Self-Discovery and Authenticity

Ernest's journey is one of shedding inherited beliefs and social pretenses to discover his true self, culminating in his rejection of the clergy and his embrace of a simpler, more honest life as a writer and shopkeeper.

The contrast between George Pontifex's affected diary and Ernest's simple, honest remark about the Great St. Bernard highlights the theme of authentic versus inauthentic experience.

Theobald's awkwardness and lack of experience with women reflect his struggle to understand himself and his desires, as he is thrust into a social role he is ill-prepared for.

The narrator reflects that every man's work is a portrait of himself, and that Theobald's church rebuilding reveals his character despite his attempts to conceal it.

Ernest's painful introspection reveals his struggle to understand his own identity and worth, as he grapples with feelings of inadequacy and a sense of being fundamentally different from the adults around him.