy and not fear consequences.
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