Relation to Portrait

If Stephen were asked my question, he would probably say yes, it is necessary to throw out morals and ethics for the sake of survival. But in Stephen's experience, he has not had to do so for physical survival, but has forsaken morals to benefit his inner self. Stephen refuses a career with God, because he believes that this moral purity will interfere with his art. Religion and order are founded upon morals and ethics, which Stephen ultimately turns his back on to pursue an independent existence centered around art. Stephen even believes that the morals that society is based upon are detrimental to the health of the public. When observing the flock of birds from the library step, he compares their existence to mankind's. He claims that the birds' way of life is much more beautiful because it has not been tainted with "reason." This reason that human society exudes interferes with the simplicities of nature and the beautiful. Morals, ethics, religion, and reason all are negative qualities to Stephen, as he believes their obstruct his vision of imperfect beauty. To Stephen, following his passion of art is much more important than adhering to a code of morals that society has set, a society that Stephen himself feels alien to.