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Metaphor
Explanation and Analysis—Spiritual Accountant:
Once the men make it to the Catholic retreat, they listen attentively to Father Purdon’s sermon. The priest’s speech centers on metaphorically comparing himself to an accountant, as seen in the following passage:
He told his hearers that he was there that evening for no terrifying, no extravagant purpose; but as a man of the world speaking to his fellow-men. He came to speak to business men and he would speak to them in a businesslike way. If he might use the metaphor, he said, he was their spiritual accountant; and he wished each and every one of his hearers to open his books, the books of his spiritual life, and see if they tallied accurately with conscience.
In this speech, Father Purdon compares himself to “a spiritual accountant” in order to make his teachings relatable to “the business men” in the audience. His metaphor rests on the idea that, like an accountant, he will be going through each congregant’s “books” in order to “tally accurately” what he finds inside. Instead of expenses, he will be looking at their actions and judging them as immoral or not.
This metaphor is significant in that it waters down the relationship between spiritual advisor and advisee to a transactional business-like one. In having the priest use this metaphor, Joyce is highlighting the spiritual bankruptcy of the Catholic Church—rather than encouraging spirituality centered on faith and love, Father Purdon is teaching the attendees of the retreat that their relationship to religion and morality should be purely practical.
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