Abstract: Centering on a sentence in Chapter 7 of James Joyce’ aus Finnegans Wake, readers could develop their imagination by interpreting its ambiguous words creatively. And, they could conceive the relationship between James Joyce and Catholic Church, especially Jesuits, based on the facts of Joyce’s life and works. Jesuits did play an important role in Joyce’s adolescent period, and this influence sustained a life-long time. But put in the perspective of his life and works, the influence is a double-edged sword. Meanwhile, Joyce’s opinion on religion changed with his age, becoming calmer and more objective. Finally, Joyce, being loyal to his soul, uses religion as a grindstone, honing his art into eternity.  

Key words: James Joyce; Catholicism; the Society of Jesus; Finnegans Wake

Zhang Zhichao is a Ph.D candidate of World Literature at Nanjing Normal University, China. His research interest is English Literature, particularly on Joycean Study. He published “Stephen’s Aesthetics and Joyce’s Irony” (2015), “Hamlet: ‘the Other’ Under Micro-Power” (2013) and “The image of The Dead: Contradiction and Unity” (2013).