Chapter Three

Helpful information for following images and themes can be found  at Pink Monkey's Story Summary  (Barron's Book Notes).

How can you relate the action of this chapter to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice?

Study Questions for Chapter Three:

1. Much of this chapter  is taken up with Father Arnall's excruciatingly detailed fire-and-brimstone sermons about the perils of sin and the physical and spiritual torments of the damned. What effect do the sermons have on Stephen as he listens to them? In what sense is his response purely conventional?

2. The narrative describes Stephen's thoughts and actions after the sermons have ended, culminating in his confession of sins to a priest. What is the psychological effect of the confession?

Following are helpful definitions for some troubling phrases and vocabulary in Chapter Three:

his scribbler—his notebook.

Shelley's fragment the reference is to Shelley's unfinished poem "To the Moon:'

sinned mortally-- to commit a mortal sin, one must be fully aware that a sin is being committed; knowingly and willingly acting against the laws of God.

grace-- the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God; the condition of being in God's favor.

surd-- an irrational number; the root of an integer.

Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary--a religious association formed by the Jesuit order and based on Loyola's devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Stephen is the administrative leader (prefect) of this organization, which performs charitable works and meets on Saturday mornings for prayers in honor of the Virgin Mary.

Quasi cedrus exalta sum . . . odoris.-- I was exalted just as the cedars of Lebanon and the cypress trees of Mount Zion. I was exalted just as the palms in Cadiz (Spain) and as the roses in Jericho. I was exalted just as the beautiful olives on the plains and the plane trees that grow alongside the streams. Just as I gave forth the strong fragrance of cinnamon and the balsam tree, I also gave forth the sweet fragrance of the choicest myrrh.

  Sums and cuts—the teacher has assigned the next problems to be done.

  Ennis, who had gone to the yard—Ennis had gone to the urinal

  We can scut the whole hour— we have the next hour free

Catechism—a series of questions and answers containing the summing up and the key principles of Catholicism

Emma—the reference is to Emma Clery, the young girl to whom Stephen has written several poems, much as Dante did to Beatrice

Hanged upon a gibbet—a strange, seemingly vernacular description of the Crucifixion; perhaps Father Arnall is using the phrase to impress upon the boys the fact that Christ was executed “like a common criminal.”

In a blue funk—to be in a state of terror; in American slang, one could say that Father Arnall was trying to scare the boys out of their wits

Saint Thomas—Saint Thomas Aquinas; thirteenth-century monk, theologian, and philosopher. His works summarize all that is known about God by evidence of reasoning and faith and server as the cornerstone of the Roman Catholic faith.  Stephen develops his own aesthetic theory from the ideas of Aquinas and Aristotle.

Venial sin—a minor sin, committed without full understanding of its seriousness or without full consent of the will.

He repeated the act of contrition—Stephen is repeating the traditional prayer of repentant sinners, vowing nevermore to sin.

His angel guardian— every baptized Roman Catholic has a personal guardian angel.

The ciborium—the container for the consecrated wafers

Corpus Domini nostri—the Body of our Lord; the words spoken before serving the Host, or wafer, during communion

In vitam eternam. Amen.—into eternal life. So be it.