During these visits to the chapel, Stephen "knelt at his [Stephen's uncle's] side respecting, though he did not share [his uncle's] piety." (72) The resolution of these conflicted emotions toward religion and God is seen in Stephen's penultimate journal entry. In this entry, Stephen announces his desire to embrace his individuality and reject the traditionalist view of religion for a spiritual calling based in art. For the novel as a whole, this resolution is especially important in that it speaks volumes about the work's greater purpose in challenging conventional thought. As A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is largely autobiographical, the denouement seen in Stephen's journal entries also holds great significance for Joyce's own struggles in staying loyal to either religion or his own inner artist. Although "Joyce eliminates much of himself in his characterization of Stephen," (Reynolds 1) Stephen's final rejection of Catholicism can still be easily imagined as an attempt at self-justification by Joyce, who was ridden with guilt over his inability to repent and accept God even on his mother's death bed. .
Furthermore, the journal entries signify a solution to Stephen's wavering feelings towards his father, Simon Dedalus. Throughout the novel, Simon is depicted as a man who seems stuck n a rut, unable to move forward. This causes several problems for the Dedalus family and especially for Stephen, since his father's financial instability and debauchery weigh heavily on the adolescent Stephen's experiences of early life. Simon's failings as a man culminate in Stephen's struggle to move forward in his own life, bogged down by dogmatic and idealistic societal concepts. However, in the closing lines of the novel, Stephen finally frees himself from his father's influence. Stephen also resolves his emotional turmoil toward the family by describing his father endearingly, despite his many faults.
