Coming of Age as a Skeptic

In the novel, Brideshead Revisited, one can view the fountain at Brideshead as a symbol of Catholicism. One way people see it this way and connect it to the religion is through the flowing water a fountain contains, that reflects purity. This fountain found on Oxford's campus immediately reminded me of this and I found myself seeing the beauty it in such as Charles does at Brideshead.

Also found on Oxford's campus is the magnificent Christ Church Cathedral. These stained glass windows pertain to the Catholic church, which is the religion Sebastian was raised up in, in the novel. While the cathedral is grand and extravagant, religion proves to be a main force in driving Sebastian away, as it makes him question.

Such as Brideshead, one place we visited being Eltham Palace has a cathedral connected to the house. It was unique for a family to have a cathedral on their property, which shows one insight to how unusual Sebastian's family is, even if they were a high, upper class family. The other interiors of Eltham Palace showed off decor in different rooms from various places around the world, telling a story almost of the coming of age as a traveller.

Our final destination for the week was Hampton Court Palace, which could be related to the vast wealth Sebastian and his family inherit. Much of the architecture here is symmetrical and shows order, as this was a place where royalty once lived at.

The inside of the palace was beautifully painted, but showed the tensions of religion. While Sebastian and the Flytes were Catholic, is was not a dominate religion during this time. Much of the paintings at Hampton Court had a protestant touch with what was depicted and how it was styled. Different religions faced conflict such as Sebastian and Charles struggle and conflict with religion in their own lives.