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Father Arnall appears in two separate settings throughout the novel, first as Stephen’s Latin teacher at Clongowes and then as a guest lecturer at Belvedere. In both spaces, he presents himself as a stern, by-the-book figurehead who demands excellence of his students. Stephen sees Father Arnall as a particularly powerful figure given his occupation as a priest, and he quickly learns to take his words very seriously. When Stephen’s classmate Fleming fails to produce adequate work in Latin class, for example, Father Arnall publicly ridicules him. He may not be the one who physically punishes the students, but the fact that he does nothing to stop the prefect of studies from pandying Fleming or Stephen implies that he condones such behavior. This moment leads Stephen to question the presumed goodness of church leaders, igniting a concern that will remain with him throughout the rest of the novel.
Even more importantly, however, is the role that Father Arnall plays in pushing Stehpen toward a life of intense religious devotion. He arrives at Stephen’s new school to give a series of sermons as part of a three-day retreat to honor Saint Xavier, and the intense, graphic nature of these sermons evokes fear and guilt in Stephen. Having recently engaged with prostitutes, Father Arnall’s discussions of death, hell, and physical and spiritual torture convince Stephen that he will face eternal suffering for his sins. His descriptions are so vivid, drawing on all five senses, that Stephen imagines his own death and destruction in hell. While the limited narrative perspective of the novel prevents the reader from knowing why Father Arnall delivers his sermons in this way, their impact is undeniable. Stephen changes course and begins to explore life through a strict spiritual practice, and although he eventually abandons it, that experience inevitably shapes how he perceives the institution of religion.
