Joyce vs Gandhi

I find the differences between these two books to be very interesting. One is an actual autobiography, the other is loosely autobiographical. Both Gandhi and Joyce have to experiment with “sin” or experiment with acts that go against the religious/philosophical beliefs held by either themselves or those of their family members. With Joyce’s Stephen Dedalus, we see a young man seeking out prostitutes. Dedalus then throws himself back into Catholicism to the point that he is on the verge of taking orders and joining the priesthood. But then he rejects the priesthood in order to start living the life of an artist, which seems to him to be the only way that truth is really attained. Gandhi, on the other hand, is a vegetarian, but begins to experiment with eating meat. He then rejects meat eating and returns fervently to vegetarianism, which seems to him to be part of living a truthful life.

First off, it’s interesting to see this notion played out in literature that one must experiment with “sin” in order to come out on the other side with some “hidden knowledge” that they lacked before, or some new attitude. Secondly, it’s just crazy how differently these men “experiment”. One turned to meat, the other turned to prostitutes. But they were both on a quest for something to call their ultimate truth. But isn’t truth a relative term? I mean, what is truth to me, may not necessarily be truth to someone else.