Roundabout Possible Explanation of Stephen's Lust

Before Stephen visited the brothels daily, we never really saw much lust. I mean, it was there, but it wasn’t the only thing he thought about. Most of his fantasies were about him being the sad, romantic hero refusing women or brooding in a corner. His fantasies stayed innocent like this because he knew nothing of sexuality. The church refrained from teaching the boys about these things, so when hormones hit Stephen, he had no information to fall back on to explain what was happening. For this reason, I think he definitely made out his lustful thoughts to be more than they actually were. He didn’t really have a history of fantasizing about sex, as we know, Stephen isn’t really a man of action. However, because of how little he knows about what’s happening to him, I think he is under the impression that if he has this one thought or sexual impulse, every thought, every action, anything he does must also be pure lust and sin. Because of Stephen’s lacking education from the church, he overestimated his sin, thought that everything about him was sinful and so became purely lustful and started taking care of the lust he thought he had by visiting prostitutes.

So, in a possibly more coherent way: the church is the reason Stephen visits prostitutes. They did not educate the boys about sexuality so when Stephen matured in that direction he fell back on what he thought he was supposed to do.

The Encounter

As a child, Stephen Dedalus's only contact with women was on school holidays and such. This doesn't change as he grows older; Stephen is constantly enrolled in boys only schools with exclusively male teachers. Because of this isolation from the so called fairer sex, Stephen has an odd relationship with girls. It's not unusual for young boys to be awkward around girls, but Stephen takes the normal awkwardness to a new level. He freezes around girls, never making the first move. Part of this is due to the character Mercedes from The Counte of Monte Cristo who Stephen compares all females to. He is constantly waiting for a mysterious female figure to "encounter" him as Joyce phrases it. To me, encountering means making the first move. Because of this expectation, Stephen doesn't make a move on Emma or any other girls. This is also why his first sexual experience with a prostitute is so significant. He "wandered" into the red district and waited for one of the prostitutes to come to him.

In class, we discussed what Stephen wanted from the prostitute. The way Joyce words it is "embrace" etc. implying that he wants a maternal relationship, but just before this Stephen goes on about his sin and lust . I don't think anyone could change their mind that easily; it's a bit of a stretch to go from lust and longing to wanting a motherly figure. Then there is apparently a holy part of his interaction with the prostitute(s). Stephen is a little obsessed with the Virgin Mary (Mother Mary, etc.) and the way Joyce writes this section implies at least a marginal amount of religiousness by writing about "heads looking heavenward" and such. Then, there is Stephen's ritual after this encounter. Every night Stephen "wanders" to the red district, almost religiously he sticks to this trend. Once in the brothel area he waits again to be encountered, waiting once more for his Mercedes to make an appearance.

I don't see any reason the prostitute couldn't represent all of these things. The woman fulfills all of the needs Stephen needs a woman to fill. The entire experience starts with Stephen being "encountered" fulfilling his fantasy about Mercedes--having a woman make the first move. He has been kept away from his mother during school with no figure to step in and fill that maternal role, so he wants to be held by the woman just like his mother held him to her breast; he just wants to feel safe like he did with his mother. But, this safety is not unaccompanied by other feelings. Stephen is still lustful, and he is able to satisfy this lust with the woman, as well as his fantasy Mercedes. I think the safety and lust and Mercedes are all intertwined. To Stephen, it's not his fault he is lusting after a woman, she encountered him. Stephen perceives a certain amount of safety in this. It is as bad, as unholy, if it's not his fault. And it isn't as sinful if he's the best at sinning, because he is pursuing what he is best at in his mind.