Ulysses- James Joyce

Key Facts
type of work Novel
genre Modernist novel; comic novel; quest novel
language English
time and place written Trieste, Italy; urich, !wit"erland; #aris; $%$&'$%($
date of first pu)lication Individual episodes were pu)lished serially starting in $%$*; as a novel, it was
first pu)lished in $%((
pu)lisher +irst serially in The ,ittle -eview; as a novel )y !hakespeare . /ompany
narrator Episodes 0ne, Two, +our'Twelve, !i1teen, and !eventeen feature anonymous narrators2
Episode Three features !tephen3s thoughts2 Episode Thirteen features an amalgamation of anonymous
narrator, 4erty Mac5owell, and 6loom2 Episode +ourteen features a variety of narrators, meant to )e
representative of the prose styles of historical English authors2 Episode +ifteen has no narrator2 Molly
6loom is the first7person narrator of Episode Eighteen2
point of view Episodes 0ne, Two, +our'Eleven, !i1teen, and !eventeen are told from the third7person
viewpoint2 Episode Three features interior monologue2 Episode Twelve is told from the first7person2
Episode Thirteen is told from the third and first person2 Episode +ourteen is told variously in the third
person and first7person2 Episode +ifteen is in play7script form2 Episode Eighteen features an interior
monologue2
tone The narratives of Episodes 0ne through Eight have a straightforward tone2 Episodes Nine through
Eleven have a self7conscious, playful tone2 Episode Twelve has a hyper)olic, )elligerent tone2 Episode
Thirteen has a sentimental tone2 Episode +ourteen has an e1treme variety of tones, including pious,
sensational, and satiric2 Episode +ifteen has no narrator and therefore no dominant narrative tone2 Episode
!i1teen has a tired tone2 Episode !eventeen has a scientific tone2
tense #resent
setting 8time9 *:;; <2M2, =une $>, $%;&'appro1imately ? <2M2, =une $@, $%;&
setting 8place9 5u)lin, Ireland, and its surrounding su)ur)s
protagonist !tephen 5edalus, ,eopold 6loom, Molly 6loom
maAor conflict Molly 6loom3s infidelity with 6la"es 6oylan; !tephen 5edalus3s search for a sym)olic
father; ,eopold 6loom3s desire for a son 8his only son died eleven years ago several days after his )irth9
rising action 6loom leaves his house for the day, sees 6la"es 6oylan on the street several times, and
)ecomes an1ious a)out 6la"es and Molly3s four o3clock rende"vous2 6loom is convinced they are going
1
to have se12 !tephen and 6loom go a)out their day2 They pass )y each other several times and
coincidentally meet at Bolles !t2 Maternity Bospital2
clima1 The first clima1 could )e when 6loom looks after !tephen during !tephen3s argument with
#rivate /arr 8at the end of Episode +ifteen92 The second clima1 is 6loom3s return home to his )edroom to
discover evidence of Molly3s infidelity and to mentally overcome the threat of 6la"es 6oylan 8Episode
!eventeen92
falling action 6loom and !tephen rest at a ca)man3s shelter 8Episode !i1teen9, then return to the 6loom
residence and have cocoa and talk 8Episode !eventeen92 6loom tells Molly a)out his day and asks her to
serve him )reakfast in )ed 8Episode !eventeen92 Molly lies awake considering the events of the day and a
happy memory from her and 6loom3s past2
themes The quest for paternity; the remorse of conscience; compassion as heroic; paralla1 or the
necessity of multiple perspectives
motifs ,ightness and darkness; the home usurped; the East
sym)ols #lumtree3s #otted Meat; the 4old /up horserace; !tephen3s ,atin Cuarter hat; 6loom3s potato
talisman
foreshadowing !tephen3s and 6loom3s compati)le dreams set in an Eastern marketplace street
Context
=oyce )egan writing Dlysses in $%$&, and when Eorld Ear I )roke out he moved his family to urich,
!wit"erland, where he continued work on the novel2 In urich, =oyce3s fortunes finally improved as his
talent attracted several wealthy patrons, including Barriet !haw Eeaver2 #ortrait was pu)lished in )ook
form in $%$>, and =oyce3s play, E1iles, in $%$*2 <lso in $%$*, the first episodes of Dlysses were pu)lished
in serial form in The ,ittle -eview2 In $%$%, the =oyces moved to #aris, where Dlysses was pu)lished in
)ook form in $%((2 In $%(?, with his eyesight quickly diminishing, =oyce )egan working on what )ecame
+innegans Eake, pu)lished in $%?%2 =oyce died in $%&$2
=oyce first conceived of Dlysses as a short story to )e included in 5u)liners, )ut decided instead to
pu)lish it as a long novel, situated as a sort of sequel to < #ortrait of the <rtist as a Foung Man2 Dlysses
picks up !tephen 5edalus3s life more than a year after where #ortrait leaves off2 The novel introduces two
new main characters, ,eopold and Molly 6loom, and takes place on a single day, =une $>, $%;&, in
5u)lin2
Dlysses strives to achieve a kind of realism unlike that of any novel )efore it )y rendering the thoughts
and actions of its main charactersG )oth trivial and significantGin a scattered and fragmented form
similar to the way thoughts, perceptions, and memories actually appear in our minds2 In 5u)liners, =oyce
had tried to give his stories a heightened sense of realism )y incorporating real people and places into
them, and he pursues the same strategy on a massive scale in Dlysses2 <t the same time that Dlysses
presents itself as a realistic novel, it also works on a mythic level, )y way of a series of parallels with
2
Bomer3s 0dyssey2 !tephen, 6loom, and Molly correspond respectively to Telemachus, Dlysses, and
#enelope, and each of the eighteen episodes of the novel corresponds to an adventure from the 0dyssey2
Dlysses has )ecome particularly famous for =oyce3s stylistic innovations2 In #ortrait, =oyce first attempted
the technique of interior monologue, or stream7of7consciousness2 Be also e1perimented with shifting style
Gthe narrative voice of #ortrait changes stylistically as !tephen matures2 In Dlysses, =oyce uses interior
monologue e1tensively, and instead of employing one narrative voice, =oyce radically shifts narrative
style with each new episode of the novel2
=oyce3s early work reveals the stylistic influence of Norwegian playwright Benrik I)sen2 =oyce )egan
reading I)sen as a young man; his first pu)lication was an article a)out a play of I)sen3s, which earned
him a letter of appreciation from I)sen himself2 I)sen3s plays provided the young =oyce with a model of
the realistic depiction of individuals stifled )y conventional moral values2 =oyce imitated I)sen3s
naturalistic )rand of realism in 5u)liners, < #ortrait of the <rtist as a Foung Man, and especially in his
play E1iles2 Dlysses maintains =oyce3s concern with realism )ut also introduces stylistic innovations
similar to those of his Mo7dernist contemporaries2 Dlysses3s multivoiced narration, te1tual self7
consciousness, mythic framework, and thematic focus on life in a modern metropolis situate it close to
other main te1ts of the Modernist movement, such as T2 !2 Eliot3s mythic poem The Easte ,and 8also
pu)lished in $%((9 or Hirginia Eoolf3s stream7of7consciousness novel, Mrs2 5alloway 8$%(I92
Though never working in colla)oration, =oyce maintained correspondences with other Modernist writers,
including !amuel 6eckett, and E"ra #ound, who helped find him a patron and an income2 =oyce3s final
work, +innegans Eake, is often seen as )ridging the gap )etween Modernism and postmodernism2 <
novel only in the loosest sense, +innegans Eake looks forward to postmodern te1ts in its playful
cele)ration 8rather than lamentation9 of the fragmentation of e1perience and the decentered nature of
identity, as well as its attention to the nontransparent qualities of language2
,ike Eliot and many other Modernist writers, =oyce wrote in self7imposed e1ile in cosmopolitan Europe2
In spite of this fact, all of his work is strongly tied to Irish political and cultural history, and Dlysses must
also )e seen in an Irish conte1t2 =oyce3s novel was written during the years of the Irish )id for
independence from 6ritain2 <fter a )loody civil war, the Irish +ree !tate was officially formedGduring
the same year that Dlysses was pu)lished2 Even in $%;&, Ireland had e1perienced the failure of several
home rule )ills that would have granted the island a measure of political independence within 4reat
6ritain2 The failure of these )ills is linked to the downfall of the Irish mem)er of #arliament, /harles
!tewart #arnell, who was once referred to as JIreland3s Dncrowned King,L and was pu)licly persecuted
)y the Irish church and people in $**% for conducting a long7term affair with a married woman, Kitty
03!hea2 =oyce saw this persecution as an hypocritical )etrayal )y the Irish that ruined Ireland3s chances
for a peaceful independence2
<ccordingly, Dlysses depicts the Irish citi"ens of $%;&, especially !tephen 5edalus, as involved in
tangled conceptions of their own Irishness, and comple1 relationships with various authorities and
institutions specific to their time and place: the 6ritish empire, Irish nationalism, the -oman /atholic
church, and the Irish ,iterary -evival2
Plot Overview
3
!tephen 5edalus spends the early morning hours of =une $>, $%;&, remaining aloof from his mocking
friend, 6uck Mulligan, and 6uck3s English acquaintance, Baines2 <s !tephen leaves for work, 6uck
orders him to leave the house key and meet them at the pu) at $(:?;2 !tephen resents 6uck2 <round $;:;;
<2M2, !tephen teaches a history lesson to his class at 4arrett 5easy3s )oys3 school2 <fter class, !tephen
meets with 5easy to receive his wages2 The narrow7minded and preAudiced 5easy lectures !tephen on
life2 !tephen agrees to take 5easy3s editorial letter a)out cattle disease to acquaintances at the newspaper2
!tephen spends the remainder of his morning walking alone on !andymount !trand, thinking critically
a)out his younger self and a)out perception2 Be composes a poem in his head and writes it down on a
scrap torn from 5easy3s letter2
<t *:;; <2M2 the same morning, ,eopold 6loom fi1es )reakfast and )rings his wife her mail and
)reakfast in )ed2 0ne of her letters is from Molly3s concert tour manager, 6la"es 6oylan 86loom suspects
he is also Molly3s lover9G6oylan will visit at &:;; this afternoon2 6loom returns downstairs, reads a
letter from their daughter, Milly, then goes to the outhouse2
<t $;:;; <2M2, 6loom picks up an amorous letter from the post officeGhe is corresponding with a
woman named Martha /lifford under the pseudonym Benry +lower2 Be reads the tepid letter, ducks
)riefly into a church, then orders Molly3s lotion from the pharmacist2 Be runs into 6antam ,yons, who
mistakenly gets the impression that 6loom is giving him a tip on the horse Throwaway in the afternoon3s
4old /up race2
<round $$:;; <2M2, 6loom rides with !imon 5edalus 8!tephen3s father9, Martin /unningham, and =ack
#ower to the funeral of #addy 5ignam2 The men treat 6loom as somewhat of an outsider2 <t the funeral,
6loom thinks a)out the deaths of his son and his father2 <t noon, we find 6loom at the offices of the
+reeman newspaper, negotiating an advertisement for Keyes, a liquor merchant2 !everal idle men,
including editor Myles /rawford, are hanging around in the office, discussing political speeches2 6loom
leaves to secure the ad2 !tephen arrives at the newspaper with 5easy3s letter2 !tephen and the other men
leave for the pu) Aust as 6loom is returning2 6loom3s ad negotiation is reAected )y /rawford on his way
out2
<t $:;; #2M2, 6loom runs into =osie 6reen, an old flame, and they discuss Mina #urefoy, who is in la)or
at the maternity hospital2 6loom stops in 6urton3s restaurant, )ut he decides to move on to 5avy 6yrne3s
for a light lunch2 6loom reminisces a)out an intimate afternoon with Molly on Bowth2 6loom leaves and
is walking toward the National ,i)rary when he spots 6oylan on the street and ducks into the National
Museum2
<t (:;; #2M2, !tephen is informally presenting his JBamlet theoryL in the National ,i)rary to the poet
<2E2 and the li)rarians =ohn Eglinton, 6est, and ,yster2 <2E2 is dismissive of !tephen3s theory and leaves2
6uck enters and Aokingly scolds !tephen for failing to meet him and Baines at the pu)2 0n the way out,
6uck and !tephen pass 6loom, who has come to o)tain a copy of Keyes3 ad2
<t &:;; #2M2, !imon 5edalus, 6en 5ollard, ,enehan, and 6la"es 6oylan converge at the 0rmond Botel
)ar2 6loom notices 6oylan3s car outside and decides to watch him2 6oylan soon leaves for his
appointment with Molly, and 6loom sits morosely in the 0rmond restaurantGhe is )riefly mollified )y
5edalus3s and 5ollard3s singing2 6loom writes )ack to Martha, then leaves to post the letter2
4
<t I:;; #2M2, 6loom arrives at 6arney Kiernan3s pu) to meet Martin /unningham a)out the 5ignam
family finances, )ut /unningham has not yet arrived2 The citi"en, a )elligerent Irish nationalist, )ecomes
increasingly drunk and )egins attacking 6loom3s =ewishness2 6loom stands up to the citi"en, speaking in
favor of peace and love over 1enopho)ic violence2 6loom and the citi"en have an altercation on the street
)efore /unningham3s carriage carries 6loom away2
6loom rela1es on !andymount !trand around sunset, after his visit to Mrs2 5ignam3s house near)y2 <
young woman, 4erty Mac5owell, notices 6loom watching her from across the )each2 4erty su)tly
reveals more and more of her legs while 6loom surreptitiously mastur)ates2 4erty leaves, and 6loom
do"es2
<t $;:;; #2M2, 6loom wanders to the maternity hospital to check on Mina #urefoy2 <lso at the hospital
are !tephen and several of his medi7c7al student friends, drinking and talking )oisterously a)out su)Aects
related to )irth2 6loom agrees to Aoin them, though he privately disapproves of their revelry in light of
Mrs2 #urefoy3s struggles upstairs2 6uck arrives, and the men proceed to 6urke3s pu)2 <t closing time,
!tephen convinces his friend ,ynch to go to the )rothel section of town and 6loom follows, feeling
protective2
6loom finally locates !tephen and ,ynch at 6ella /ohen3s )rothel2 !tephen is drunk and imagines that he
sees the ghost of his motherGfull of rage, he shatters a lamp with his walking stick2 6loom runs after
!tephen and finds him in an argument with a 6ritish soldier who knocks him out2
6loom revives !tephen and takes him for coffee at a ca)man3s shelter to so)er up2 6loom invites !tephen
)ack to his house2 Eell after midnight, !tephen and 6loom arrive )ack at 6loom3s house2 They drink
cocoa and talk a)out their respective )ackgrounds2 6loom asks !tephen to stay the night2 !tephen politely
refuses2 6loom sees him out and comes )ack in to find evidence of 6oylan3s visit2 !till, 6loom is at peace
with the world and he clim)s into )ed, tells Molly of his day and requests )reakfast in )ed2 <fter 6loom
falls asleep, Molly remains awake, surprised )y 6loom3s request for )reakfast in )ed2 Ber mind wanders
to her childhood in 4i)raltar, her afternoon of se1 with 6oylan, her singing career, !tephen 5edalus2 Ber
thoughts of 6loom vary wildly over the course of the monologue, )ut it ends with a reminiscence of their
intimate moment at Bowth and a positive affirmation2
Character List
,eopold 6loom 7 < thirty7eight7year7old advertising canvasser in 5u)lin2 6loom was raised in 5u)lin )y
his Bungarian =ewish father, -udolph, and his Irish /atholic mother, Ellen2 Be enAoys reading and
thinking a)out science and inventions and e1plaining his knowledge to others2 6loom is compassionate
and curious and loves music2 Be is preoccupied )y his estrangement from his wife, Molly2
Marion 8Molly9 6loom 7 ,eopold 6loom3s wife2 Molly 6loom is thirty7three years old, plump with dark
coloring, good7looking, and flirtatious2 !he is not well7educated, )ut she is nevertheless clever and
opinionated2 !he is a professional singer, raised )y her Irish father, MaAor 6rian Tweedy, in 4i)raltar2
Molly is impatient with 6loom, especially a)out his refusal to )e intimate with her since the death of their
son, -udy, eleven years ago2
5
!tephen 5edalus 7 <n aspiring poet in his early twenties2 !tephen is intelligent and e1tremely well7read,
and he likes music2 Be seems to e1ist more for himself, in a cere)ral way, than as a mem)er of a
community or even the group of medical students that he associates with2 !tephen was e1tremely
religious as a child, )ut now he struggles with issues of faith and dou)t in the wake of his mother3s death,
which occurred less than a year ago2
Malachi 86uck9 Mulligan 7 < medical student and a friend of !tephen2 6uck Mulligan is plump and well7
read, and manages to ridicule nearly everything2 Be is well7liked )y nearly everyone for his )awdy and
witty Aokes e1cept !tephen, !imon, and 6loom2
Baines 7 < folklore student at 01ford who is particularly interested in studying Irish people and culture2
Baines is often unwittingly condescending2 Be has )een staying at the Martello tower where !tephen and
6uck live2
Bugh 8J6la"esL9 6oylan 7 The manager for Molly3s upcoming concert in 6elfast2 6la"es 6oylan is well7
known and well7liked around town, though he seems somewhat slea"y, especially toward women2 6oylan
has )ecome interested in Molly, and they commence an affair during the afternoon of the novel2
Millicent 8Milly9 6loom 7 Molly and ,eopold 6loom3s fifteen7year7old daughter, who does not actually
appear in Dlysses2 The 6looms recently sent Milly to live in Mullingar and learn photography2 Milly is
)lond and pretty and has )ecome interested in )oysGshe is dating <lec 6annon in Mullingar2
!imon 5edalus 7 !tephen 5edalus3s father2 !imon 5edalus grew up in /ork, moved to 5u)lin, and was a
fairly successful man until recently2 0ther men look up to him, even though his home life has )een in
disarray since his wife died2 !imon has a good singing voice and a talent for funny stories, and he might
have capitali"ed on these assets if not for his drinking ha)it2 !imon is e1tremely critical of !tephen2
<2E2 84eorge -ussell9 7 <2E2 is the pseudonym of 4eorge -ussell, a famous poet of the Irish ,iterary
-evival who is at the center of Irish literary circlesGcircles that do not include !tephen 5edalus2 Be is
deeply interested in esoteric mysticism2 0ther men consult <2E2 for wisdom as if he were an oracle2
-ichard 6est 7 < li)rarian at the National ,i)rary2 6est is enthusiastic and agreea)le, though most of his
own contri)utions to the Bamlet conversation in Episode Nine are points of received wisdom2
Edy 6oardman 7 0ne of 4erty Mac5owell3s friends2 4erty3s uppity demeanor annoys Edy, who attempts
to deflate 4erty with Ai)es2
=osie 8nMe #owell9 and 5enis 6reen 7 =osie #owell and 6loom were interested in each other when they
were younger2 =osie was good7looking and flirtatious2 <fter 6loom married Molly, =osie married 5enis2
5enis 6reen is slightly insane and seems paranoid2 ,ooking after her JdottyL hus)and has taken its toll on
=osie, who now seems haggard2
/issy, =acky, and Tommy /affrey 7 /issy /affrey is one of 4erty Mac5owell3s )est friends2 !he is
something of a tom)oy and quite frank2 !he looks after her younger toddler )rothers, =acky and Tommy2
The citi"en 7 <n older Irish patriot who champions the Nationalist cause2 Though the citi"en seems to
work for the cause in no official capacity, others look to him for news and opinions2 Be was formerly an
athlete in Irish sports2 Be is )elligerent and 1enopho)ic2
6
Martha /lifford 7 < woman with whom 6loom corresponds under the pseudonym Benry +lower2
Martha3s letters are strewn with spelling mistakes, and she is se1ually daring in only a pedestrian way2
6ella /ohen 7 < conniving )rothel7mistress2 6ella /ohen is large and slightly mannish, with dark
coloring2 !he is somewhat concerned a)out respecta)ility, and has a son at 01ford, whose tuition is paid
)y one of her customers2
Martin /unningham 7 < leader among 6loom3s circle of friends2 Martin /unningham can )e sympathetic
toward others, and he sticks up for 6loom at various points during the day, yet he still treats 6loom as an
outsider2 Be has a face that resem)les !hakespeare3s2
4arrett 5easy 7 Beadmaster of the )oys3 school where !tephen teaches2 5easy is a #rotestant from the
north of Ireland, and he is respectful of the English government2 5easy is condescending to !tephen and
not a good listener2 Bis overwrought letter to the editor a)out foot7and7mouth disease among cattle is the
o)Aect of mockery among 5u)lin men for the rest of the day2
5illy, Katey, 6oody, and Maggy 5edalus 7 !tephen3s younger sisters2 They try to keep the 5edalus
household running after their mother3s death2 5illy seems to have aspirations, such as learning +rench2
#atrick 5ignam, Mrs2 5ignam, and #atrick 5ignam, =r2 7 #atrick 5ignam is an acquaintance of 6loom
who passed away very recently, apparently from drinking2 Bis funeral is today, and 6loom and others get
together to raise some money for the widow 5ignam and her children, who were left with almost nothing
after #addy used his life insurance to pay off a de)t2
6en 5ollard 7 < man known around 5u)lin for his superior )ass voice2 6en 5ollard3s )usiness and career
went under a while ago2 Be seems good7natured )ut is perhaps rattled )y a past drinking ha)it2
=ohn Eglinton 7 <n essayist who spends time at the National ,i)rary2 =ohn Eglinton is affronted )y
!tephen3s youthful self7confidence and dou)tful of !tephen3s Bamlet theory2
-ichie, !ara 8!ally9, and Ealter 4oulding 7 -ichie 4oulding is !tephen 5edalus3s uncle; he was
!tephen3s mother, May3s, )rother2 -ichie is a law clerk, who has )een less a)le to work recently )ecause
of a )ad )ackGa fact that makes him an o)Aect of ridicule for !imon 5edalus2 -ichie and !ara3s son,
Ealter, is JskeweyedL and has a stutter2
oe Biggins 7 < prostitute in 6ella /ohen3s )rothel2 oe is outgoing and good at teasing2
=oe Bynes 7 < reporter for the 5u)lin newspaper who seems to )e without money oftenGhe )orrowed
three pounds from 6loom and has not paid him )ack2 Bynes does not know 6loom well, and he appears
to )e good friends with the citi"en in Episode Twelve2
/orny Kelleher 7 <n undertaker3s assistant who is friendly with the police2
Mina Kennedy and ,ydia 5ouce 7 The )armaids at the 0rmond hotel2 Mina and ,ydia are flirtatious and
friendly to the men who come into the )ar, though they tend to )e scornful of the opposite se1 when they
talk together2 Miss 5ouce, who is )ron"e7haired, seems to )e the more outgoing of the two, and she has a
crush on 6la"es 6oylan2 Miss Kennedy, who is golden7haired, is more reserved2
7
Ned ,am)ert 7 < friend of !imon 5edalus and other men in 5u)lin2 Ned ,am)ert is often found Aoking
and laughing2 Be works in a seed and grain warehouse downtown, in what used to )e !t2 Mary3s <))ey2
,enehan 7 < racing editor at the 5u)lin newspaper, though his tip, !ceptre, loses the 4old /up horserace2
,enehan is a Aokester and flirtatious with women2 Be is mocking of 6loom )ut respectful of !imon and
!tephen 5edalus2
,ynch 7 < medical student and old friend of !tephen 8he also appears in < #ortrait of the <rtist as a
Foung Man92 ,ynch is used to hearing !tephen3s pretentious and overwhelming aesthetic theories, and he
is familiar with !tephen3s stu))ornness2 Be is seeing Kitty -icketts2
Thomas E2 ,yster 7 < li)rarian at the National ,i)rary in 5u)lin, and a Cuaker2 ,yster is the most
solicitous of !tephen3s listeners in Episode Nine2
4erty Mac5owell 7 < woman in her early twenties from a lower7middle7class family2 4erty suffers from
a permanent limp, possi)ly from a )icycle accident2 !he fastidiously attends to her clothing and personal
)eauty regimen, and she hopes to fall in love and marry2 !he rarely allows herself to think a)out her
disa)ility2
=ohn Benry Menton 7 < solicitor in 5u)lin who employed #addy 5ignam2 Ehen 6loom and Molly were
first courting, Menton was a rival for Molly3s affections2 Be is disdainful of 6loom2
Episode Twelve3s Nameless Narrator 7 The unnamed narrator of Episode Twelve is currently a de)t
collector, though this is the most recent of many different Ao)s2 Be enAoys feeling like he is Jin the knowL
and has gotten most of his gossip a)out the 6looms from his friend J#isserL 6urke, who knew them when
they lived at the /ity <rms Botel2
/ity /ouncillor Nannetti 7 < head printer for the 5u)lin newspaper, and a mem)er of #arliament2
Nannetti is of mi1ed Italian and Irish heritage2
=2 =2 03Molloy 7 < lawyer who is now out of work and money2 03Molloy is thwarted in his attempts to
)orrow money from friends today2 Be sticks up for 6loom in 6arney Kiernan3s pu) in Episode Twelve2
=ack #ower 7 < friend of !imon 5edalus and Martin /unningham and other men around town2 #ower
possi)ly works in law enforcement2 Be is not very nice to 6loom2
Kitty -icketts 7 0ne of the prostitutes working in 6ella /ohen3s )rothel2 Kitty seems to have a
relationship with ,ynch and has spent part of the day with him2 !he is thin, and her clothing reflects her
upper7class aspirations2
+lorry Tal)ot 7 0ne of the prostitutes in 6ella /ohen3s )rothel2 +lorry is plump and seems slow )ut eager
to please2
Analysis of Major Characters
,eopold 6loom
8
,eopold 6loom functions as a sort of EverymanGa )ourgeois 0dysseus for the twentieth century2 <t the
same time, the novel3s depiction of his personality is one of the most detailed in all literature2 6loom is a
thirty7eight7year7old advertising canvasser2 Bis father was a Bungarian =ew, and =oyce e1ploits the irony
of this factGthat 5u)lin3s latter7day 0dysseus is really a =ew with Bungarian originsGto such an e1tent
that readers often forget 6loom3s Irish mother and multiple )aptisms2 6loom3s status as an outsider,
com)ined with his own a)ility to envision an inclusive state, make him a figure who )oth suffers from
and e1poses the insularity of Ireland and Irishness in $%;&2 Fet the social e1clusion of 6loom is not
simply one7sided2 6loom is clear7sighted and mostly unsentimental when it comes to his male peers2 Be
does not like to drink often or to gossip, and though he is always friendly, he is not sorry to )e e1cluded
from their circles2
Ehen 6loom first appears in Episode +our of Dlysses, his character is noteworthy for its differences from
!tephen3s character, on which the first three episodes focus2 !tephen3s cere)rality makes 6loom3s comfort
with the physical world seem more remarka)le2 This ease accords with his practical mind and scientific
curiosity2 Ehereas !tephen, in Episode Three, shuts himself off from the mat7erial world to ponder the
workings of his own perception, 6loom appears in the )eginning of Episode +our )ending down to his
cat, wondering how her senses work2 6loom3s comfort with the physical also manifests itself in his
se1uality, a dimension mostly a)sent from !tephen3s character2 Ee get ample evidence of 6loom3s
se1ualityGfrom his penchant for voyeurism and female underclothing to his mastur)ation and erotic
correspondenceGwhile !tephen seems ine1perienced and celi)ate2
0ther disparities )etween the two men further define 6loom3s character: where !tephen is depressive and
somewhat dramatic, 6loom is mature and even7headed2 6loom possesses the a)ility to cheer himself up
and to pragmatically refuse to think a)out depressing topics2 Fet 6loom and !tephen are similar, too2
They are )oth unreali"ed artists, if with completely different agendas2 <s one 5u)liner puts it, JThere3s a
touch of the artist a)out old 6loom2L Ee might say that 6loom3s conception of art is )ourgeois, in the
sense that he considers art as a way to effect people3s actions and feelings in an immediate way2 +rom his
desire to create a newer, )etter advertisement, to his love poem to Molly, to his reading of !hakespeare for
its moral value, 6loom3s version of art does not stray far from real7life situations2 6loom3s sense of
culture and his aspiration to )e JculturedL also seem to )ring him close to !tephen2 The two men share a
love for music, and !tephen3s companionship is attractive to 6loom, who would love to )e an e1pert,
rather than a da))ler, in various su)Aects2
Two emotional crises plague 6loom3s otherwise cheerful demeanor throughout DlyssesGthe )reakdown
of his male family line and the infidelity of his wife, Molly2 The untimely deaths of )oth 6loom3s father
8)y suicide9 and only son, -udy 8days after his )irth9, lead 6loom to feel cosmically lonely and
powerless2 6loom is allowed a )rief respite from these emotions during his union with !tephen in the
latter part of the novel2 Ee slowly reali"e over the course of Dlysses that the first crisis of family line is
related to the second crisis of marital infidelity: the 6looms3 intimacy and attempts at procreation have
)roken down since the death of their only son eleven years ago2 6loom3s reaction to Molly3s decision to
look elsewhere 8to 6la"es 6oylan9 for se1 is comple12 6loom enAoys the fact that other men appreciate his
wife, and he is generally a passive, accepting person2 6loom is clear7sighted enough to reali"e, though,
that 6la"es 6oylan is a paltry replacement for himself, and he ultimately cheers himself )y
reconte1tuali"ing the pro)lem2 6oylan is only one of many, and it is on Molly that 6loom should
concentrate his own energies2
9
In fact, it is this a)ility to shift perspective )y sympathi"ing with another viewpoint that renders 6loom
heroic2 Bis compassion is evident throughoutGhe is charita)le to animals and people in need, his
sympathies e1tend even to a woman in la)or2 6loom3s masculinity is frequently called into question )y
other characters; hence, the second irony of Dlysses is that 6loom as Everyman is also somewhat
feminine2 <nd it is precisely his fluid, androgynous capacity to empathi"e with people and things of all
typesGand to )e )oth a sym)olic father and a mother to !tephenGthat makes him the hero of the novel2
Molly 6loom
0ver the course of the novel, we get a very clear picture of 6loom and !tephen )ecause we witness their
interactions with many different people and see what they are thinking throughout all of these
interactions2 +or most of the novel we only see Molly 6loom through other people3s eyes, so it may )e
tempting to dismiss her as a self7centered, unfaithful woman2 The way we decide to view her will require
us to reevaluate the understanding we have thus far formed of ,eopold 6loom2 If we focus on the
JvulgarityL and physicality of her monologue, our )uilt7up sympathies with 6loom as the well7meaning
hus)and of a loose woman are ratified2 6ut a more nuanced understanding of her involves seeing her as
an outgoing woman who takes a certain pride in her hus)and, )ut who has )een feeling a lack of
demonstrative love2 This idea yields a reevaluation of 6loom as )eing unfaithful in his own ways and
complicit in the temporary )reakdown of their marriage2
,ike 6loom, Molly is a 5u)lin outsider2 !he was raised in the military atmosphere of 4i)raltar )y her
father, MaAor 6rian Tweedy2 Molly never knew her mother, who was possi)ly =ewish, or Aust =ewish7lo7
oking2 6loom associates Molly with the Jhot7)loodedL Mediterranean regions, and, to a lesser degree, the
e1oticism of the East2 Fet Molly considers her own childhood to have )een normal, outside the dramatic
entrances and e1its of young, good7looking soldiers going off to war2 Molly seems to organi"e her life
around men and to have very few female friends2 !he enAoys )eing looked at and gains self7esteem from
the admiration of men2 Molly is e1tremely self7aware and perceptiveGshe knows without looking when
she is )eing looked at2 < man3s admiration of her does not cloud her own negative Audgments a)out him2
!he is frank a)out topics that other people are likely to sentimentali"eGintimacy, mourning, and
motherhood, for e1ample2 !he is also frank a)out the e1tent to which living involves adaptations of
different roles2 Ber sense of this truthGwhich is perhaps related to her own career as a stage singerG
aligns her with !tephen, who is also conscious of his outward e1istence in terms of a series of roles2
Molly and !tephen )oth share a capacity for storytelling, scene7setting, and mimicry2 Molly3s storytelling
and frankness a)out role7playing evinces her sense of humor, and it also mediates our sense of her as a
hypocritical character2 +inally, it is this pragmatic and fluid adoption of roles that ena)les Molly to
reconnect with 6loom through vivid recollections, and, indeed, reenactments, of the past, as in her final
memory of the Bowth scene at the end of Dlysses2
!tephen 5edalus
The character of !tephen 5edalus is a harshly drawn version of =oyce himself at age twenty7two2 !tephen
first appeared as the main character of < #ortrait of the <rtist as a Foung Man, which followed his
development from early childhood to his proud and am)itious days )efore leaving 5u)lin for #aris and
the reali"ation of his artistic capa)ilities2 Ehen we meet !tephen again at the )eginning of Dlysses, it is
over two years after the end of #ortrait2 !tephen has )een )ack in 5u)lin for over a year, having returned
to sit at his mother3s death)ed2 !tephen3s artistic talent is still unreali"edGhe is currently a reluctant
10
teacher of history at a )oy3s school2 Be is disappointed and moody and is still dressed in mourning over
the death of his mother almost a year ago2 !tephen3s interactions with various charactersG6uck, Baines,
Mr2 5easyGin the opening episodes of the )ook crystalli"e our sense of the damaging ties and o)ligations
that have resulted from !tephen3s return to Ireland2 <t the )eginning of Dlysses, !tephen is a self7
conscious young man whose identity is still in formation2 !tephen3s aloofness and his attempts to
understand himself through fictional characters such as Bamlet dramati"e his struggle to solidify this
identity2
!tephen is depicted as a)ove most of the action of the novel2 Be e1ists mainly within his own world of
ideasGhis actions in the world tend to pointedly distance himself from others and from the world itself2
Bis freeness with money is less a demonstration of his generosity than of his lack of material concerns2
Bis unwashed state similarly reflects his removal from the material world2 Bis cryptic stories and riddles
cut o7thers off rather than include them2 Be stu))ornly holds grudges, and our admiration of his no)le
struggle for independence is tempered )y our knowledge of the impoverished si)lings he has left )ehind2
If !tephen himself is an unsympathetic character, however, the issues central to his identity struggle are
easier for us to sympathi"e with2 +rom his contemplation of the eye3s perception of the outside world to
his teaching of a history lesson to his meditations on amor matris or Jmother love,L !tephen3s mental
meanderings center on the pro)lem of whether, and how, to )e an active or passive )eing within the
world2
!tephen3s struggles tend to center around his parents2 Bis mother, who seems to )lame !tephen for
refusing to pray at her death)ed, represents not only a mother3s love )ut also the church and Ireland2
!tephen is haunted )y his mother3s memory and ghost in the same ways that he is haunted )y memories
of his early piety2 Though !tephen3s father is still alive and well, we see !tephen attempting to ignore or
deny him throughout all of Dlysses2 !tephen3s struggle with his father seems to )e a)out !tephen3s need
to have a space in which to createGa space untainted )y !imon 5edalus3s overly critical Audgments2
!tephen3s struggle to define his identity without the constraint or aid imposed )y his father )leeds into
larger conflictsG!tephen3s struggle with the authority of 4od, the authority of the 6ritish empire, even
with the authority of the mocker or Aoker2
<fter the first three episodes, !tephen3s appearances in Dlysses are limited2 Bowever, these limited
appearancesGin Episodes Nine, +ourteen, and +ifteenGdemonstrate that !tephen3s attempted
repudiation of authority and o)ligations has precipitated what seems to him to )e the a)andonment of all
those close to him2 <t the end of Episode +ifteen, !tephen lies nearly unconscious on the ground, feeling
as though he has )een J)etrayedL )y everyone2 Never )efore has !tephen seemed so much in need of a
parent, and it is 6loomGnot wholly father nor motherGwho cares for him2
Though !tephen plays a part in the final episodes of Dlysses, we see less and less of his thoughts as the
novel progresses 8and, perhaps not coincidentally, !tephen )ecomes drunker and drunker92 Instead, the
circumstances of the novel and the apparent choices that !tephen makes take over our sense of his
character2 6y the novel3s end, we see that !tephen recogni"es a )reak with 6uck Mulligan, will quit his
Ao) at 5easy3s school, and has accepted, if only temporarily, 6loom3s hospitality2 In 6loom3s kitchen,
!tephen puts something in his mouth )esides alcohol for the first time since Episode 0ne, and has a
conversation with 6loom, as opposed to performing as he did earlier in the day2 Ee are thus encouraged
11
to understand that, in the calm of the late7night hours, !tephen has recogni"ed the power of a reciprocal
relationship to provide sustenance2
Themes Motifs ! "ym#ols
The Cuest for #aternity
<t its most )asic level, Dlysses is a )ook a)out !tephen3s search for a sym)olic father and 6loom3s search
for a son2 In this respect, the plot of Dlysses parallels Telemachus3s search for 0dysseus, and vice versa,
in The 0dyssey2 6loom3s search for a son stems at least in part from his need to reinforce his identity and
heritage through progeny2 !tephen already has a )iological father, !imon 5edalus, )ut considers him a
father only in Jflesh2L !tephen feels that his own a)ility to mature and )ecome a father himself 8of art or
children9 is restricted )y !imon3s criticism and lack of understanding2 Thus !tephen3s search involves
finding a sym)olic father who will, in turn, allow !tephen himself to )e a father2 6oth men, in truth, are
searching for paternity as a way to reinforce their own identities2
!tephen is more conscious of his quest for paternity than 6loom, and he mentally recurs to several
important motifs with which to understand paternity2 !tephen3s thinking a)out the Boly Trinity involves,
on the one hand, /hurch doctrines that uphold the unity of the +ather and the !on and, on the other hand,
the writings of heretics that challenge this doctrine )y arguing that 4od created the rest of the Trinity,
concluding that each su)sequent creation is inherently different2 !tephen3s second motif involves his
Bamlet theory, which seeks to prove that !hakespeare represented himself through the ghost7father in
Bamlet, )ut alsoGthrough his translation of his life into artG)ecame the father of his own father, of his
life, and Jof all his race2L The Boly Trinity and Bamlet motifs reinforce our sense of !tephen3s and
6loom3s parallel quests for paternity2 These quests seem to end in 6loom3s kitchen, with 6loom
recogni"ing Jthe futureL in !tephen and !tephen recogni"ing Jthe pastL in 6loom2 Though united as
father and son in this moment, the men will soon part ways, and their paternity quests will undou)tedly
continue, for Dlysses demonstrates that the quest for paternity is a search for a lasting manifestation of
self2
The -emorse of /onscience
The phrase agen)ite of inwit, a religious term meaning Jremorse of conscience,L comes to !tephen3s mind
again and again in Dlysses2 !tephen associates the phrase with his guilt over his mother3s deathGhe
suspects that he may have killed her )y refusing to kneel and pray at her sick)ed when she asked2 The
theme of remorse runs through Dlysses to address the feelings associated with modern )reaks with family
and tradition2 6loom, too, has guilty feelings a)out his father )ecause he no longer o)serves certain
traditions his father o)served, such as keeping kosher2 Episode +ifteen, J/irce,L dramati"es this remorse
as 6loom3s J!ins of the #astL rise up and confront him one )y one2 Dlysses Au1taposes characters who
e1perience remorse with characters who do not, such as 6uck Mulligan, who shamelessly refers to
!tephen3s mother as J)eastly dead,L and !imon 5edalus, who mourns his late wife )ut does not regret his
treatment of her2 Though remorse of conscience can have a repressive, paraly"ing effect, as in !tephen3s
case, it is also vaguely positive2 < self7conscious awareness of the past, even the sins of the past, helps
constitute an individual as an ethical )eing in the present2
12
/ompassion as Beroic
In nearly all senses, the notion of ,eopold 6loom as an epic hero is laugha)leGhis Ao), talents, family
relations, pu)lic relations, and private actions all suggest his utter ordinariness2 It is only 6loom3s
e1traordinary capacity for sympathy and compassion that allows him an unironic heroism in the course of
the novel2 6loom3s fluid a)ility to empathi"e with such a wide variety of )eingsGcats, )irds, dogs, dead
men, vicious men, )lind men, old ladies, a woman in la)or, the poor, and so onGis the modern7day
equivalent to 0dysseus3s capacity to adapt to a wide variety of challenges2 6loom3s compassion often
dictates the course of his day and the novel, as when he stops at the river ,iffey to feed the gulls or at the
hospital to check on Mrs2 #urefoy2 There is a network of sym)ols in Dlysses that present 6loom as
Ireland3s savior, and his message is, at a )asic level, to Jlove2L Be is Au1taposed with !tephen, who would
also )e Ireland3s savior )ut is lacking in compassion2 6loom returns home, faces evidence of his cuckold
status, and slays his competitionGnot with arrows, )ut with a refocused perspective that is availa)le only
through his fluid capacity for empathy2
#aralla1, or the Need for Multiple #erspectives
#aralla1 is an astronomical term that 6loom encounters in his reading and that arises repeatedly through
the course of the novel2 It refers to the difference of position of one o)Aect when seen from two different
vantage points2 These differing viewpoints can )e collated to )etter appro1imate the position of the o)Aect2
<s a novel, Dlysses uses a similar tactic2 Three main charactersG!tephen, 6loom, and MollyGand a
su)set of narrative techniques that affect our perception of events and characters com)ine to demonstrate
the falli)ility of one single perspective2 0ur understanding of particular characters and events must )e
continually revised as we consider further perspectives2 The most o)vious e1ample is Molly3s past love
life2 Though we can construct a Audgment of Molly as a loose woman from the testimonies of various
characters in the novelG6loom, ,enehan, 5i1on, and so onGthis Audgment must )e revised with the
integration of Molly3s own final testimony2
Motifs
,ightness and 5arkness
The traditional associations of light with good and dark with )ad are upended in Dlysses, in which the
two protagonists are dressed in mourning )lack, and the more menacing characters are associated with
light and )rightness2 This reversal arises in part as a reaction to Mr2 5easy3s anti7!emitic Audgment that
=ews have Jsinned against the light2L 5easy himself is associated with the )rightness of coins,
representing wealth without spirituality2 J6la"esL 6oylan, 6loom3s nemesis, is associated with )rightness
through his name and his flashy )ehavior, again suggesting surface without su)stance2 6loom3s and
!tephen3s dark colors suggest a variety of associations: =ewishness, anarchy, outsiderNwanderer status2
+urthermore, Throwaway, the Jdark horse,L wins the 4old /up Borserace2
The Bome Dsurped
Ehile 0dysseus is away from Ithaca in The 0dyssey, his household is usurped )y would7)e suitors of his
wife, #enelope2 This motif translates directly to Dlysses and provides a connection )etween !tephen and
6loom2 !tephen pays the rent for the Martello tower, where he, 6uck, and Baines are staying2 6uck3s
demand of the house key is thus a usurpation of !tephen3s household rights, and !tephen recogni"es this
13
and refuses to return to the tower2 !tephen mentally dramati"es this usurpation as a replay of /laudius3s
usurpation of 4ertrude and the throne in Bamlet2 Meanwhile, 6loom3s home has )een usurped )y 6la"es
6oylan, who comes and goes at will and has se1 with Molly in 6loom3s a)sence2 !tephen3s and 6loom3s
lack of house keys throughout Dlysses sym)oli"es these usurpations2
The East
The motif of the East appears mainly in 6loom3s thoughts2 +or 6loom, the East is a place of e1oticism,
representing the promise of a paradisiacal e1istence2 6loom3s ha"y conception of this faraway land arises
from a network of connections: the planter3s companies 8such as <gendeth Netaim9, which suggest newly
fertile and potentially profita)le homes; ionist movements for a homeland; Molly and her childhood in
4i)raltar; narcotics; and erotics2 +or 6loom and the reader, the East )ecomes the imaginative space where
hopes can )e reali"ed2 The only place where Molly, !tephen, and 6loom all meet is in their parallel
dreams of each other the night )efore, dreams that seem to )e set in an Eastern locale2
!ym)ols
!ym)ols are o)Aects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent a)stract ideas or concepts2
#lumtree3s #otted Meat
In Episode +ive, 6loom reads an ad in his newspaper: JEhat is home without N #lumtree3s #otted MeatO N
Incomplete2 N Eith it an a)ode of )liss2L 6loom3s conscious reaction is his )elief that the ad is poorly
placedGdirectly )elow the o)ituaries, suggesting an infelicitous relation )etween dead )odies and Jpotted
meat2L 0n a su)conscious level, however, the figure of #lumtree3s #otted Meat comes to stand for
6loom3s an1ieties a)out 6oylan3s usurpation of his wife and home2 The image of meat inside a pot
crudely suggests the se1ual relation )etween 6oylan and Molly2 The wording of the ad further suggests,
less concretely, 6loom3s masculine an1ietiesGhe worries that he is not the head of an Ja)ode of )lissL )ut
rather a servant in a home Jincomplete2L The connection )etween #lumtree3s meat and 6loom3s an1ieties
a)out Molly3s unhappiness and infidelity is driven home when 6loom finds crum)s of the potted meat
that 6oylan and Molly shared earlier in his own )ed2
The 4old /up Borserace
The afternoon3s 4old /up Borserace and the )ets placed on it provide much of the pu)lic drama in
Dlysses, though it happens offstage2 In Episode +ive, 6antam ,yons mistakenly thinks that 6loom has
tipped him off to the horse JThrowaway,L the dark horse with a long7shot chance2 JThrowawayL does end
up winning the race, nota)ly ousting J!ceptre,L the horse with the phallic name, on which ,enehan and
6oylan have )et2 This underdog victory represents 6loom3s eventual unshowy triumph over 6oylan, to
win the J4old /upL of Molly3s heart2
!tephen3s ,atin Cuarter Bat
!tephen deli)erately conceives of his ,atin Cuarter hat as a sym)ol2 The ,atin Cuarter is a student district
in #aris, and !tephen hopes to suggest his e1iled, anti7esta)lishment status while )ack in Ireland2 Be also
refers to the hat as his JBamlet hat,L tipping us off to the intentional )rooding and artistic connotations of
14
the head gear2 Fet !tephen cannot always control his own hat as a sym)ol, especially in the eyes of others2
Through the eyes of others, it comes to signify !tephen3s mock priest7liness and provinciality2
6loom3s #otato Talisman
In Episode +ifteen, 6loom3s potato functions like 0dysseus3s use of JmolyL in /irce3s denGit serves to
protect him from enchantment, enchantments to which 6loom succum)s when he )riefly gives it over to
oe Biggins2 The potato, old and shriveled now, is an heirloom from 6loom3s mother, Ellen2 <s an
organic product that is )oth fruit and root )ut is now shriveled, it gestures toward 6loom3s an1ieties a)out
fertility and his family line2 Most important, however, is the potato3s connection to IrelandG6loom3s
potato talisman stands for his frequently overlooked maternal Irish heritage2

/hapters $7?
/hapter 0ne: Telemachus
!ummary:
Ehen =ames =oyce )egan writing his novel Dlysses, he had in mind a creative proAect that )rought
together aspects of his two maAor works 5u)liners and #ortrait of the <rtist as a Foung Man, while at the
same time incorporating aspects of BomerPs epic The 0dyssey2 The novel Dlysses encompasses a total of
eighteen chapters, tracing the actions of various 5u)liners )eginning at * am on the day of =une $>, $%;&2
/hapter 0ne opens with the )reakfast of three young men: Baines, a 6ritish student who is in 5u)lin on
temporary leave from 01ford; Malachi Q6uckQ Mulligan, a medical student; and !tephen 5edalus, the
protagonist from #ortrait and the central character in the first three chapters of Dlysses2 The three young
men are living in Martello Tower, for which only !tephen pays rent as he is the one who has rented it
from the Ministry of Ear2 Ee immediately discover that there are tense relations )etween Mulligan and
!tephen; particularly, !tephen feels increasingly ostraci"ed, as Mulligan and Baines )ecome closer2
+urther, 6uck spares no sympathy in his constant tormenting of !tephen in regards to the recent death of
his mother, Mary 5edalus2 !tephen is, in general, the )utt of most of MulliganRs Aokes2
#articularly, Mulligan teases !tephen that he is responsi)le for his motherPs death )ecause upon seeing her
on her death)ed, he refused her pleas for him to pray, having distanced himself from organi"ed religion2
In this, Mulligan Aokes that his aunt has refused to allow him to keep company with !tephen, as his
apostasy is made worse )y )eing the murderer of his mother2 +urther, !tephen feels distanced from
Baines; !tephen feels that Baines is somewhat patroni"ing in his attitude towards !tephenPs desire to
)ecome a poet2 Baines is a 6ritish native and )oth Mulligan and !tephen despise him, though Mulligan
masks his true thoughts with hypocrisy and flattery2 Baines appears as a spoiled student and a shallow
thinker2 Be argues that 6ritish oppression is not the cause of IrelandRs pro)lems; rather QhistoryQ is to
)lame2 Interrupting the young menPs conversation a)out Ireland and its international politics, an old lady
arrives to deliver the morning milk and !tephen finds that he is forced to pay the )ill2 !oon after
)reakfast, the three men leave the Tower to walk along the )each2 <fter making plans to meet !tephen at a
)ar called the !hip around noon, Mulligan asks him for his key to the tower2 <fter, forfeiting his key to
Mulligan, !tephen departs from his two roommates, feeling that he has )een usurped from his position2
15
<nalysis:
=oycePs novel is named after the 4reek hero Dlysses 80dysseus, is the original name9 who is the central
figure in BomerPs The 0dyssey2 The ancient 4reek epic chronicles the many years that the royal warrior
Dlysses spends wandering in his attempts to return home to his throne Ithaca after victory in the TroAan
Ear2 The eighteen chapters of =oycePs Dlysses, though not originally titled, correspond to specific
episodes in BomerPs epic2 /hapter 0ne is named for Telemachus, the son of Dlysses and his wife
#enelope2 Telemachus, a prince who is entering adulthood, sees his castle )eing overrun )y young suitors
who are intent on wooing his mother, and gaining the crown2 In this section of The 0dyssey, Telemachus,
advised )y the 4reek goddess of wisdom, <thena, decides to head out in search of his father who is
rumored to )e dead2 Bis decision to leave the castle is the result not only of his desire to find his father,
)ut of the usurped feeling that he feels in his own castle where he is the disrespected son of a forgotten
king2
In =oycePs novel, the parallel )etween the Telemachus passages is central to an understanding of the work2
=oycePs central character is ,eopold 6loom, who plays the Dlysses figure 8though we do not meet him
until /hapter +our2 It is !tephen 5edalus who is the parallel to BomerPs Telemachus2 It is important to
note though, that it is not !tephenPs )iological father, !imon 5edalus, who he searches for, )ut a paternal
figure which 6loom will attempt to play towards the end of the novel when the two main characters
finally meet2 !tephen, like Telemachus, is rather o)sessed with ideas of paternity and this esta)lishes a
further link to BomerPs work and provides the )asis for the eventual 6loom75edalus relationship2
The e1tensive variety of the narrative structures that are employed in Dlysses distinguish =oyce from the
writers that preceded him, and upon reaching a new chapter we can always e1pect something new from
the author2 In /hapter 0ne, the action is narrated largely from the point of view of !tephen 5edalus,
whose interior monologue is presented to us2 In fact, most of the information that we glean comes not
from the dialogue )etween the characters )ut from !tephenPs revealed preoccupation2 !tephenPs guilt
concerning his motherPs death as well as his desperation to )ecome a respected artist are presented
through his thoughts2 +urther, much of the hostility )etween 5edalus and Mulligan is unspoken and
!tephen thinks )ack to several events that we would not )e privy to if we could not read his memory2
5edalus, an intelligent young graduate, is an artistic, philosophical mind on display and in presenting his
thinking patterns to us, =oyce decorates the tracks with what may seem like random references to o)scure
trivia2 !tephenPs mind wanders through poetry, though Irish folk songs, 4reek philosophy and -oman
/atholic liturgy as well as memories of his motherPs death scene2 <ll of these references are linked
thematically, though, and do )ear a direct relationship to the su)Aects at hand2 The consequence of such a
literary approach is scene in the multi7layered QcollageQ effect that is evident in the work2 In his effort to
replicate the manner in which the mind actually processes information, =oyce connects a series of
thoughts or sounds or memories that often times appear as sentence fragments or unfamiliar synta1 that
are uncomforta)le for the reader2 +urther, )ecause the mind is moving quickly, we are given initial pieces
of information, and the details are filled in later2 This also )ecomes a powerful literary tool )ecause
characters and ideas that do not )ear direct relationship to each other can )e )rought together )y a
character thoughts2 +or e1ample, when the elderly milk lady arrives, !tephen thinks of an old folksong
that she reminds him of2 ,ater, he imagines her as a witch on a milking stool, again as Mother Ireland,
16
and finally as the sister of his dead mother, Mary 5edalus2 Through !tephenPs imagination at work, the
themes of maternity and decay are co7developed2 This process only )ecomes more comple1 as the novel
progresses, and at times it is difficult to separate !tephenPs hyperactive mental activity from the true
narrative action of the novel2
0nly a few characters are introduced to us in the first /hapter2 !tephen 5edalus, we learn, is a
schoolteacher who has recently returned from #aris upon hearing news that his mother was dying2 Ehile
he lives in Martello, an old sea tower rented cheaply from the 5epartment of Ear, his father !imon
5edalus and his four younger sisters live in the city2 =oycePs depiction of 5edalus, his protagonist from
#ortrait, is somewhat critical, )ut tempered with enough compassion to identify !tephen as an awkward
young man, who will need to match his am)ition with realism and maturity if he is to )ecome a
successful poet2
The e1troverted 6uck Mulligan is a severe contrast to his more introverted roommate, !tephen2 6uck
seems Aovial and self7confident while !tephen is overly self7conscious2 Ehile !tephen is sincere in his
questioning of his /atholic up)ringing, 6uck is merely a sacrilegious Aokester who regards nothing as
sacred2 Ehile shaving, Mulligan mocks the e1aggerated movements of the priests offering sacrament and
upon distri)uting )read at the )reakfast ta)le, Mulligan makes references to the 4ospels2 Bis sacrilegious
humor continues throughout the novel2 +inally, !tephen feels used )y Mulligan who does not make equal
payments towards their living e1penses and in fact, frequently )orrows money from !tephen despite the
fact that he is significantly wealthier2
Baines, the 6ritish 01onian, is in 5u)lin to study Ireland and he plans a visit to 5u)linPs National
,i)rary2 Through Baines, we receive much of the discourse of IrelandPs political situation7a key theme in
=oycePs $%(( novel2 Baines argues from a conservative 6ritish standpoint, that history7not 6ritain7is to
)lame for IrelandPs pro)lems2 Ehen the old milkmaid arrives, Baines speaks to her in Irish, hoping that
she will understand; ironically, she does not know Irish )ut mistakes it for +rench2 Neither !tephen nor
Mulligan enAoys the company of Baines, the aristocratic intellectual, and his presence illustrates another
difference )etween !tephen and Mulligan2 Ehile !tephen tries to avoid Baines, 6uck flatters him and
uses the 6ritish gentleman to ostraci"e !tephen and impose control over him2
Throughout the novel, names have important meaning and /hapter 0ne is no different2 !tephen 5edalus,
feels self7conscious )ecause his 4reek name, Q5edalusQ is not Irish2 5edalus was the artisan father of
Icarus, who fashioned wings for the two of them to escape from a prison tower2 This is particularly
resonant given !tephenPs thoughts of e1ile and escape from Martello and Ireland2 6uck has several
nicknames for !tephen, whose )irth name means crown2 <mong !tephenPs nickname is the name QKinchQ
which means knife; this is often interpreted as a reference to !tephenPs quick, sharp mind2 The fact that
!tephen means crown indicates that, like Telemachus, !tephen has a royal potential that is presently
unreali"ed2
MulliganPs name also )ears insight into his character2 The nickname Q6uckQ is accurate for the coarse,
)rusque Aoker and =oyce is not sympathetic to Mulligan, despite the fact that Mulligan is a rather popular
figure2 The fact that he is nicknamed after an animal7as opposed to QKinchQ7is to hint at the fact that
despite his comic wit, Mulligan is not as deep and sincere a thinker as 5edalus2 Equally important, a
parallel is eventually developed )etween the treatment suffered )y 5edalus on account of Mulligan and
the treatment that ,eopold 6loom suffers on account of Bugh Q6la"esQ 6oylan, the man who sleeps with
17
his wife2 Not only do the names share the letter 6 86uck, 6la"es, 6oylan9 )ut there is an alliterative
resem)lance )etween Malachi Mulligan and 6la"es 6oylan2 +inally, Malachi is the name of the last )ook
of the /hristian 6i)lePs 0ld Testament, named for its author, a =ewish priest who prophecies /hrist the
imminent Messiah2 This is e1tremely ironic )ecause in every conversation, Mulligan satiri"es the church2
In the opening scene of the novel, Malachi Mulligan descri)es !tephen as a Qfearful =esuitQ and imitates
the priests reforming holy rituals2
The opening chapter is heavy with foreshadowing and a series of themes are esta)lished foreshadowing
the appearance of 6loom in /hapter +our2 #articularly, the anti7!emitic ideas e1pressed )y Baines and
echoed )y Mr2 5easy in /hapter Two, )ear particular resonance when we discover that 6loom is a =ew2
The e1tensive references to #rince Bamlet and his ghosts )egin an e1tensive discourse on !hakespeare
that culminates with the apparition of Mary 5edalus2 +inally, the rift )etween !tephen 5edalus and his
friends only grows wider and eventually )ecomes his most primary concern2
<dditionally, several of =oycePs opening themes are developed )y the references that he makes to other
literary and philosophical works2 5edalusP thoughts consistently refer to the 4erman philosopher
+riedrich Niet"sche who developed the idea of a !uperman 8D)ermensch9 and this )ecomes important in
his thoughts later in the day concerning the Dnited Kingdom and Ireland, the overwhelming role of the
/atholic /hurch and the desperation of 5u)linPs ur)an poor2 <t this moment though, 5edalus humorously
applies the theory of the !uperman to the fact that Mulligan, who is wealthier than he is, is taking his
money2 Ehile =oyce also makes references to religious te1ts77)oth 6i)lical and liturgical77as well as
4reek and Irish literature, the most important literary allusions are the !hakespearean ones2 =oycePs
!hakespearean references continue throughout every chapter of the novel and )ear e1treme thematic
importance2
0ne of the most important ideas in /hapter 0ne, is that while !tephen is a modern QTelemachusQ figure,
he is more accurately a modern Q#rince Bamlet2Q The title prince of the !hakespearean tragedy, suffers
after the death of his father who appears as a ghost2 The ghost of King Bamlet informs his son that King
/laudius 8)rother of dead King Bamlet9 is guilty of fratricide; he has killed Bamlet )oth to wed his wife
4ertrude as well as claim the throne2 Baving )urdened his son with his spectral presence, King Bamlet
urges the prince to sei"e revenge and BamletPs mission produces the tragic conclusion of the drama2 There
are of course, parallels )etween the princes Telemachus and Bamlet, and =oyce seeks to e1ploit these
overlaps2 ,ike Bamlet, =oycePs Telemachus 8!tephen9 is )rooding and overly contemplative2 Throughout
the one day of the novelPs narrative action 8=une $>, $%;&9, !tephen continually relives the quandary of
BamletPs famous question QTo )e or not to )e2Q In his struggle to )ecome a poet, in his lingering loyalties
to kin, country and church, in his efforts to remove himself from )urdensome disingenuous friends,
!tephen, a modern Bamlet, must arrive at some sort of self7definition2 Ehen this occurs, towards the end
of the novel, it is one of the novelPs narrative clima1es2
=oycePs wit is at work in /hapter 0ne and we immediately find marvelous intricate narrative details that
link !tephen to the play Bamlet2 The early morning seascape of !tephenPs tower resem)les the early
morning action of the !hakespearean drama2 Ehile Bamlet paces upon the heights of the royal tower
Elsinore thinking upon the vision his fatherPs ghost, !tephen ponders thoughts of his dead mother and
e1plicitly refers to his own tower, Martello, as his Elsinore2 The motif of the key and the tower is essential
18
to the stories of Bamlet, The 0dyssey and the passage of The Metamorphoses in which 0vid narrates the
escape of Icarus and 5edalus2
<nother e1plicit reference is seen in the words of Mulligan who refers to !tephen as a Q)ard,Q mockingly
minimi"ing 5edalusP poetic am)itions )y comparing him to the lyrical giant !hakespeare2 Ehile !tephen
suffers the paternity o)sessions of Bamlet and Telemachus, much of the imagery surrounding the dead
father is applied to Mary 5edalus, despite the fact that !tephen engages upon a Qsearch for paternityQ of
his very own2 5espite the entangling of motifs, it is important to keep these two ideas separate2 Indeed,
=oyce 8through !tephen9 later contrasts the ideas of maternity and paternity2
+urther parallels )etween #rince Bamlet and !tephen 5edalus as Telemachus can )e seen in other details
of their young adulthood2 Ehile Bamlet has recently returned home to find his mother wed to the uncle
that killed his father, !tephen has also recently returned home to see his mother die2 In !tephen 5edalus,
we find the confluence of #rince Bamlet and Telemachus2 Bamlet em)arks upon an academic or
psychological Aourney to find his father 8he must determine the authenticity of the ghost and the veracity
of its claims9 and Telemachus who )egins a true Aourney to find his missing father, rumored to )e dead2
!tephenPs psychological Aourney touches upon his loyalties an increasing distance to his home while his
geographical Aourney )rings him from #aris to 5u)lin, in contact with the paternal 6loom and into serious
considerations of self7e1ile2 To the degree that Dlysses, like #ortrait, is loosely auto)iographical, =oyce
intends to elevate the importance of !tephenPs literary am)itions2 +ar from )eing Aust another )udding
poet, !tephen 8as a ((7year old =ames =oyce9 intends to give Ireland its national epic and this is to )e the
equivalent of the political efforts of #rince Bamlet and TelemachusP efforts to reclaim what has )een lost2
The Qcrowned princeQ motif links !tephen to the two princes that he is )ased on, to the degree that he is
willing to accept and successfully negotiate his relationship with Ireland2 <ll three of these young men
8!tephen, Bamlet and Telemachus9 are defenders of a tower2 The most dramatic piece of evidence
confirming this is !tephenPs final and unspoken word, which is, in fact, the last word of the first chapter:
Dsurper2 < usurper is an individual who successfully lays claim to what rightfully )elongs to another2 The
word QusurperQ is a direct lift from Bamlet, where #rince Bamlet repeats the word throughout the play in
reference to his uncle /laudius, who unAustly reigns in BamletPs stead2 In The 0dyssey, the young suitors
of #enelope are usurpers in a fashion similar to !hakespearePs /laudius, shutting out )oth the dead king
and his living son2 !tephen regards Mulligan as a usurper for taking the key to Martello Tower; again,
=oyce uses a comparatively mundane concern 8!tephenPs loss of the key9 to connect him to literary themes
that indicate that something larger is at stake2
<s a result of the literary structure of the first chapter and its som)er literary allusions, Dlysses opens
with a pensive, somewhat gloomy tone2 !tephen is )rooding and depressed and )ecause his thoughts are
the only ones relayed to us, his personal mood wholly determines the mood of the chapter2 !tephenPs
thoughts of struggle, e1ile and death further shadow the chapter and )ecause it is the opening of the novel
and his quest, we sense that there will )e myriad difficulties to overcome2 5espite the melancholy of
!tephen 5edalus, =oyce does manage to slip in a few humorous episodes2 Most nota)ly, the old milk lady
provides a comic semi7distraction from the chapterPs weighty themes2 <s a comic fool, the milk ladyPs
physical appearance as Q0ld Mother 4roganQ is satirical of typical old women2 Ber error of mistaking
Irish for +rench is especially laugha)le, not only )ecause the two sound dissimilar )ut )ecause of her
19
remark on the su)Aect: QIPm told itPs a grand language )y them that knows2Q Even in this detail, =oyce is
not simply )eing comic2 The fact that the old Irish woman does not even recogni"e her language is to )e
factored into BainesP commentary on the renaissance of Irish nativist language and literature2 This is a
theme that recurs in Dlysses2
=oycePs somewhat twisted sense of humor occurs again when he uses !tephenPs imagination to mi1 satire
and sym)olism2 The milk lady, having )ecome 0ld Mother 4rogan, a character from an Irish folk song, is
envisioned as a Mother Ireland, )ecause of her age and her connection to the folk7all this, despite the fact
that she does not recogni"e her native language2 +urther, 5edalusP word play hints of Mother 4rogan as
one of the 4orgon sisters from 4reek myth2 !he is then a witch on a milking stool 8as opposed to a
toadstool9 and then one of the Eyrd sisters from the epic 6eowulf2 Most important, =oyce esta)lishes the
milk lady in a series of women who are to stand as sym)ols for various ideas2 !pecifically, !tephen
mentally links the old woman to his mother who has died and makes an argument a)out maternity when
he imagines the soured milk of Mother 4rogan as the sour green )ile that Mary 5edalus coughed up on
her death)ed2 Baving fused the images of the milk 8representing )irth9 and the )ile 8representing death9,
!tephen then proAects them onto the sea, which he descri)es as a Q)owl of green water2Q In his association
of Mary 5edalus with the old milk lady, !tephen draws the final conclusion that his Mother Ireland is
dying and her nourishment for the young is )ecoming sour2
6ecause of his e1tensive use of polari"ed sym)ols in marking almost all of his female characters, =oycePs
work has suffered some critical displeasure2 In severe contrast to several of the characters in his collection
5u)liners, all of the women in Dlysses carry a sym)olic importance that supercedes their narrative
importance, with the possi)le e1ception of 6loomPs wife, Molly2 6y the time that the novel concludes in
MollyPs Q#enelopeQ chapter, old midwives, young virgins, prostitutes and mothers have )een lumped
together into one female character2 5espite the somewhat valid criticism, it is also worth noting that
=oycePs female characters in Dlysses greatly foreshadow his later and final work, +inneganPs Eake, in
which all of the characters are only sym)ols; their names and )iographical information )ecome
interchangea)le and eventually unimportant2
6esides this recurring motif, there are a few others that are important )ecause they appear in other
chapters2 =oyce is notorious for his puns, and he frequently evaluates the contrast )etween cleanliness and
dirtiness2 In this chapter there are references to the dirty sea washing clean and clean milk as well as sour2
The motif of the key and tower, links !tephen to 6loom, who will forfeit his key as well2 The motif of the
key and tower also )ecomes a political argument in terms of the Irish desire for QBome -uleQ in place of
6ritish occupation2 The fact that Dlysses is chiefly the story of two wanderers, !tephen and 6loom, is a
narrative parallel to the Bomeric epic, )ut this is only enforcea)le )ecause neither of the two have their
keys with them2 They are, in a sense, e1iled from home2
< final motif in /hapter 0ne, is the motif of music2 Throughout the chapter, =oyce uses fragments of
songs to forward the narrative plot and also provide philosophical depth and fuse different images
together2 <ll the while, the music is part of the plot itself2 In this chapter, we find 6uckPs mocking of the
Eucharistic ceremony, Irish drinking songs, a folk )allad entitled QMary <nnQ and the song that !tephen
sang to his dying mother: Q,ovePs )itter mystery2Q In this chapter, as with several others, the motif of
liquid 8water or milk9 is connected with the music that is sung or referenced2
20
+inally, =oyce uses these motifs and a few others, to esta)lish the maAor themes of his novel2 Be does this
early on and )y the end of QTelemachus,Q the reader already has a sense of the four themes of Dlysses,
despite the fact that the hero, ,eopold 6loom, has not yet appeared2 The first theme of the novel, stems
from the political climate of =oycePs time2 Eritten in $%((, Dlysses 8like many of =oycePs preceding
works9 evaluates the political struggle for Irish independence2 !et in $%;&, the 5u)lin of Dlysses is a city
in which the heated discussions of political independence, violence in response to 6ritish military
occupation and the veneration of fallen heroes, run parallel to the academic Qparlor7talkQ of the Irish
literary renaissance, the re)irth of the Irish language and the reAection of <nglophilic culture2
The concept of QBome -ule,Q for =oyce, encompasses )oth the political and cultural questions and while
he e1amines the 6ritish critically, the author is equally critical of the Irish patriots, many of whom opt for
isolation or nativism2 #articularly, =oyce takes offense at the sentimentalists who continually assert that
Ireland needs her young people to save her; rather, =oyce argues that the conservative conventions of
Ireland are stifling Irish youth2 In !tephenPs memora)le remark to Baines makes this evident: QI am a
servant of two masters, an English and an Italian222<nd a third there is who wants me for odd Ao)s2Q Bere,
!tephen uses a 6i)lical allusion, arguing that Ireland suffers equally under 6ritish and /atholic
oppression, all the while trying to enlist young people for a few Qodd Ao)sQ of her own2
In his depiction of the -oman /atholic /hurch in Ireland, =oyce continues a theme that he em)arked upon
in #ortrait2 <gain, =oyce develops the theme of faith opposed to dissent, and again, =oyce is mostly critical
of the organi"ed church2 !tephen 5edalus seeks to sever the ties that )ind him to his -oman /atholic
up)ringing )ut =oyce develops the argument that -oman /atholicism is an integral part of Ireland2 The
sea, for e1ample, )ears reference to the Eucharist2 The sacrilegious Mulligan cannot eat )read without
making reference to /hristian sym)ols2 !tephen, who is a dissenter, suffers more religious occupations
than any other =oycean character2 Even as !tephen is a)le to politically divorce himself from Ireland, he is
una)le to completely divorce himself from the /hurch2 < final treatment of the religious theme is seen in
the concept of the Hirgin Mary whose =oycean depiction resem)les )oth Mary 5edalus and Mother
Ireland2 =oycePs argument is simply that in Ireland, Irish and /atholic are indistinguisha)le2 Ee will find
that despite 6loomPs desire to )e included, his non7/atholic heritage prevents him from )eing accepted2
Ironically, !tephen cannot escape from Ireland )ecause of /atholicismPs fetters2
< third theme that =oyce )egins in /hapter 0ne is the idea of the solitary individual2 5edalus suffers the
typical artistPs melancholy, )ut his solitude is also constructed to parallel /hrist and Bamlet2 6oth !tephen
and especially 6loom feel estranged from their countrymen and the re)ukes and discomforts they suffer
from their acquaintances testify to a larger alienation2
+inally, =oycePs most central theme is the concept of love2 !pecifically, =oyce em)arks upon a search for
its definition and its potentially salvific role in modern life2 The musical phrase, Q,ovePs )itter mysteryQ is
repeated throughout the novel and pondered )y all of the central characters2 =oyce evaluates the love
)etween a mother and son, )etween a father and son, )etween a citi"en and country, colony and Mother
country, )etween friends and )rothers, )etween 4od and man, and most important in the novel, )etween
hus)and and wife2 =oycePs discussions of love are always furthered )y immediate questions of fidelity2
!tephenPs love song is challenged )y the fact that he denied his motherPs dying request2 !tephenPs ,atin
invocation of 6uck as his friend, is immediately challenged )y MulliganPs disloyalty in his preference for
Baines2 This foreshadows the more serious question of Molly 6loomPs infidelity, after which )oth
21
,eopold 6loom and !tephen 5edalus find themselves heartily investigating the nature of love as chief
among human emotions2
/hapter Two: Nestor
!ummary:
<)out an hour after QTelemachusQ ends, we find !tephen teaching ancient history and the classics to a
disrespectful class of wealthy )oys2 Neither !tephen nor the students are particularly interested in the
lesson which concerns the martial e1ploits of the 4reek hero, #yrrhus2 <rmstrong, the class clown, is
disruptive and Tal)ot, a la"y cheater who is reading the answers out of his )ook, does not )other to hide
his act from !tephen, who tells him to Pturn the pageQ when he stammers at his final response2 !tephen
struggles to keep the class in order and it is clear that they disrespect him2 Eventually, even !tephen is
distant and half7hearted in his participation and he eventually gives up his attempt to qui" the students on
their classics lesson2
,ater, the young )oys ask !tephen to tell them ghost stories and riddles instead of their lesson2 Dpon
recess, one pathetic student named /yril !argent asks !tephen for assistance with his multiplication ta)les
and !tephen is reminded of his mother as he considers the fact that only a mother could love as pitiful a
creature as what he and /yril must have )een2 !tephen considers his roommate Baines to )e much like
the spoiled students to whom he must cater2 6ecause he feels that his students are incapa)le of learning,
and )ecause he feels that his intellectual talents are )eing wasted in his current position, !tephen does not
care a)out his Ao) and is already considering leaving his position2
<t the end of the chapter, the schoolmaster, Mr2 5easy, gives !tephen his meager pay for the month2 and
annoys the young teacher with trite advice on lending money, pro76ritish and anti7!emitic rhetoric2 Mr2
5easy continues with an unintelligent attempt at philosophy as well as !hakespearean criticism2 <t the
close of the chapter, Mr2 5easy asks !tephen to e1amine his letter on a cattle7disease that has caused
foreign economic powers to consider an em)argo on Irish cattle2 5easy intends for !tephen to use his
contacts to get the letter, which is full of misstatements and incorrect assertions, printed in the Evening
Telegraph2
<nalysis:
In The 0dyssey, Nestor is he long7winded elderly man whom Telemachus visits )efore he sets sail2 The
young prince is in search of advice and information a)out his father2 Nestor is hospita)le and good
intentioned )ut unfortunately he is of little aid, and his intermina)le commentary is worthless to
Telemachus2 <s !tephen continues his passage, his path crosses Mr2 5easy who, like Nestor, offers
worthless advice2 <nother parallel )etween Mr2 5easy and Nestor can )e seen in the imagery of shells and
horses connected to )oth characters2 Not only does 5easyPs school offer instruction in 4reek military
history, )ut he Aokingly refers to intense de)ate as Q)reaking a lance,Q a somewhat ironic parallel to
Nestor, who is a verita)le war hero despite his foi)les2 Ehile BomerPs Nestor was developed as a parody,
=oycePs 5easy goes further2 In his commentary on )orrowing and lending, 5easy resem)les BamletPs
22
#olonius who spits out empty platitudes2 < parallel )etween !tephen and Nestor could )e seen in
!tephenPs failure in his role as a teacher2
The chapter opens in !tephenPs classroom and again, the reader must rely upon !tephenPs interior
monologue to discover what is happening2 Ehile he teaches his students, we get his opinion of them and
his half7hearted lecture his mind wanders over various topics2 Ehen depicting the conversation )etween
!tephen 5edalus and Mr2 5easy, =oyce writes in an impartial narrative voice to avoid a Audgmental tone
while satiri"ing the anti7!emitic and insular schoolmaster2 =oyce consciously avoids editoriali"ing and
allows Mr2 5easy to condemn himself with his own words2
5espite the fact that !tephen has left Baines and Mulligan, there is no indication that most of his
relationships outside of Martello Tower are any more fulfilling2 In his description of his students, !tephen
suggests that the school)oys are similar to Baines and !tephen openly resents their wealth2 The class
consciousness that !tephen feels in his interactions with Mulligan and Baines )ecomes more e1plicit in
this chapter2 <t the same though, !tephen is a)le to forge a )ond with /yril !argent who figures as a
younger !tephen, the same way that !tephen will later figure as a younger ,eopold 6loom2 =ust as this
relationship is foreshadowed, 5easyPs anti7!emitic comments and <nglophilic sensi)ilities make him the
first in a series of ardent patriots who will cause trou)le for our protagonists, 5edalus and 6loom2
In /hapter Two as in others, =oyce makes several !hakespearean references that will prove valua)le to the
careful reader2 <lluding to Bamlet, as well as Mac)eth and =ulius /aesar, =oycePs 5edalus thinks of
scenes of )etrayal and guilt while struggling to pay attention to 5easyPs lecture a)out saving and lending2
In place of the Irish love songs and <ristotelian theory presented in /hapter 0ne, QNestorQ contains lines
from Irish political songs and references 4reek military history2 In this chapter, which largely focuses on
economic and political themes, =oycePs tone is largely satirical2 In contrast to the inflated rhetoric of
5easy, who emulates the 6ritish pride in saying QI paid my way,Q we learn that he is the collector of
Qsym)ols soiled )y greed and misery2Q <s we will see with other citi"ens later in the novel, 5easyPs anti7
!emitic humor falls flat, and rather ironically, the end of the chapter is a scene in which sunlight rains
down upon Mr2 5easyPs Qwise shouldersQ
< collector of shells, Mr2 5easy himself )ecomes a similar sym)ol of the decay and emptiness that Ireland
suffers2 5easy regards his shell collection as dearly as his collection of coins and =oyce is clearly making
the argument that the economic greed that goads men like Mr2 5easy into Qwanting to )ecome 6ritishQ is
destructive to the cause of Irish independence2 5espite the fact that Mr2 5easy considers himself to )e a
patriot, =oyce suggests that IrelandPs salvation is not through economic growth2 Ironically, 5easyPs money7
o)sessed rhetoric is interspersed with !tephenPs thoughts of various Irish patriotic songs whose images Aar
with 5easyPs mania2 In one of the more e1plicit passages of a usually opaque novel, =oyce goes as far as
to allude to various figures and parties involved in Irish politics, including #arnell, !inn +ein and the
+enians2 The theme of the citi"enPs love of Ireland7loosely esta)lished in /hapter 0ne7gets more
treatment here2
Ehile there are no female characters in QNestor,Q the theme of love )etween a man and a woman is also
developed further2 In his hasty chronology of human history, 5easy confuses several concepts and
conflates several characters )efore arriving at the misogynistic conclusion that women7or the love of
women7inevita)ly )rings the downfall of man2 The schoolmaster makes reference to Eve, )ut
interestingly enough, he also refers to Belen of Troy2 Mr2 5easy also mentions the woman whose affair
23
with #arnell ended the political leaderPs movement for Irish independence 8while #arnell was disgraced )y
an affair, Mr2 5easy names the wrong woman92 In The 0dyssey, Bomer constructs a series of females
including the !irens, /alypso and /irce, temptresses who will destroy the hero should his e1pression of
love make him vulnera)le2 =oycePs treatment of love )etween the se1es largely follows classical 4reek
lines2 In )oth the hus)andNwife and motherNson relationships, the lines )etween devotion and temptation,
protection and destruction are )lurred2
!tephenPs thoughts on his student /yril !argent and their relationships with their mothers form the
emotional peak of QNestor2Q 0f course, !tephen is more inclined to think of /yril in relationship to his
mother, not )ecause he knows Mrs2 !argent or particularly cares a)out /yril, )ut )ecause of the lingering
ghost of his dead mother2 The theme of the motherNson relationship is developed in the image of !tephen
and /yril as weak sons who are in desperate need of their motherPs assistance2 5edalus descri)es their
consistency as that of Qweak watery )lood;Q ironically, it is 5edalusP mother who has suffered a Qweak
wateryQ death2 The son and mother seem to function in tandem, a relationship in which only one can )e
strong and the other weak2 The devotion that !tephen failed to e1press at his motherPs death)ed is
e1pressed in his riddle that he tells his students of the fo1 who is )urying his grandmother2 This important
motif recurs throughout !tephenPs thoughts in later chapters2
/hapter Three: #roteus
!ummary:
<fter $$ <M, !tephen 5edalus wanders along !andymount strand 8a )each9 to waste time )efore he is to
go to the !hip at $(:?; to meet Mulligan and Baines2 Though, in the end, !tephen decides not to go to the
!hip to see Mulligan2 This occurs immediately after the QNestorQ episode at Mr2 5easyPs school and
!tephen is still disgruntled )y his unpleasant e1perience with Mr2 5easy and also feels )urdened )ecause
he has to carry Mr2 5easyRs inane letter to the Evening Telegraph2 ,ater in the chapter, !tephen sits on a
rock and pencils in a few corrections, in an effort to make his upcoming trip to the newspaper office less
em)arrassing2
<fter walking for several miles, !tephen considers visiting his motherPs family 8the 4ouldings9 )ut after
imagining what his fatherPs o)Aections would )e, he decides against it2 !tephen imagines a vivid scene of
what would transpire if he did decide to visit the 4ouldings2 Be imagines his Dncle -ichie 4oulding who
is laid up in )ed as he suffers the consequences of decades of alcoholism2 <s usually, Qnuncle -ichieQ
would )e singing Italian opera while cousin Ealter ran around the house in search of )ackache pills for
his father2 In another room, Mrs2 4oulding would no dou)t )e )athing one of the myriad young children
running around the house2
<s he walks on the )each, !tephen considers different philosophical questions on what is real and what is
only perceived, on the relationship of the sym)ol versus the sym)oli"ed, as well as the human senses and
how they interact and overlap2 !tephen e1presses his feelings of solitude as his mind wanders on the real
and imagined figures that surround him on !andymount and he imagines himself to )e in #aris, in the
24
company of his friend, Kevin Egan2 5edalusR friend, Egan, was reputed to )e a socialist and after e1iling
himself to #aris, unlike !tephen, he never returned to Ireland2
<nalysis:
In BomerPs two epics, The Iliad and The 0dyssey, we learn of Menelaus, a king who was married to
Belen, the )eautiful woman who was kidnapped )y #aris, a prince in the city of Troy2 It was this
a)duction that caused Menelaus to unite the 4reek kings and attack Troy2 <fter the ten years of the TroAan
Ear, Menelaus returned home with his wife Belen and Telemachus visits the king on his passage in
search of Dlysses2 Menelaus offers hope that Dlysses is still alive on the seas and he tells the prince of
#roteus, the sea god2 =ust as the derivative word QproteanQ indicates, #roteus was famous for )eing a)le to
alter his physical form2 Ehile there is no narrative parallel )etween the episode from The 0dyssey and
the Q#roteusQ chapter, there is a philosophical one2 =ust as #roteus, like the sea, continually changed his
form, !tephen considers ideas of form in terms of metamorphosis, perception and deception2
<nother parallel to the Q#roteusQ theme can )e seen in the literary technique employed in the third
chapterPs narrative structure2 =oycePs technique is called Qstream of consciousness,Q and it is presented as a
recording of !tephenPs thoughts and ideas without many of the standard grammatical structures to which
readers are accustomed2 6ecause of the QstreamQ of the !tephenPs thoughts and how they are presented, it
is very difficult to differentiate )etween the )each scenes that are occurring around him and his own
thoughts on various su)Aects2 0ften times, one informs the other2 0ne e1ample is !tephenPs encounter
with a dog named Tatters who is digging in the )each sand2 Dpon seeing Tatters, !tephen remem)ers the
riddle of the fo1 that is )urying his grandmother and decides that the dog must )e doing the same thing2
,ater on in Q#roteus,Q !tephen passes a man and a woman strolling in the opposite direction and !tephen
re7imagines them as a couple that might have passed him on the streets during his time in #aris2
Even after !tephen decides not to visit the 4ouldings, he mentally enacts the scene of his arrival and the
)edraggled appearance of his )edridden uncle, -ichie 4oulding2 It is only )ecause we hear the shells
under !tephenPs feet that we know he is still walking on the )each and only imagining the visit2 This sort
of technique not only considers the interaction of !tephenPs different senses )ut also plays upon the
readerPs senses2 Ee receive the image of his imagined visit as if it were real2 =oyce seeks to present, distort
and deceive the reader, Aust as the sea7god and !tephenPs mind are in a constant state of flu12 +urther
more, the third chapter is notorious for !tephenPs rather erudite philosophical considerations2 The opening
phrase of the chapter 8Qinelucta)le modality of the visi)leQ9 is among the most notorious of =oycePs
e1cesses in o)scurity2 Ehile su)tle references to <ristotelian theory dominates the chapter, there are also
references to 5antePs 5ivine /omedy, the writing of the Irish poet E262 Feats and =ohn MiltonPs #aradise
,ost2 There are also multiple musical references to Irish )allads, +rench chansons and Italian opera2 The
simplicity and frankness of 6loom, who appears in the ne1t chapter, will )e a sharp contrast to !tephen,
who theori"es in several languages during his )each stroll2 The fact that !tephen is so lost in thought is an
indication of how far removed he is from reality2
0nly a few characters are presented in this chapter which is almost e1clusively a transcript of !tephenPs
mental activity2 =oycePs a)ility to create portraits using very few words )ecomes evident2 0ne minor
character who will appear again later in the novel is an elderly woman )y the name of Mrs2 +lorence
25
Mac/a)e, who !tephen imagines as a midwife2 !he and her female companion are carrying dark )lack
)ags and !tephen concludes that there is some Qmis)irthQ 8a miscarriage9 cradled inside2 The irony of an
elderly midwife carrying a dead child is reinforced )y the fact that Mac/a)e is a widow who lives on
6ride !treet2 ,ater in the novel, !tephenPs imagination will re7employ Mac/a)e to make the argument
that females, in opposition to males, are the endpoints on the continuum of life2
<s is unsurprising, !tephenPs imagined characters reveal more a)out his own thoughts than the actual
lives of the various 5u)liners that he passes2 The mor)idity of !tephenPs thoughts of Tatters )urying his
fictitious grandmother is e1plained )y !tephenPs image of his devoted cousin Ealter caring for Qnuncle
-ichieQ on his death)ed2 The tired refrain Q#apaPs little lump of love,Q reinforces !tephenPs guilt
concerning his desertion of his mother when she was on her death)ed2 6esides the parallel to his cousin,
Ealter 4oulding, he also gather more information a)out !tephen to compare him to two of his
acquaintances2
In #aris, !tephen met Kevin Egan, a young Irishman in +rance who lived in self7e1ile2 !tephenPs later
reflections on him reveal his own hesitation and concomitant urge to leave Ireland again2 Be notes that
while Kevin Egan easily forgot Ireland, Ireland had not forgotten him2 Ehile !tephen is eager to )e
remem)ered, we find that he is reluctant to forget Ireland2 <nother parallel can )e seen in !tephenPs initial
fear of the dog Tatters, in contrast to his roommate, Mulligan, who once saved a dog from drowning2
<s may )e e1pected, many of =oycePs QportraitsQ in Q#roteusQ are humorous despite the weighty su)Aect
matter of !tephenPs thoughts2 =oyce paints a picture of -ichie 4oulding, whose veneer of middle7class
respecta)ility is wearing thin2 Be is a suffering alcoholic who relies upon )ackache pills to eliminate the
sufferings of his youthful e1cesses2 4ouldingPs sick)ed is descri)ed as throne7like and his crown is one of
dirty grey hair2
The themes of death and decay that )egan the novel are continued in Q#roteus2Q The shell motif that was
)egun in 5easyPs school, continues with the metaphors of Irish souls as emptied shells and empty ships,
collecti)les that are the casualties of foreign conquest2 The drowning motif that )egan with the
QdrowningQ of Mary 5edalus, who choked on her )ile, and the drowning of 5edalusP son, is repeated in
the )loated carcass that surfaces2 +urther, MaryPs )rother -ichie refers to his own QloweringQ )edside
water, a direct parallel to her Q)owl of green )ile2Q The musical motif )ecomes somewhat hyper)olic in
the scene where Dncle -ichiePs recitation from Il Trovatore is Au1taposed with narrative e1position of
some of 5u)linPs poorest and most misera)le souls2
The theme of solitude is echoed in the shell motif and is !tephenPs most recurring thought2 <fter
imagining the scenario of each of the creatures around him, !tephen always returns to the o)servation that
he is alone2 This self7reali"ation is most e1cruciating towards the end of Q#roteusQ when !tephen leans
against the hard rocks and sighs, wishing that there was some person who might give him a soft touch2 <
ship called the -osevean ends the chapter on a som)er note2 The triple mast of the )oat is a replication of
the hillside crucifi1ion of /hrist, foreshadowing !tephenPs inevita)le lonely suffering2
/hapters &7>
/hapter +our: /alypso
26
!ummary:
/hapter +our marks the opening of #art Two, )eginning at *am with ,eopold 6loom in his house on @
Eccles !treet2 It is )reakfast time at the 6loom residence as was the case in Martello, and the scene that
we encounter is one of fractured domesticity2 6loomPs wife, Molly, is asleep in the )ed and their daughter
Milly is away2 =oycePs focus on 6loomPs thoughts is a contrast to !tephenPs intellectualism2 Ehen he
wakes up, 6loomRs primary concern is to get )reakfast made )efore his wife is stirring2 Be likes to serve
Molly )reakfast in )ed, and Molly is very specific a)out how she likes her toast corners cut and her
morning tea served2 <fter )eginning preparations for her )reakfast and serving the cat her milk, 6loom
quickly departs for the )utcher shop in search of a nice cut of pork kidney for his own )reakfast2 Be later
)urns the kidney when he spends too much time assisting Molly upstairs2
Indeed, =oycePs Dlysses is more of a comic hero than an epic figure, a resem)lance to /ervantesP 5on
CuiAote2 6loom is doomed to wander for the day )ecause he has left his key in the pair of pants that he
wore the previous day and he is afraid to go upstairs and distur) his wife Molly2 ,ike !tephen, 6loom is
rather su)missive in his relationships2 6loom, for e1ample, is aware of the fact that his wife is having an
affair with 6la"es 6oylan, a younger man with whom she professionally sings2 Molly has received a letter
from 6oylan that morning and 6loom is aware that Molly and 6oylan plan to consummate their
relationship that very afternoon2 <dditionally, 6loom is also concerned that his daughterPs innocence may
)e imperiled on account of her new suitor; 6loom simply shrugs this off and is passive, if not fatalistic2
Ee learn a little a)out 6loomPs se1ual preferences in his rather o)sessive voyeurism2 Ehen 6loom goes
to the 5lugac" )utcher shop, he attempts to pursue a young girl at the hope of catching a glimpse of her
underwear2 Towards the end of the chapter, 6loom is dressing in all )lack on account of the funeral of his
acquaintance, #addy 5ignam2 <nd the chapter ends when 6loom takes a trip to the outhouse and
e1presses his concern a)out again while reading a seriali"ed story which leads him to consider taking up a
literary career to make more money2
<nalysis:
This chapter is named for /alypso, a nymph who held Dlysses as a captive for seven years2 The parallel
)etween BomerPs story and =oycePs Q/alypsoQ is rather ironic as it is 6loomPs wife Molly who parallels
/alypso, when she ought to )e a parallel to DlyssesP wife #enelope2 Molly stays in )ed, half asleep and
orders 6loom around the house2 Ehile Dlysses was a captive of /alypso who tried to prevent him from
reaching his home, Molly holds him captive in his own home2 ,ike Dlysses, 6loom will have to leave
captivity, free himself, and then re7enter the home2 The painting of The 6ath of the Nymph reinforces the
/alypso imagery of Molly, and the 6loomPs address, @ Eccles !treet, corresponds to DlyssesP seven years
of captivity2
6loomPs thoughts are recounted for the reader, much as !tephenPs were2 In contrast to !tephenPs
<ristotelian logic, 6loom e1presses his thoughts in terms of simple science2 Dnlike !tephen, 6loomPs
thinks more on the mechanics of the physical world surrounding him2 Nonetheless, )oth characters are in
denial and are una)le to adequately address the concerns posed )y their relationships2 In his depiction of
6loom, =oyce develops the imagery of Dlysses as a wanderer and fuses it with the motif of the Eandering
=ew of European legend2 6ecause 6loom works as an ad canvasser for The +reedman =ournal, his Ao)
27
requires that he wander the city in search of new advertisements and account renewals2 6oth 6loom and
!tephen are outsiders who are keyless and dressed in all )lack2
=oycePs depiction of 6loom is very humorous2 Dpon the conclusion of the chapter we find our hero as a
voyeur who is o)sessed with food and defecation2 5espite the fact that he knows his wife is planning to
fornicate with a younger man, he is hapless in response2 Instead of a key, he carries a potato in his pocket2
Bis su)servience in service to his wife is rather e1treme and 6loom has clearly facilitated her affair )y
moving their daughter Milly out of the house so that she will not come into contact with Molly and
6oylan2 +urthermore, 6loom intends to stay out of the house for the entire day, willingly e1iling himself
from the house so that he will not come in contact with the two lovers2
The decay motif that was )egun with !tephenPs thoughts on Ireland and his dead mother are continued
with 6loom2 Ee learn that 6loomPs father has died and while he and Molly share a fifteen7year old
daughter, their son, -udy, died when he was eleven days old2 6loom considers his stump lineage to )e a
parallel to the lack of a =ewish homeland and he is sensitive to )oth the desires for a =ewish state as well
as the need for Irish QBome -ule2Q =ust as !tephen considers thoughts of a potential Irish renaissance,
when 6loom arrives at the )utcher shop of 5lugac", also a Bungarian =ew, he looks at a pamphlet
advertising ventures for utopian settlements in the ,evant2 Ironically, for all of 6loomPs concern a)out the
decay of =ewish customs and community, he violates =ewish dietary laws2
/hapter +ive: The ,otus Eaters
!ummary: /hapter +ive )egins close to $;am as a keyless 6loom leaves his house and takes a circuitous
route to the post office in order to pick up any responses to an advertisement in which he inquired for a
secretary2 <s a result of his advertisement, 6loom has )een in correspondence with a flirtatious woman
who uses the pseudonym QMartha /liffordQ to his QBenry +lower, Esquire2Q 5espite the fact that he has
already found an answer to his advertisement, 6loom continues to check the post office )o1 and his
advertisement has netted over forty responses and in the end Martha /lifford was the final consideration,
narrowly defeating ,i""ie Twigg for the Qposition2Q -egardless of 6loomRs initial intent and whether or
not he was initially searching for a secretary, Martha /lifford has )ecome a platonic pen7pal and now it
seems that the relationship is escalating2 Dpon reading /liffordPs letter, 6loom regrets the fact that he has
goaded /lifford )y responding to her letters and he is afraid that she may want to meet him instead of
continue a /lifford7+lower relationship with non7committed, teasing love letters2 <s if to confirm her
romantic intentions, /lifford, the coquette, has included a flower along with her letter2
<fter leaving the post office, 6loom travels to the 6elfast and 0riental Tea /ompany, though he only
looks through the window and admires the various spiced teas from the outside2 ,ooking through the
large window of the store, 6loom is lost in a daydream as he imagines the various advertisement
possi)ilities for the esta)lishment2 6loom continues on his wandering course until he reaches +2E2
!wenyPs chemist shop where he )uys a )ar of lemon soap and makes plans to return with a recipe for
MollyPs lotion2 Be had forgotten to )ring it with him2 6loom sees 6antam ,yons on the street and ,yons
misunderstands 6loomPs offer of the newspaper that he has Aust finished reading2
6loomPs statement that he was Aust going to throw away the paper is misheard )y ,yons who thinks that
6loom is giving him a tip on the racehorse, Throwaway2 This rather strained comic scene has unfortunate
consequences for 6loom, later in the novel2 Towards the end of the chapter, 6loom contemplates a
28
Turkish )ath, )ut his peaceful thoughts are interrupted )y his memory of his fatherPs suicide2 6loomRs
father, -udolph, took an overdose of monkshood poison and died in a resort in Italy2
<nalysis:
The ,otus flower 8also spelled ,otos9 was known for its fragrant and narcotic characteristics, inspiring
sleep and forgetfulness2 Ehen Dlysses spends time in the land of the ,otus7Eaters, he finds that his crew
)ecomes forgetful and is unwilling to leave the new land; they have to )e coerced onto the ship2 The
yellow lotus flower presented an alluring escape from reality much like the appealing )anquet of /irce, an
enchantress who Dlysses later meets2 There are several parallels )etween the Q,otus7EatersQ chapter and
the Bomeric episode2 The most o)vious parallel is in 6loomPs purchase of a yellow )ar of fragrant lemon
soap, and of course, his visit to a chemist speciali"ing in soaps, flowers and perfumes2 6loom also
daydreams in front of a spice and tea shop2 <dditionally, Martha /lifford asks QBenry +lower,Q for the
name of his wifePs perfume2
The flower that Martha encloses in her letter is another QlotusQ and it is worth noting that 6loomPs three
names are floral references2 Bis legal name is Q6loom,Q his ancestral name is the Bungarian word for
flower which is QHirag,Q and his pseudonym is QBenry +lower2Q In his vision of the Turkish )ath, 6loom
imagines his penis as the Qlimp father of thousandsQ and a Qlanguid floating flowerQ again com)ining the
physical effects of the flower 8sleep, limpness9 with its physical characteristics Qfloating flower2Q The
suicide of 6loomPs father, -udolph Hirag, as well as the furtive affair7)y7mail are thematic parallels in
regards to escapism2 The idea of escapism is also reflected in the fact that 6loom refused to see the )ody
of his dead father2 Instead he intentionally avoided the sight2 Indeed, 6loomPs wandering route indicates
his fear of )eing apprehended and his languid, forgetful manner2 <fter all, upon entering !wenyPs, 6loom
forgets his recipe2 The idea of escapism and hiding is important in regards to 6loom and his activity in
this chapter greatly foreshadows his street activity for the remainder of the novel2 The most revealing
aspect of 6loomPs personality is the fact that he has perhaps QescapedQ from his house to avoid seeing his
wifePs affair2
Ee find that for all of 6loomPs efforts to escape from the emotional traumas of life, he 8like !tephen9 will
)e forced to confront his fears2 6loomPs emotionally distant commentary on his fatherPs death and his trips
to the grave site will )e e1panded in a discussion of suicide in the ne1t chapter, QBades2Q +urthermore,
6loom has sought to escape from his marriage with Molly )y pursuing a false relationship as QBenry
+lower,Q the penpal of QMartha /lifford2Q 6loom even goes as far as to position himself as a /hrist7like
figure who is caught )etween Martha 8/lifford9 and Mary 8MollyPs maiden name is Marion Tweed92
Ehile 6loom alludes to this scene from the 4ospels, made famous )y several pieces of art, the parallel
with /hrist does little to secure his precarious situation2 6loomPs escape from Molly )ecomes Aust as
trou)ling once 6loom reali"es that Martha /lifford wants a physical relationship with Benry +lower2
=oycePs depiction of the modern Dlysses differs from the traditional Bomeric hero on a variety of levels2
0ne important difference that )ecomes even clearer in the Q/irceQ chapter is the fact that BomerPs Dlysses
is spared most of the indignities that his crew suffers )ecause of their own immaturity and lack of self7
control2 In contrast to BomerPs Dlysses, ,eopold 6loomPs character is defined )y various, often
humiliating entanglements2 !ome critics go as far as to suggest that =oycePs hero is an anti7hero, citing
29
evidence that the QcuckoldQ 8a man whose wife has )een unfaithful9 was often depicted as precisely pitiful
and emasculated, )oth in /haucer and in other canonical works2
=oyce forces the reader to simultaneously identify the heroic and the pitiful within 6loom2 Bis sincere
concern for those around him )ecomes immediately evident to us2 !till, we receive confirmation that his
wife is going to have an affair and his various comments on manliness and male impersonators playing
#rince Bamlet on stage is e1tremely ironic, considering )oth !tephenPs o)session with the drama and his
own imminent emasculation2 =oyce re7employs the Au1taposition of emasculation and manliness in the
concluding lines of the chapter: Qthe limp father of thousands, a languid floating flower2Q Q+atherQ and
Qfloating flowerQ are )oth alliterative and indicative of the potential for procreation2 Dnfortunately, the
words QlimpQ and QlanguidQ sap the potential for procreation2 The phrase Qfather of thousandsQ is also a
direct allusion to <)raham, considered to )e the spiritual and 6i)lical patriarch of the =ews2 +or 6loom,
the emasculation of his cuckolding is echoed in the death of his father and his new)orn son, )oth named
-udolph2 -udolph Hirag committed suicide in $**> and -udolph Q-udyQ 6loom died at the age of eleven
days in $*%&2 ,eopold 6loom, in $%;&, nonetheless feels trapped in a vice of death2
6esides this continuance of the themes of escapism and paternity, there are three other maAor themes that
=oyce develops in the Q,otus7Eaters2Q The first is a political one which prepares the reader for the
foreshadowed discussions in the QBades,Q Q<eolus,Q and Q/yclopsQ chapters 8/hapters !i1, !even and
Twelve92 The idea of IrelandPs political freedom is e1pressed in terms of QBome -ule2Q 6ut what is
interesting to note is how the 5u)lin scenery sparks analog references in 6loomPs head, when compared
to !tephen2 !tephen is contemplating a life of self7e1ile on the European continent and he imagines his
surroundings to )e the city of #aris, at times various 4reek locales or the coast of 5enmark 8Elsinore92
/onversely, 6loom thinks of the ,evant, specifically the #romised ,and and his spatial imaginations7
mosques, Turkish 6aths, the 5ead !ea and the island of /eylon7have a decidedly oriental orientation in
contrast to !tephenPs continental theme2 =oyce hints that the hearts of these men do not lie wholly in
Ireland, despite the fact that they )oth consider themselves to )e citi"ens2
The theme of 6loomPs solitude is e1tensively treated in this chapter, which foreshadows the heroPs
unsuccessful attempts to )elong and feel at ease among his fellow 5u)liners2 5espite his numerous
foi)les, 6loomPs =ewish heritage is the chief o)stacle in his attempts to )elong2 =oyce humorously depicts
6loomPs marginal status in the scene where 6antam ,yons does not )other to listen to 6loom and as a
result misinterprets his sentence as gam)ling advice in support of the racehorse, Throwaway2 +ar from
inconsequential, ,yonsP treatment of 6loom is merely the first in a long series of incidents, continuing in
the si1th chapter, QBades,Q and violently clima1ing in the twelfth chapter Q/yclops2Q =ust as =oyce has
shown us 8through !tephen9 that -oman /atholicism is infused in everything Irish, 6loomPs =ewishness
underscores the e1clusion and indignities that he suffers constantly2 +rom =oycePs un7su)tle wordplay with
racehorse named QThrowawayQ to 6loomPs mottled thoughts as an outsider commenting on the music of
the /atholic church, we )egin to gain a sense of the loneliness that wandering entails2
+inally, =oyce steers us through the potentially confusing emotional details of 6loomPs dead father and
son )y refocusing on the theme of the love song to indicate that 6loomPs primary concern is not his
lineage )ut his marriage2 <ll of 6loomPs thoughts on Martha /lifford are rendered incomplete on account
of his mental re)ounding to thoughts of Molly2 6loom e1presses his confusion on the QmysteryQ of love
and then things of the song Q,ovePs 0ld !weet !ong2Q The musical e1pression of lovePs mystery and
30
permanence should remind the reader of !tephenPs song to his dying mother: Q,ovePs 6itter Mystery2Q
6loom initially considers that the idea that flowers 8rather than music9 constitute the QlanguageQ of life
and love2 Bere it is important to note that while 6loom is a musical aficionado, his musical knowledge is
limited and shallow2 +urthermore, 6loom is e1cluded from the arena of love songs2 Not only is his wife
Molly a singer, )ut she is planning to star in a concert with 6la"es 6oylan with whom she is having an
affair2 Ironically, the two singers will perform Q,ovePs 0ld !weet !ongQ )oth on tour and on the afternoon
of =une $>2 The theme of the love song grows more important for )oth of our heroes as the chapter
progresses2 +or !tephen, love songs are )urdensome and chained in memory2 +or 6loom, as an e1plicit
scene in the Q!irensQ chapter will reveal, love songs are performed in an arena from which he is e1cluded2
/hapter !i1: Bades
!ummary: !oon )efore $$am, 6loom enters a funereal carriage with other friends of #addy 5ignam2 =ack
#ower, Martin /unningham, !imon 5edalus 8the father of !tephen9 and 6loom, follow 5ignamPs hearse
to 4lasnevin /emetery where +ather /offey delivers the conclusion of the religious interment ceremony2
<long the way, the carriage passes throngs of ur)an poor, the small hearse of an orphan, a widow, 6la"es
6oylan, as well as !tephen 5edalus2 <s the funeral procession passes through the city, all of 5u)linRs
)leakest characteristics are e1posed and magnified2 6loom imagines it as a city of the dead and when he
passes an old lady, he thinks to himself that she is somewhat relieved to see the hearse pass )y her as she
lives in the constant fear that the ne1t death she sees will )e her own2 The carriage has a few navigational
pro)lems as the course to 4lasnevin /emetery requires that they pass over four different rivers including
the ,iffey, 5u)linRs largest river2
6loomPs outsider status is revealed even in the stilted congeniality of the cramped carriage2 #ower and
5edalus are e1tremely terse in their comments to 6loom, though /unningham does make an effort to
e1press his kindness2 !till, the conversation is triangular and 6loom spends most of his time thinking of
ways to Aump into the conversation2 Bis attempt to )e socia)le is more of a fau1 pas than anything else
and his comments e1pose him as a non7/atholic2 0ne of the carriage mem)ers comments on the
unfortunate nature of #addy 5ignamRs death, given that he died in a drunken and unconscious stupor2 +or
the three /atholics, it need not )e said that 5ignam was una)le to receive last rites, Aeopardi"ing the status
of his soul in the afterlife2 6loom, an outsider, has missed the nuance of the conversation and he argues
that #addy was lucky, for dying in ones sleep is the least painful e1it2 ,ater the conversation turns to the
su)Aect of suicide and =ack #ower makes an inconsiderate remark a)out the eternal damnation suffered )y
suicides2 Dnlike #ower, /unningham is aware of the fact that 6loomRs father committed suicide and he
steers the conversation to a lighthearted topic2 5espite the stiff so)riety of the occasion though, 6loomPs
opinions of the -oman /atholic ceremony provide comic relief from the som)er su)Aect matter of the
chapter2
<nalysis:
/hapter !i1, QBades,Q is named after the 4reek underworld where souls were ferried once earthly life has
ended2 In BomerPs epic, Dlysses travels to the underworld for advice and among other souls, he
31
encounters his lost crewman Elpenor2 Elpenor fell off of a roof and his death was the result of his e1cesses
and lack of self7control2 In =oycePs QBades,Q the city of 5u)lin mirrors the underworld as the funeral
procession crosses four rivers Aust as there are four rivers that divide the territory of the underworld2
ElpenorPs analog is 5ignam whose death is the result of his drunken e1cesses and some critics also see
Martin /unningham as a parallel to !isyphus, another famous deni"en of Bades2 !isyphus was forced to
roll a large stone up a hill, )ut as soon as he reached the peak of the hill, the stone would roll )ack down
and he was forced to start over again2 /unningham spends his entire life )attling his mad wife who pawns
all of the family furniture as soon as Martin has scrounged up enough money to re7purchase it2 Ehile the
most important parallel is the thematic treatment of death, another parallel can )e seen in +ather /offey,
whose satiri"ed appearance is a striking resem)lance to /er)erus, the three7headed dog who guards the
underworld2 =oycePs word game )etween 57074 and 47075 8)egun with Tatters in Q#roteusQ9 continues
in the contemplation of the /hristian Trinity as a parallel to the three7headed dog2
Ehile 6loomPs thoughts on /atholicism are not a reflection of his own =udaism, they are the thoughts of
an individual who is not a mem)er of the /hurch and =oyce uses 6loom to critique the /hurch as an
institution2 In the carriage discussion of 5ignamPs death, 6loom suggests that 5ignam died a fortunate
death having passed in his sleep 8a drunken stupor92 6loom receives a startled reaction from the /atholic
men in the carriage who understand the fact that 5ignamPs une1pected death prevented the offering of last
rites2 Ehen one of the other characters refers to suicide as an unforgiva)le offense, 6loomPs thoughts
immediate refer to his father )efore contemplating the lack of mercy displayed in the /atholic doctrine on
suicide2
!imon 5edalus and Martin /unningham stand out as interesting minor characters in this episode2 !imon
appears as a rather gruff character, who e1presses concern over his distant sonPs activity and later
e1presses sadness in 4lasnevin /emetery when he remem)ers the death of his wife2 Martin /unningham
makes an effort to )e civil to 6loom, though /unningham does not regard 6loom as warmly as he regards
his friends2 Ehen the discussion turns to the topic of suicide, /unningham changes the su)Aect, aware of
-udolph HiragPs suicide2 6loom does suffer unspoken humiliation when the carriage passes 6la"es
6oylan, who is considered to )e Qthe )est man in 5u)lin2Q The positive comments of 5edalus, #ower and
/unningham 8in reference to 6oylan9 only deepens 6loomPs feeling of dread2 The image of 6loom as a
silent sufferer is reinforced )y images of /rucifi1ion, specifically piercing nails, and again when a
newspaper man ignores 6loom in his listing of those present at the 5ignam funeral2 ,ike 6antam ,yons,
the reporter half7listens to 6loom and thinks 8incorrectly9 that McIntosh is the name of a man who is
wearing a McIntosh 8raincoat92 ,ater on, we will find that the reporter has also misspelled 6loomPs name2
6esides 6loomPs outlandish thoughts, there are other instances of humor including Mrs2 /unninghamPs
ha)it of pawning the family furniture as well as the story of the capsi"ed hearse2 !till, the som)er tone of
QBadesQ is definitive of the chapter2 !pecifically, =oyce decides to portray 5u)lin as a city of the dead2
The houses are descri)ed as houses of death and the gloom of 5u)lin is evident in the numerous open
drains throughout the cityPs poorest sections2 Ehile these open drains are unsanitary and dangerous, they
are also portals to the underworld2 0ne of the most memora)le scenes of the novel is when 6loom
ponders the e1istence of /atholic 5u)liners, who are trapped )y the ghosts of the dead while preparing
for the own afterlife2 6loom descri)es the chains of memory as Qthe love that kills,Q again e1panding the
thematic discussion of love as )oth 6loom and !tephen 5edalus, are )oth )ound )y Qthe love that kills2Q
32
/hapters @7%
/hapter !even: <eolus
!ummary: <fter the 5ignam funeral, 6loom goes downtown to the newspaper office 8an office for three
different pu)lications9 to work on his newest advertising assignment, a two7month renewal for <le1ander
Keyes2 6loom appears close to accomplishing his goal )ecause Keyes previous ad is easily recovered2
#ro)lems arise when the )usiness manager, Nannetti, decides that Keyes should take out a three7month
advertisement and he is largely unwilling to compromise2 NannettiRs tone is sarcastic when he addresses
6loom and so the ad canvasser is unclear as to whether or not he will have to re7negotiate his contract
with Keyes, though in the end it seems that this is the case2
To further complicate manners, 6loom learns that he will have to trek to the National ,i)rary to retrieve a
specific graphic image of two crossed keys2 The Keyes house wanted to use this image and though it was
the same image that they used in their last advertisement, 6loom is una)le to find a copy of it in the
office2 6loomPs escapades in the office are interrupted )y the entrance and e1it of )oth !imon and !tephen
5edalus at different times and within different groups2 !imon 5edalus has arrived with a few of his
friends who were also in attendance at the funeral and they eventually leave for drinks2 Ehile they are
there, the men discuss and ridicule a recent patriotic speech that has printed in the paper2
Ehen !tephen arrives, he sends a telegraph to Mulligan, notifying him that he will not )e going to the
!hip2 Instead, Mulligan and !tephen will cross paths in the National ,i)rary, though !tephen is wholly
unaware of ,eopold 6loom and his plans2 !tephen is also engaged in a political discussion in which he
tells what he calls the #ara)le of the #lums, descri)ing the Irish condition as that of two old women who
have )egun to clim) the tall statue of the 6ritish ,ord Nelson2 Baving stopped midway, they take a )reak
to eat plums, spitting the pits down into the Irish soil2 <t this point, the two old women are horrified and
una)le to move, frightened )y the distance )etween their current position and ground level2 <t the same
time though, they find ,ord NelsonRs face to )e unwelcoming and menacing and they refuse to clim) any
further on the statue, resigned to live the rest of their lives clutching on ,ord NelsonRs midsection2 <fter
telling the para)le to his enthusiastic and older audience, !tephen delivers Mr2 5easyPs letter on Irish
cattle, which the staff reluctantly agrees to print2 6loom re7appears towards the end of the chapter as he
attempts to call Keyes to confirm the three7month renewal )efore )eginning the work )ut all of his
attempts at communication are unsuccessful as his co7workers are disrespectful and only make 6loomPs
assignment more difficult than it needs to )e2
<nalysis:
<eolus, the god of wind, decided to grant Dlysses a )lessing2 !pecifically, <eolus gave Dlysses a taut
leather )ag containing all of the winds of the sea2 Eith these winds )ound, Dlysses was guaranteed a safe
and speedy passage home2 <s Dlysses fastened the )ag to the mast of the ship, his crew suspected that it
was a treasure that he was selfishly hoarding for himself2 Eventually, their greed and curiosity overcame
them and the )ag was slit open, releasing pent7up winds that )lew Dlysses off of his course even as home
was in sight2 The first parallel to the Bomeric episode is in 6loomPs frustrated wandering through the
33
office, mirroring his wandering through the city2 =ust as 6loom was nearing the end of his Keyes
assignment, he was )lown off course Aust as Dlysses was2
,iterary critics also suggest that =oyce is also satiri"ing QwindyQ and QinflatedQ news reporting in the
Q<eolusQ chapter, as another parallel to the Bomeric episode2 The chapter is divided into si1ty7three
sections2 Each section has a hyper)olic headline that greatly e1aggerates the narrative action of the
section2 6loomPs )lunders are e1aggerated into cataclysm and the )anter of the news office takes on
crucial importance2 <s a result, Q<eolusQ is a light relief from the heavy tone of QBades2Q
Ehile 6loomPs escapades are humorous, =oyce is careful to illustrate the myriad ways in which 6loom
functions as an outsider2 Ironically, the )usiness manager who causes most of 6loomPs pro)lems is not an
Irishman )ut an Italian named Nannetti, indicating that 6loom is among the most marginal of the
e1cluded2 6loom does not only suffer the insult of not having his questions answered; later in the chapter,
,enehan accidentally )umps into him and e1aggerates a false apology2 Towards the end of Q<eolus,Q the
news)oys make fun of 6loomPs gait and ,enehan dances a ma"urka in his own attempt to poke fun at
6loom2 It is only at the very end of the novel that we read that 6loom is in fact aware of the derision that
occurs when he is not present2 6loomPs travels throughout the office and the derision that he suffers give
us the first complete glimpse of =oycePs QEandering =ewQ motif2 6loomPs departure for the National
,i)rary foreshadows his appearance in Q!cylla and /hary)dis,Q where he crosses paths with !tephen
5edalus, much as the two 5edaluses crossed paths in this chapter2 The image of the crossed keys for the
Keyes ad, is the final component of the larger motif of the keyless 6loom, doomed to wander2
The separate conversations of !imon and !tephen 5edalus are two opportunities for =oyce to develop the
political themes of the novel2 !imon 5edalus is accompanied )y MacBugh, ,am)ert, 0PMolloy, /rawford
and ,enehan2 The discussion of 5an 5awsonPs speech in the newspaper focuses on an empty )rand of
patriotism and the comments made )y the news reporters demonstrate the level of media incompetence
that =oyce is satiri"ing in Q<eolus2Q The conversation is colored )y gossip, incorrect names and places as
well as transposed dates2 Most ironically, the entire discussion7over the necessary resurrection of the Irish
language7takes place in English2 <nother chief irony can )e seen in the gentlemenPs e1clusion of 6loom
from the conversation, all the while appropriating the images and rhetoric of a Qchosen peopleQ suffering
QcaptivityQ while awaiting a QMessiah2Q !tephenPs )rief contri)ution to newsroom conversation is a
para)le entitled Q#igsah !ight of #alestine or the #ara)le of the #lums,Q in which he suggests that the
young Irishman who has heard the call to stay home is )oth trapped in domestic sterility and una)le to go
a)road2 This para)le is a prelude to !tephenPs e1tensive, though somewhat naSve philosophi"ing in Q!cylla
and /hary)dis,Q which takes place in the National ,i)rary2
/hapter Eight: The ,estrygonians
!ummary:
/hapter Eight is a chronology of 6loomPs early afternoon2 -ather than directly venturing to the National
,i)rary, 6loom wanders for a little over an hour and the narrative of the chapter follows his course as he
decides to get something to eat2 < young proselyti"er affiliated with the FM/< hands 6loom a
QthrowawayQ tract and when 6loom first reads the words: Q)lood of the lam),Q he mistakes the letters 67
34
,7070 for the )eginning of his own name2 !oon after, 6loom sees one of !imon 5edalusP daughters
waiting for him outside a )ar2 6loom then feeds the gulls, watches the five men advertising B2E2,2F2!2
esta)lishment, listens to Mrs2 6reenPs story concerning her hus)and, 5enis, who is losing his mind2 Mr2
5enis 6reen has received a postcard in the mail that reads QD2 p: upQ and enraged, )y the unintelligi)le
prank, he has ventured to a lawyer in order to press charges2 5enis 6reen intends to sue for li)el, though
he is unaware of the intent or sender of the postcard2
Mrs2 6reen also shares the story of Mina #urefoy, who has )een in la)or for three days2 #urefoy is losing
her strength and apparently, Mrs2 6reen has recently visited her in the National Maternity Bospital2
/oncerned for Mrs2 #urefoy, 6loom decides that he will visit the pregnant woman and a little after this
decision, 6loom encounters an inNfamous character )y the name of /ashel 6oyle 0P/onnor +it"maurice
Tisdall +arell2 +arrell is another 5u)lin cra"yman who spends him time walking in )etween the
lampposts2 <fter avoiding +arrellPs track, a hungry 6loom enters the 6urton -estaurant )ut he leaves,
disgusted )y the e1ceptionally poor ha)its of the savage customers2 6loom, in fact, does not even give
himself the chance to sit down in the -estaurant, whose somewhat opulent dMcor contrasts the loud noise
of the animated diners2
<fter leaving the 6urton -estaurant, 6loom continues his wandering through the city )efore he finally
opts for 5avy 6yrnePs Qmoral pu),Q where he sees Nosey +lynn2 =ust as the Qmoral pu)Q is considera)ly
cleaner than the 6urton -estaurant, +lynn presents himself as a decent manTthough he too, is not the
cleanest2 +lynn is constantly picking and )rushing lice off his shoulders2 The conversation inside 6yrnePs
touches upon 6la"es 6oylan as well as the upcoming horserace in which !ceptre is heavily favored2 <fter
6loomPs e1it, 6yrne and +lynn discuss the wanderer, concluding rather fairly that he is a decent man
despite his deli)erate am)iguity and consistent refusal to sign his name to any agreement2 The chapter
ends soon after 6loom is on the path to the National ,i)rary2 Be helps a Q)lind striplingQ cross street and
soon after, 6loom enters a Museum, presuma)ly to hide from 6la"es 6oylan whose path has again
crossed with 6loomPs2
<nalysis:
The ,estrygonians were a tri)e of canni)alistic giants who terrori"ed DlyssesP crew much as the one7eyed
giant, #olyphemus, provided a formida)le challenge when Dlysses entered the land of the /yclops2 In
/hapter Eight, the ,estrygonian theme is developed in =oycePs copious puns and allusions to canni)alism2
There is an interesting relationship to the Qcanni)alismQ motif of this chapter and the QslaughterQ motif of
Q01en of the !unQ 8/hapter +ourteen92 Earlier in the novel, we learn that food and eating are among
6loomPs favorite diversions and =oyce e1pands the motif of Qcanni)alismQ to eating or rather, dirty eating2
The diners in the 6urton -estaurant are as Q)estialQ as the gulls at the quay2
In the depiction of the gulls and the 6urton diners, =oyce foreshadows the victims of /irce, whose
enchanting )anquet ta)le inspires e1cessive greed in DlyssesP men2 <fter gorging themselves they turn
into swine, literally )ecoming Q)estial2Q =oyce also refers to the gulls as greedy QmenQ gra))ing at the
QmannaQ which 6loom offers them2 Through the motif of food then, =oyce has constructed 6loom as a
)eneficent 4od or Messiah2 =oycePs eaters also testify to his concern that the depths of human character
are too )estial2 Ehile these themes reach their clima1 in /hapter +ifteen, Q/irce,Q it is in this chapter that
35
=oyce almost e1cessively notes the humanitarian e1cess of 6loomPs heart2 6loomPs confluence with /hrist
is fully reali"ed to the degree that he sacrifices himself for others gain, literally offering his flesh as
sustenance, a parallel to the Eucharist2 6loom actions point to a definition of love that necessitates a
painful sacrifice )y one party involved though he may eventually reAect this )y the novelPs end2
This chapter, like Q/irceQ and QBades,Q focuses on the idea of human frailty in its most laugha)le and
hyper)olic forms2 0ur comic hero, has not fought TroAan )attles or defied gods2 Instead, he walks the
)lind across )usy streets and makes plans to visit pregnant women2 In QThe ,estrygonians,Q =oyce is
careful to )alance the Qgreedy menQ and Qdirty eatersQ with purely comic characters like the +arrell and
5enis 6reen2 ,ike Mrs2 /unninghamPs pawn shop visits, 5enis 6reenPs antics are tormenting his spouse2
5enis has received an anonymous postcard in the mail that reads, unintelligi)ly QD2 p: upQ and as a result,
5enis is seeking legal advice with the intention of suing for li)el2 Mina #urefoyPs si1ty hours of la)or are
Aust as hyper)olic and =oycePs Qdirty eatingQ motif takes a mor)id turn in his depiction of Nosey +lynn
who picks at and eats the lice which are feeding upon his )ody2 <nd 6loom is not without his own )i"arre
ha)its: he enters the Museum and tries to avoid )eing caught staring at the rear ends of the ancient
sculptures; 6loom is curious as to whether or not the statues have anuses2
0ne of =oycePs purposes in Dlysses was to depict )oth the su)lime and )estial aspects of human nature
and the sordid and grim squalor of 5u)lin is Au1taposed with 6loomPs memory of happiness in 6en
Bowth2 6en Bowth increasingly figures in 6loomPs mind as he remem)ers kissing Molly and sharing a
seedcake )ut the escapist euphoria of 6en Bowth is undercut )y Molly and 6la"esP affair and 6loom is
tortured as he counts down the minutes2 The )ackward7looking ga"e of the 6loom we saw in QBadesQ is
largely replaced )y a series of events which foreshadow 6loomPs later actions2 Bis thought, QBamlet, I am
thy fatherPs spirit doomed for a certain time to walk the earthQ is a necessary preparation for the themes
developed in Q!cylla and /hary)dis2Q 6loomPs planned visit to Mina #urefoy takes place at the National
Maternity Bospital in Q01en of the !unQ and )oth 6en Bowth and QThrowawayQ recur in 6loomPs
thoughts indicating that the reader should take note2 <dditionally, the results of the horserace, featuring
!ceptre and Throwaway, will contri)ute to the narrative clima1 of Dlysses2
/hapter Nine: !cylla and /hary)dis
!ummary:
This afternoon chapter lasts for appro1imately an hour and a half and ends at ?pm2 Q!cylla and /hary)dis
takes place in the National ,i)rary and the shift in focus from 6loom to !tephen 5edalus marks !tephenPs
third appearance since Q#roteus2Q !tephen has left the news office of Q<eolusQ and after sending a
message to Mulligan, he departed for the National ,i)rary rather than The !hip2 It is unclear e1actly what
!tephen has )een doing in the interim, though we do see that he is not alone in the li)rary and !tephen
sees that this casual company provides him with another opportunity to present himself as an intellectual
thinker and )udding literary genius2
5espite !tephenRs continued efforts to impress the men in his company, he finds that his ploys are mostly
frustrated2 In contrast to !tephenPs more receptive audience in Q<eolus,Q two of his li)rary companions,
36
-ussell and Eglington, are men of literary stature who patroni"e !tephenPs ideas a)out !hakespeare, ideas
that he wedges )etween commentary on Irish politics and the difficult predicament of the young Irish
literati2 In his discussion of !hakespeare, !tephen aims to make use of his various critical skills without
actually )elieving the arguments that he makes2 6loom is the first interruption of the narrative when we
learn that he has arrived in search of the design the Keyes advertisement2 Dpon 6loomRs arrival, the head
,i)rarian )riefly departs presuma)ly, to help 6loom locate the design of the QKeys of Killarney2Q
,ater, Mulligan arrives and continues his Qtongue7in7cheekQ mocking of !tephen and while 6loom and
!tephen do not meet in this chapter, 6loom does pass )etween the two young men as he e1its, separating
them2 6y the end of Q!cylla and /hary)dis,Q !tephen is irked )y the discussion of the Irish literary
renaissance and he wonders if he will ever achieve literary success in Ireland as Mulligan, a sarcastic
medical student, has )een invited to attend a literary function with Baines, while he remains uninvited2
<nalysis:
Midway through The 0dyssey, Dlysses approaches <thena, the grey7eyed goddess of wisdom2 Bis ship is
headed for the wandering rocks whose erratic )ehavior is known to sink all ships crossing into that
territory2 <thena warns Dlysses to head instead for !cylla and /hary)dis2 !cylla is a si17headed cave
creature known for devouring sailors and near)y !cylla is /hary)dis, a formida)le whirlpool that sinks
ships2 Dlysses is further warned to steer his ship )etween the narrow strait of water )etween the two titan
menaces )ut if he is una)le to steer a strait course, Dlysses is to veer towards !cylla, sacrificing si1 men
rather than the entire ship2 Dlysses is una)le to steer a straight course and as a result he loses si1 men2 It is
worth noting that =oycePs tenth chapter parallels the Eandering -ocks even though Dlysses circumvents
this o)stacle2
The difficult lose7lose situation of !cylla and /hary)dis is e1pressed in !tephenPs thoughts on e1ile as
opposed to remaining in Ireland2 !tephen puns Ireland into Q!irelandQ and imagines it as a whirlpool that
could sink him if he stays2 !imultaneously, his skepticism parallels !cylla, the si17headed devourer2
!tephen also admits to himself that Mulligan is a pernicious influence and this thoughts: QMy will: his
will that fronts me2 !eas )etween,Q reconstructs the spatial imagery of !cylla and /hary)dis right as
6loom passes )etween 5edalus and Mulligan2
Q!cylla and /hary)disQ presents !tephen at the height of erudition, his !hakespearean criticism colored
)y references to 5antePs 5ivine /omedy, #aradise ,ost, diverse 4reek myths as well as !hakespearePs
)iological details and a maAority of his dramas2 ,ike the seas )etween !cylla and /hary)dis, this chapter
is difficult to navigate2 Ee learn that !tephen does not truly )elieve his convoluted theories and it is
difficult to differentiate )etween his sincere emotional commentary and his thoughts on !hakespeare2
0ften times, they are intertwined2
The theme of e1ile and escape is prominent in !tephenPs thoughts and comments and the response from
the audience, that !tephen is choosing to Qfly in the face of tradition,Q is an allusion to !tephenPs
namesakes, 5edalus and Icarus2 =oyce also references ,ucifer, the fallen angel and in some respects,
5edalus, Icarus and ,ucifer are, like Dlysses, incapa)le of steering straight2 +rom another angel, the rifts
)etween 5edalus and Icarus, 4od and ,ucifer and Dlysses and <thena are rifts )etween teacher and pupil2
37
This rift is mirrored not only in !tephenPs somewhat am)iguous search for paternity )ut in his
philosophical dissent from -ussell2 !tephen also quotes a passage from 5antePs Inferno2 Ehile 5ante
praises his instructor, !er 6runetto, he has nonetheless inserted him in the 5antean scheme of hell2 In
contrast to the am)ivalent paternal figures, Q<llfatherQ and QNo)odaddy,Q !tephen hopes for a visit from
an older Qgrey7eyedQ muse, <thena2 The call for !tephen to rouse Irish youth to Qfree their sirelandQ is
reAected to the degree that !tephen distances himself from paternal love2
In Q!cylla and /hary)dis,Q !tephen presents a convoluted theory of Qconsu)stantiality,Q condensed within
his phrase: QBe is in my father2 I am in his son2Q !tephenPs theory of !hakespearePs consu)stantiality is
essential for understanding the rest of the novel2 !tephen makes the argument that !hakespearePs wife, an
older woman, served as a maternal7like muse )efore she )ecame unfaithful2 <s a result !hakespeare
)equeathed her his second )est )ed2 !tephen then argues that the !hakespearean tragedies 8especially
Bamlet9 focus on !hakespearePs relationship with his unfaithful wife, dead infant son and dead father2
=oyce has taken the theory of consu)stantiality and presented it in a method that suggests parallels to the
narrative of the novel2 In the character of <nn Bathaway, we find the grey7eyed muse of Dlysses, sought
)y !tephen2 6ut Bathaway is also the unfaithful 4ertrude of Bamlet and the )ed references link
Bathaway to =oycePs Molly 6loom and BomerPs #enelope2 Ehile !tephen is unaware of 6loomPs private
life, his scheme also esta)lishes 6loom as the !hakespeare who wrote Bamlet, the prince of a dead father
as well as the lost king whose wife is unfaithful2
<mong !tephenPs comments on romantic love )etween the se1es is his understatement: Q#eople do not
know how dangerous lovesongs can )e2Q 6y the end of his analysis, !tephenPs thoughts have returned to
his own mother as he concludes the strongest human )ond is amor matris, and not the love )etween a
father and son, )etween a hus)and and wife or )etween )rotherly friends2
/hapters $;7$(
/hapter Ten: Eandering -ocks
!ummary:
The QEandering -ocksQ chapter of Dlysses is a narrative interlude midway through the novel2 =oyce
depicts the adventures of a collection of 5u)liners )etween (:&; and &pm, ending appro1imately half an
hour )efore Molly and 6oylan meet2 The diverse roll of characters includes some figures that do not
appear in other chapters and =oycePs primary concern in /hapter Ten is painting a vivid portrait of 5u)lin2
<mong these, we meet several figures of the -oman /atholic /hurch included +ather Q6o)Q /owley,
who a ha)itual alcoholic who has lost is collar for previous indiscretions2
Ee also encounter +ather /onmee, who has the no)le though naSve dream of venturing into <frica in the
hopes of converting the millions of Qdark soulsQ who are lost in paganism2 +ather /onmeeRs nostalgic
thoughts on his days at /longowes /ollege are interrupted when he notices two young people who are
kissing )ehind a half7hidden )ush2 =oyce also offers several glimpses of the 5edalus daughters2 0ne of the
four daughters has made a failed effort to pawn their )rother !tephenRs )ooks in the hopes of getting some
money for food2 <fter she returns, another daughter departs for the )ars there father is none to frequent2
38
Ehile she accosts him in the hope of getting a few coins to purchase some food, her sisters are at home
)oiling laundry )efore taking a )reak to drink some discolored pea soup2
Ee receive separate views of 6oylan and Molly )efore they meet2 Molly appears on Eccles !treet,
offering a coin to a )eggar sailor )efore preparing her home for her upcoming tryst2 6oylan e1poses
himself as a hopeless flirt in his relationship with his secretary and in his treatment of the clerk of the
flower shop2 !tephen 5edalus appears without mulligan; a few mourners meet again to discuss 5ignamPs
funeral and two viceregal carriages cast their shadows over )eggars and )armaids, among others2 6loomPs
path intersects with 6oylanPs yet again and 6loom )usies himself with the purchase of a )ook2
<nalysis:
In BomerPs epic, Dlysses heeded the advice of <thena who urged him to pass through !cylla and
/hary)dis, entirely avoiding the Eandering -ocks2 =oyce includes this episode nonetheless and this tenth
chapter poses an intentional )arrier to the reader almost as formida)le as Q!cylla and /hary)dis2Q Ehile
the prose of QEandering -ocksQ is simpler, it is divided into nineteen sections7one for each of the sections
of the novel, with a final section linking the themes of the first eighteen2 The 5u)liners in this chapter are
Qwandering rocks,Q wandering at home without a homeland and questions of homeland politics
unquestiona)ly dominate this chapter2 The rocks imagery of the chapter signals )oth infertility and doom
and the sections of the chapter each focus on specific 5u)liner or group of 5u)liners2 <s the citi"ens
wander through the city streets, their listlessness and misplaced energy suggest that they are
simultaneously wandering emotionally2
The eighteen sections are not chronological and while some span five minutes, others span a full hour2
-eaders must construct a chronology )y looking for specific phrases that appear in multiple sections2 In
this regard, =oyce sought to reflect his ideas of Qconsu)stantialityQ and QcollageQ in the structure of the
chapter2 0ne e1ample can )e seen in !ection I where +ather /onmee is sitting on a )ench imagining his
schoolyard past where Qhis thinsocked ankles were tickled )y the stu))le of /longowes field2Q In !ection
IH, a conversation )etween QKatey and 6oody 5edalus is interrupted )y the sentence: Q+ather /onmee
walked through /longowes field, his thinsocked ankles tickled )y stu))leQ indicating that these events
8the 5edalusP conversation and +ather /onmeePs daydream9 occurred at the same time2 Eith similar links
occurring )etween all of the $* sections we can construct an accurate chronology for appro1imately
seventy7five to ninety minutes2 -emarka)ly, =oyce was a)le to almost perfect recall 5u)linPs myraid
alleys, )ridges and quays, despite the fact that he was living in self7imposed e1ile while writing Dlysses2
!everal mem)ers of the 5edalus family are among the characters introduced in QEandering -ocks2Q
!tephenPs sisters are living a destitute e1istence as their fatherPs alcoholism is e1hausting their already
strained finances2 !tephenPs sisters Maggy, Katey and 6oody discuss the unsuccessful attempt to sell
!tephenPs old )ooks to a pawnshop2 <s they drink a thinned yellow pea soup, Maggy addresses Q0ur
+ather, who are not in heaven2Q !imon 5edalus later appears in the chapter, completely drunk and una)le
to support his daughters2 In a later street scene, !imon sees his sister 5illy who has procured a little
money from her father and used it to purchase a +rench primer from a used )ook cart, in hopes of fleeing
to +rance as !tephen did2 !tephen feels incredi)le sympathy for 5illy, grimly concluding: Qshe is
drowning222she will drown me with her,Q linking his sister 5illy to the memory of his drowned mother2
39
=ust as !tephen feels that 5illy is Qdrowning,Q Baines and Mulligan are discussing !tephen in his a)sence
concluding that Qhe can never )e a poet,Q though he may write something in ten years2 To the degree that
!tephen 5edalus is auto)iographical, it is worth noting that ten years after $%;&, =oyce had written
#ortrait of the <rtist as a Foung Man2
The QEandering -ocksQ episode also mines the histories and personalities of the other maAor characters2
,enehanPs recounts a lewd story to MP/oy, telling of his historic and incomplete se1ual e1ploit with Molly
6loom2 Ehile ,enehanPs story confirms MollyPs penchant and reputation for infidelity, MP/oy finds the
story unfavora)le and instead compliments 6loom as a Qcultured allroundman2Q Ironically, while 6loom
is hiding from 6oylanPs shadow, he decides to )uy a gift for Molly: a romance novel entitled !weets of
!in2 In contrast to 6loom, 6oylan presents himself as a swaggering, cocksure flirt who teases a girl
selling flowers as well as his secretary2 6oylanPs planned 6elfastN,iverpool concert is set for a date that
coincides with 6loomPs annual visit to his fatherPs grave2 =oyce also introduces Misses Kennedy and
5ouce, the )ron"e7 and gold7haired )armaids of the 0rmond Botel, who )ecome the sirens of /hapter
Eleven2
The motif of the wandering sailor is presented in the one7legged )eggar who receives a donation from
Molly2 Ironically, the war hero sings a pro76ritish song echoed in the verita)le Irish patriotic song that is
sung later in the chapter, Q<t the siege of -oss did my father fall2Q 6loom continues within the motif of
the Eandering =ew and =oyce constructs a series of corresponding images2 <s the QEandering =ew,Q
6loom is considered a Qthrowaway,Q referring to his marginal status and his resem)lance with the unsung
racehorse2 =oyce again alludes to the 0ld Testament prophet EliAah2 /onsidered a forerunner to /hrist, the
wandering =ewish prophet was assumed into heaven, discarding his mantle as a throwaway, worn )y his
appointed successor, Elisha2 The EliAah references foreshadow the moment in the novel where 6loomPs
tired heroic am)itions will )e largely su)sumed )y his desire to help the younger !tephen, for whom there
is more hope2 The passing ship in QEandering -ocksQ is the -osevean, which first introduced the
crucifi1ion motif in Q#roteus2Q 6loomPs status as a )ruised, QcrumpledQ throwaway indicates that he may
)e ultimately valua)le as a sacrificial figure2
The polar opposite to 6loomPs QthrowawayQ motif is the viceregal carriage of Eilliam Bum)le who is the
Earl of 5udley and the face of 6ritish occupation in 5u)lin2 The Earl, ,ady 5udley and their
accompaniment take an hour7long course through 5u)lin; some Irishmen salute, while others spit2
5espite the occasional displays of resentment, the carriage is a sym)ol of 6ritish hegemony2 Its course is
the itinerary presented in the final nineteenth section2 The carriage casts its shadow over all of 5u)lin and
the reader is a)le to perfect ascertain the chronology of the chapter )ecause nearly all of the featured
5u)liners fall su)Aect to the shadow of the carriage2 Ironically, the one wandering character who does not
fall under the shadow of the ostentatious carriage is ,eopold 6loom2 =oyce could )e suggested that 6loom
is the one citi"en whose soul retains its independence, or it could )e that the QEandering =ew,Q 6loom, is
so marginal a citi"en that the failed Irish struggle for Bome -ule does not pertain him2
Irish political desperation is reinforced )y the story of #arnell whose coffin may have contained stones,
preserving the possi)ility for a Messianic triumph2 =oyce places #arnellPs )rother under the shadow of the
carriage as he sits in a )ar )efore )ecoming a street wanderer himself2 IrelandPs lack of political via)ility
is underscored )y the presence of the disa)led sailor who once fought for a cause2 The pro76ritish slant of
his )egging song is Austified )y 6loomPs later reali"ation of Ireland as a country that cannot care for its
40
own2 =oycePs most e1pert depiction of IrelandPs weaknesses is in the character of +ather /owley, who
opens the chapter2 Ehile he is descri)ed as Qthe very reverend,Q +ather /owleyPs sincere sympathy for
others is stymied )y his simple7mindedness and deception2 +ather /owley is a pretender who has )een
demoted in his ecclesiastical duties, on account of an une1plained scandal2
/hapter Eleven: The !irens
!ummary:
QThe !irensQ takes place in the )ar and restaurant of the 0rmond Botel, where ,ydia 5ouce and Mina
Kennedy are )armaids2 The chronology of the chapter overlaps with the previous one2 5ouce and
Kennedy have entered the 0rmond )ar )efore the QEandering -ocksQ episode has concluded and 6loom
only arrives at the 0rmond after he has made his purchase of !weets of !in2 6ecause 6loom is in the
restaurant area of the 0rmond he can only hear the noise coming from the )ar area2 6oylan arrives at the
0rmond to meet ,enehan and the singer enters and e1its without 6loom noticing; all the while, 6loom
sits in dread of his upcoming cuckolding2 < despondent ,eopold 6loom accompanies -ichie 4oulding to
a restaurant ta)le2 The physical consequences of -ichiePs drinking are visi)le to 6loom who suspects that
4oulding will soon die2 !oon after sitting at the ta)le, 6loom )egins writing a letter to Martha while
talking to 4oulding, disguising his efforts and insisting that he is only replying to a newspaper
advertisement and not writing a letter as 4oulding had suspected2
The piano sets a lively tone for those who are in the )ar, including !imon 5edalus, 5ouce, Kennedy,
,enehan, 6oylan, a singer named 6en 5ollard, +ather /owley and Tom Kernan2 This lively group
provides intermittent comic relief from 6loomRs depressing meal2 5edalus is a strong singer and he
engages in several rounds of a few Irish folk songs including the patriotic )allad, QThe /roppy 6oy2Q 6en
5ollard, a professional singer, is also rather o)ese and he is the )utt of a few of the )armaidsR Aokes2 +or
their parts, 5ouce and Kennedy, fully thrust themselves into their QsirenQ roles, luring 6oylan and after he
departs for @ Eccles, focusing their attentions on ,enehan who squanders a significant amount of money
in their )ar2
<nalysis:
BomerPs !irens were hy)rid )ird7women who were perched on a perilous rocky shore2 5espite their
hideous physical appearance, the !irens were a)le to entice sailors with their alluring voices, fitting
within The 0dysseyPs series of female enchantresses2 Dlysses was pre7warned that the sirens would lure
sailors )y song and then viciously devour them2 Indeed their rocky crag was largely composed of
)leached )ones2 Dlysses ordered his men to stop their ears with wa1 )efore they passed through the
!irensP territory2 Be did not have his own ears sealed and instead ordered his crew to securely tie him to
mast of the ship so that he might )e a)le to hear the song without )eing in danger2 Dpon hearing the
!irensP song, Dlysses pleads with his men to release him, )ut they refuse and normalcy returns to the deck
once Dlysses is no longer a)le to hear the distant !irens2
41
The into1icating effects of the !irens are duplicated in the 0rmond )armaids, ,ydia 5ouce and Mina
Kennedy who deliver songs, drink and flirtation in order to collect money from the 0rmondPs male
patrons2 The men of 5u)lin stroll )y the )ar and stay, and 6loom is interesting foil to Dlysses2 In QThe
!irens,Q 6loom can only hear the music of the )ar )ut he cannot see it unlike Dlysses whose sight of the
hideous sirens does little to rein in his desire to flock to them2 Dnlike Dlysses, 6loomPs thoughts of Molly
and his home are not eclipsed )y his desire for the !irens, 5ouce and Kennedy2
=oyce makes e1tensive use of direct Bomeric parallels in his depiction of the 0rmond )armaids,
descri)ing their Qwet lipsQ and the Qlong in dying callQ of their victims2 0ne of the )armaids later says:
QhePs killed looking )ack2Q The phrases QMiss 5ouce retorted, leaving her spyingpoint,Q Qreef of counter,Q
Qruffling her nosewings,Q and Qscreaming222high piercing notes,Q all contri)ute to =oycePs efforts to
transform the 0rmond 6ar into the rocky crag held )y the !irens2 The sentence QMiss Kennedy unplugged
her ears to hearQ is typical of =oycePs thematic puns2 Ehile Miss Kennedy plays the !iren role, she plugs
and unplugs her ears in mockery of DlyssesP pre7warned sailors2 =oyce does not portray Kennedy and
5ouce with as wholly villainous and Aust as Miss Kennedy can plug and unplug her ears, )oth Kennedy
and 5ouce simultaneously play the roles of victor and victim2 +or all of their efforts to attract and steal
from men, )oth Kennedy and 5ouce are lonely, unhappy and Aealous2 5espite their )rash demeanor and
coarseness, =oycePs portraits of the two aging )armaids evoke sympathy from the reader2
Ehile QThe !irensQ is noted for its o)vious parallels to the corresponding Bomeric episode, it is one of
the most critically studied chapters )ecause of =oycePs e1tensive musical references2 E1panding the theme
of QThe !irensQ to music as a whole, =oyce fuses 6loomPs letter with lines from the opera Martha2 In the
0rmond )ar, 6en 5ollard sings of the /roppy 6oy, a young Irish )oy soldier who is a revered hero of folk
song2 <fter his regiment was entirely destroyed, the /roppy 6oy sought to escape )efore eventually
finding himself trapped )y a 6ritish soldier who had disguised himself as a priest2
=oycePs most comple1 musical reference is developed in the narrative structure of QThe !iren2Q The
chapter opens with si1ty7three lines that are fragments of sentences, short phrases and spelled7out sounds2
=oyce intended the chapter as a musical arrangement and these si1ty7three, )eginning with Q6ron"e )y
gold heard the hoofirons, steelyringingQ and ending with Q6eginUQ are musical QmotifsQ woven throughout
chapter, changing meaning as they are applied and reapplied2 0ne e1ample is Qrose of /astileQ 8line *9
which refers to a riddle that asks for the opera whose name is also the definition of a trainPs tracks 8rows
of cast steel92 ,ater, floral imagery attaches the word QroseQ to 6loom writing a +lower7/lifford letter2
<mid 6loomPs comparison of Martha /lifford and his wife Molly, the phrase Qrose of /astileQ is
decisively attached to Molly who happens to )e of !panish descent2 Q=ingle Aingle Aaunted AinglingQ 8line
$I9 occurs throughout the entire chapter to emulate the sound of the 6loomPs loose )ed7an anticipation of
Molly and 6oylanPs se1ual act2 The QAingle AingleQ of the loose 8and unfaithful9 )ed of #enelopeNMolly
)ecomes the QAaunted AinglingQ of the wandering DlyssesN6loomPs a)sent QAinglingQ key2 Q=ingle AingleQ
mirrors the alliteration of 6la"es 6oylanPs name and parodies his cocky swagger into the 0rmond2
The progression of a musical motif is a)le to immediate alter the tone of the chapter2 QTrilling, trilling:
IdoloresQ 8line %9 first appears when Miss 5ouce is QgailyQ singing 8QtrillingQ9 the song Q0, Idolores,
queen of the eastern seas2Q Ehen the theme is rephrased, the queen of the eastern seas )ecomes Molly and
QIdoloresQ )ecomes Q5olores2Q 5olores is )oth a regal and religious female name, )ut when translated
42
from !panish, dolores is defined as pain and emotional suffering, capturing the depression of 6loom who
is Au1taposed to the gaiety QtrillingQ several feet away from him2
6loomPs outsider status in QThe !irensQ is not defined )y his =ewishness )ut )y his non7participation in
musical activity and his desire to reduce music to scientific principles2 6loom contends that7unlike words,
music is simply Qmusemathematics,Q a series of vi)rations as magical as multiplication2 6loomPs scientific
mind decomposes music to e1plain away so that it will not pose as great a threat to him2 5espite 6loomPs
attempts to plug his ears to musicPs emotional power, the phrase Qlove that is singing: lovePs old sweet
songQ enters his thoughts and 6loom recogni"es it as a song which Molly will sing with 6oylan2 MollyPs
love songs e1clude 6loom much as his seat in the 0rmondPs restaurant prevents him from participating in
the gaiety of the )ar2 6loom feels alone, even while he is sitting at the ta)le with -ichie 4oulding, and he
likens himself to the /roppy 6oy, thinking QI too2 ,ast of my race222Eell, my fault perhaps2 No son2 -udy2
Too late now2 0r if notO If notO If stillOQ Ehile 6loom is a)le to leave QThe !irensQ in a tone of
indecision, he is forced in ne1t chapter to defend himself against the shame of a lone outsider2
/hapter $(: The /yclops
!ummary:
5uring the time of MollyPs affair, ,eopold 6loom wanders into 6arney KiernanPs pu)2 6loom is not a
drinker and this is not a pu) that he regularly frequents; indeed, 6loom seems to )e lost in thought when
he literally wanders into KiernanRs where he is to meet /unningham and #ower for a trip to see the
Eidow 5ignam2 The pu)Ps fierce scene is a severe contrast to the mellow drunkenness of the 0rmondPs
)ar and 6loom is immediately uncomforta)le2 < ra)id Irish nationalist called /iti"en, terrori"es KiernanPs
pu) and focuses most of his ver)al attack on 6loom2 /iti"en, like many of =oyceRs patriots, is )oth anti7
!emitic and isolationist in his thinking2
/iti"en initially )egins his drunken discourse on the su)Aect of the lost /eltic culture2 Though he )riefly
touches upon the death of the Irish language, /iti"enRs primary focus is on the renaissance of the ancient
/eltic games2 /iti"enRs ver)al spouting is not held in regard, though none of the pu)Rs patrons feel as
uncomforta)le as 6loom2 < large dog named 4arryowen is equally menacing for 6loom, and despite
4arryowenRs allegiance with /iti"en, who feeds the dog )iscuits, /iti"en is not the dogRs owner2
,enehan is present and his conversation reveals the results of the horserace where Throwaway has upset
the heavily favored !ceptre2 Ehen /iti"enPs anti7!emitism flares, 6loom is forced to assume a heroic role
in defending himself2 !pecifically, the /iti"en accuses 6loom of stealing from widows and orphans and
he goes further, insinuating that =ews can never )e true Irish citi"ens2 6loom defends himself as an honest
person )efore offering /iti"en a )rief catalogue of =ews who have made significant contri)utions to
European and Irish culture2 Ehen 6loom informs /iti"en that his own 4od 8/hrist9 also happened to )e a
=ew, /iti"en )ecomes enraged and as 6loom e1its the pu) victorious, /iti"en chases )ehind him, throwing
an empty )iscuit tin at 6loomPs head2 The sun temporarily )linds /iti"en, whose missile falls far short of
the target2 Dpon e1iting KiernanRs pu) 6loom continues on his mission to visit the 5ignam widow,
accompanied )y Martin /unningham and =ack #ower2 They intend to discuss the specifics of #addy
5ignamRs insurance policy and help the widow get her finances in order2
43
<nalysis:
The /yclops, a tri)e of one7eyed giants, are among the most famous of The 0dysseyPs villains2 < son of
#oseidon, one particular giant named #olyphemus kidnapped Dlysses and his crew and held them inside
of his cave, intending to eat them all2 The clever Dlysses offered #olyphemus a drink of wine and when
the giant passed out, he and his men )linded #olyphemus with a fiery wooden stake2 Trapped in the
/yclopsP cave, DlyssesP men hid in the fleece of #olyphemusP giant sheep and escaped when the )linded
giant permitted his sheep to e1it the cave in order to gra"e2 The victorious Dlysses taunted the )linded
giant, telling him that his name was QNomanQ and #olyphemus takes )lind aim at DlyssesP ship, hurling a
rock into the sea )efore praying to his father, #oseidon, who added enormous difficulties to DlyssesP
Aourney2
/learly, =oycePs parallel to #olyphemus is /iti"en, the semi7)lind drunk who terrori"es 6loom in
KiernanPs dark and cave7like pu)2 /iti"enPs )lindness is )oth intellectual and physical and images of
)linding shafts, light and )lindness link QThe /yclopsQ to its correlating Bomeric episode2 <dditionally,
/iti"en drunkenness and attempt to QstoneQ an e1iting 6loom are mirrored in #olyphemusP actions2
/iti"enPs patriot interests include reviving 4aelic sports and e1pelling the =ews and his surly attitude is
reflected in the sinister demeanor of the vicious dog, 4arryowen2
5espite 6loomPs heroism and self7defense, =oyce does not reveal the characterPs first7person commentary
as he usually does with 6loom and 5edalus2 The narrative structure of the chapter is seriously affected )y
the fact that =oyce uses an anonymous narrator2 The distance )etween 6loom and the narrator provides an
honest e1amination: the protagonist is a decent man whose incessant didacticism, intentional am)iguity
and helpless hesitancy are grating and annoying2 The narrator is a frequenter of pu)s and his Qstreet
languageQ is a contrast to the elevated diction of !tephen 5edalus2 The narrator is equally sarcastic and
gross, and his commentary ranges from deriding the despica)le rhetoric of /iti"en to complaining a)out
his painful urination on account of having contracted syphilis2 The narrator unknowingly contri)utes to
the irony of the chapter with his comic references to the QheroicsQ of 6loomPs altercation with the villain,
/iti"en2 The narrator then undercuts his own story )y relaying his own e1haustion with 6loomPs long7
windedness and /iti"enPs rhetoric2 /iti"enPs accusation that 6loom, like all =ews, ro)s from widows and
orphans, is as ironic as his drunken appeal to 4od for a Messiah for the Irish chosen people2 /onsider the
/iti"enPs appropriation 8or theft9 of =ewish imagery and 6loomPs continued and anticipated generosity in
regards to the widow 5ignam and numerous street orphans2
The theme of Irish political independence is continued in the /iti"enPs rhetoric )ut =oycePs chief
arguments are not wholly e1pressed in his continued parody of the villainPs ardent and )lind patriotism2
The weighty phrase QIreland so)er is Ireland freeQ provides conte1t for /iti"enPs drunken drivel while
damning 5u)linPs e1cess of pu)s and )ars2 =oycePs other maAor addition to his political theme is the re7
employment of the #romised ,andN/hosen #eople motif2 Ehile it is ironic to find these words e1pressed
)y anti7!emitic characters, there is some validity in /iti"enPs lament for IrelandPs Qlost tri)es2Q IrelandPs is
a dou)le loss of old martyrs and young people 8like !tephen 5edalus9 who are self7e1iled from the island2
The themes of masculinity and self7identity find an interesting parallel in the Bomer Q/yclopsQ episode,
when Dlysses taunts #olyphemus, confiding that his true name is QNoman2Q In addition to su)tle
44
references to QNomanQ and QNo)ody,Q 6loom is emasculated )y references to Qthe adulteress and her
paramour2Q +urthermore, 6loom has spent the day hiding from 6oylan and Aust as his legal name 6loom
differs from his ancestral name 8Hirag9, 6loom is posing as Benry +lower as a method of escaping from
his household trou)les2 That 6loom, +lower and Hirag are synonymous indicates that under any name,
6loom cannot hide himself2 The antics of the aptly named /iti"en, force 6loom to gain some masculinity
at the same time that he must define himself as something other than a nameless nomad2 6y defending his
=ewish7ness and his simultaneous Irish citi"enship, 6loom effectively sloughs off his QNomanQ status2
The QthrowawayQ motif painted 6loom as Qa rank outsiderQ and Qa )loody dark horseQ and the (; to $
odds against the unsung horse parallel DlyssesP twenty years away from Ithaca2 ,enehanPs disgruntled
announcement of ThrowawayPs une1pected victory also corresponds to 6loomPs QvictoryQ in spite of the
derision of others2 =ust as the 0ld Testament EliAah was connected to the QThrowawayQ motif in
QEandering -ocks,Q 6loom fulfills the prophecy in his QascensionQ into heaven having )ested /iti"en2
The QthrowawayQ motif applies aptly to the mantle that EliAah handed to his successor, Elisha, as well as
the prophetPs QthrowawayQ status as a forerunner of the Messiah2 6loomPs victory against the /iti"en is
tempered )y the termination of his own messianic am)itions2 <s an ascended QThrowaway,Q 6loomPs
perspective shifts to the younger generation and thoughts of his son -udy, as well as !tephen, come to the
forefront of his mind2
The period of the day foreshadows the mood of DlyssesP later chapters2 In several ways, QThe /yclopsQ
foreshadows the nighttime darkness that reaches its dramatic clima1 in the Nighttown episode of Q/irce2Q
Ehile 6loom has overcome his greatest challenge, the cooling of his an1ieties as well as the completion
of the QthrowawayQ motif anticipate the nighttime shift to the dilemmas of !tephen 5edalus2 The
e1tremely intimate portrait of 6loom in QNausicaaQ confirms another shift in the novelPs thematic
structure: /haracters are )ecoming increasingly polari"ed )y age2 +inally, the general political questions
of QBome -ule,Q anti7!emitism, cultural insularity and QMother IrelandQ and Q!ireland,Q are )ecoming
increasingly personal and consequential for 6loom and 5edalus2
/hapters $?7$I
/hapter $?: Nausicaa
!ummary:
Nausicaa takes place several hours after QThe /yclops,Q and ends with the clock striking nine2 In the
interim )etween the chapters, 6loom has visited the 5ignam widow to discuss #addyPs insurance policy
and in this chapter he is walking along !andymount strand, the same )each where !tephen strolled during
Q#roteus2Q There is a group of young people on the )each including a young woman named /issy /affrey
who is watching Tommy and =acky /affrey and a smaller )a)y2 <longside /issy is her friend 4ertrude
Q4ertyQ Mac5owell2 4ertyPs mostly thinks a)out her previous )oyfriend and later she considers thoughts
of marriage2 In her conversation with /affrey, Mac5owell hides the emotional disappointment that she
has suffered2 Even as she maintains a rigid and impassive e1terior, Mac5owell is deep in thought,
considering 8apparently, for the first time9 that she may not )e a)le to find a )oyfriend whom she might
convince or seduce into marriage2
45
Midway through her thoughts, 4erty notices the voyeur, 6loom2 ,eopold 6loom is still dressed in all
)lack on account of 5ignamRs funeral and he is a som)er contrast to the white sand of the )each2
Mac5owell can easily detect that 6loom is watching her though he continues his failed attempts to
conceal his furtive staring2 /issy /affrey suspects that something is awry when Mac5owell appears to )e
distracted and focused in the direction of the dark stranger2 Mac5owell then decides to use /affrey in a
ploy to get a )etter look at 6loom who is sitting in the distance2 Knowing the /affrey did not have a
timepiece with her, Mac5owell asks her for the time and when /issy replies that she does not know,
Mac5owell ventures over to 6loom, an QuncleQ of hers, so that she might find out2
Dpon returning to her original seat with /affrey, Mac5owell feels sympathy for 6loom, who she decides
must )e the saddest man alive2 In place of her thoughts on her )oyfriend, -eggie Eylie, Mac5owell
suggests to herself that 6loom might )e a character worth saving, as only she could truly understand him2
It is not long )efore Mac5owell notices that 6loom is again engaged in furtive )ehavior, mastur)ating
himself with a hand cloaked in his pocket2 <fter a )rief consideration, 4erty decides to QlovesQ him )ack,
teasing 6loom )y displaying her garters as he mastur)ates2 !oon after this, Mac5owell and the /affreys
depart from the )each, having stayed for the display of the near)y 6a"aarRs fireworks2 <fter Mac5owellRs
flirtatious departure, 6loomPs considers his wife Molly and at the end of QNausicaa,Q our hero confesses
that his nauseous post7orgasmic lassitude is a sure sign that he is aging2
<nalysis:
BomerPs Nausicaa is a maiden, who is playing on the )each with her friends2 Ehen their )all rolls away,
Nausicaa departs to retrieve it and she encounters the )ody of Dlysees who is unconscious and has )een
swept to land after his shipwreck2 <fter reviving Dlysses, Nausicaa sends him to her fatherPs house where
Dlysses plays the role of a story7telling dinner guest2 Nausicaa is an unmarried young maiden whose love
for the aging Dlysses continues long after he departs, having )een granted a ship to continue his
homeward voyage2 =oycePs Nausicaa is 4erty Mac5owell and her perception of ,eopold 6loom as
QsoulwreckedQ mirrors NausicaaPs discovery of the shipwrecked sailor2 QNausicaaQ also shares its
)eachside setting with the Bomeric episode and when =acky /affrey deli)erately kicks his )all away,
6loomPs )lundering attempts to toss the )all to the group )ring the mysterious dark7clad stranger into
focus2
Mac5owellPs Nausicaa7like qualities also include her clothes washing duties and the connection that
6loom makes )etween Mac5owell and QnauseaQ which sounds like QNausicaa2Q 4ertyPs imaginations of
her QloverQ as a tale7)earing stranger fit 6loom as squarely within the Qancient marinerQ motif as her
)eachside display reveals her own Qsea7maidenQ qualities2 Ehile =oyce constructs numerous minor
parallels )etween this chapter and the Bomeric episode, the most recurring parallel is the thematic one2
Ehen greeted )y Nausicaa, )oth Dlysses are in need of relief and aid2 Ehile the image of the young
woman offers 6loom a vehicle for se1ual relief, the copious references to the Qstormtossed heart of manQ
suggests that 6loom is need of )oth spiritual and physical comfort2 This argument is reaffirmed in 4ertyPs
numerous overtures, e1pressing a merciful and sympathetic desire to love 6loom and offer a salve for his
visi)le pain2
46
QNausicaaQ opens with an e1position of 4erty Mac5owellPs thoughts and instead of writing the chapter as
Mac5owellPs interior monologue, =oyce opts for an omniscient third7person narrator whose voice is a
parody of the heavily sentimental QromanticQ novels made popular )y the likes of =ane <usten and
/harlotte 6ronte2 Much of =oycePs affected QfemaleQ hyper)ole is lost in the shift from the QmarmaladyQ
style that comes with a return to 6loom2 The hyper)ole of the narrative prose is echoed in the hyper)ole
of the )each activity2 Mac5owell utters trite metaphors, the images of a church procession are Au1taposed
with the scene of 6loomPs mastur)ation2 The )right fireworks that are shot from near)y 6a"aar district
e1plode across the dark sky at the same time that 6loom e1periences the eAaculatory clima1 of his furtive
mastur)ation2
5espite the QmarmaladyQ style of QNausicaa,Q =oyce provides enough depth in Mac5owellPs character to
esta)lish her as one of the more memora)le 5u)liners crossing 6loomPs path2 Ehile Mac5owellPs
sentimentality is satiri"ed, her hopes for an opportunity to Qshare loveQ are as desperate as the pleadings
of the 5edalus girls for grocery money2 <dditionally, Mac5owellPs sentimentality is not completely
)linding and she is a)le to accurately identify 6loom as a fum)ling and unattractive older man at the
same time that she is a)le to present the romantici"ed notion of 6loomPs face as the Qsaddest she had ever
seen2Q +using Mac5owellPs portrait of 6loom with the musings of the narrator of the previous chapter
produces an evening view of the tired ,eopold 6loom2
The novelPs return to !andymount strand provides for a comparison and contrast )etween !tephen and
6loom2 !tephenPs morning thoughts in Q#roteusQ concentrated on the concepts of QformQ and Qsight2Q
6loom is similarly fascinated )y 4ertyPs transparent stockings, which Qhad neither shape nor form2Q
6loomPs voyeuristic mastur)ation provides another corollary to !tephenPs ideas as 6loomPs vision of
Mac5owell is distorted and his mastur)atory act is only the hollow appro1imation of se12 !tephenPs
physical release is not an eAaculation )ut urination and )oth men consider literary ventures in connection
with their Qreleases2Q +inally, the rocks of the )eachside are unquestiona)ly a testament to the loneliness
of )oth characters2 =oyce will )ring these characters together in the ne1t chapter, having fully indicated
their spiritual congruities2
=ust as 6loomPs actions suggest that !tephen 5edalus is his younger counterpart, 4erty Mac5owellPs
sentimental thoughts foreshadow the e1position of Molly 6loomPs thoughts, presented in the final chapter
of Dlysses, Q#enelope2Q The focus on 4ertyPs undergarments and her domestic duties as a washerwoman
presents the image of Mac5owell as a young woman whose cleanliness Aars with our memory of the dirty
underwear strewn a)out sleeping MollyPs )edroom2 The EoodsP washerwoman 8the Eoods are 6loomPs
neigh)ors9 and the image of 5edalus girls )oiling their laundry, complete the motif2 6ut the simple
dichotomy )etween QcleanQ youth and QdirtyQ age is complicated when Molly reveals her earliest se1ual
memories, the first of which occurred when she mastur)ated a man into her handkerchief, 8dirtying it92
<nd in QNausicaa,Q 6loom must dirty himself while his Nausicaa waves her own clean handkerchief at
6Dnquestiona)ly, Mac5owellPs capacity and desire for love )ring her closest connection to the
revelations of Q#enelope2Q In her own considerations of romance, the young woman )oth foreshadows
MollyPs response to 6loom and engages one of =oycePs maAor themes2 In her reflection on -eggie Eylie, a
recent e17)oyfriend, Mac5owell regrets that she may never marry and she confesses that Qshe had loved
him )etter than he knew2Q 4erty considers the personal relationships that are produced )y the traditions of
the -oman /atholic /hurch and she concludes that Qthere ought to )e women priestsQ so that Irish women
might have a soul in whom they may comforta)ly confide2Q Ehile these two statements have nearly
47
identical counterparts in Q#enelope,Q Mac5owellPs other crucial admission is a somewhat damning
commentary on the 6loomsP marriage: Qlove laughs at locksmiths2Q Ehile 4erty only means to e1press
her unflagging desire to eclipse the )arriers that separate human souls, her laughing at locksmiths turns
DlyssesP key motif on its head, suggested that the preoccupying tedium of key and tower is evidence of
lovePs a)sence2 The cuckoo clock is equally damning in regards to 6loom2 The chapter ends as the clock
strikes nine and the )ird sings three triplets of Q/uckoo2Q This seemingly unimportant occurrence is
colored )y =oycean references to QcuckoldingQ and #eterPs tripled denial of /hrist2
4ertyPs concept of love faults 6loom for his pretense and furtiveness and as a voyeur, 6loom is
unsuccessful2 Earlier in the day, Mulligan caught 6loom furtively staring at the rear ends of ancient
statues and Mac5owell can easily discern that 6loom is staring at her while mastur)ating2 4erty plays on
6loomPs ineffective pretenses )y displaying her undergarments Qaccidentally on purpose,Q and in this
regard, QloveQ )ecomes a Qgame2Q The consequences of pretense are rather steep and =oyce recalls
BamletPs thematic treatment of pretense2 The King /laudius is a royal pretender; the Cueen, 4ertrude,
presents a false faVade of devotion; #rince Bamlet presents a play in an attempt to replicate the true
murder of his father and coa1 a confession from the King, and Bamlet later feigns madness2 !imilarly,
#olonius eavesdrops )ehind a curtain and the unsuccessful snoop is murdered2 6loomPs actions confess
the inevita)le futility of these QgamesQ and at the end of QNausicaa,Q 6loom reali"es that he and 4erty
must separate2 In this relationship7Aust as with Martha /lifford7nothing real has )een shared2 <t the
chapterPs end, 6loom suggests that these games are part of a larger attempt to Qsee ourselves as others see
usQ and 6loom evokes the QformQ and QsightQ theme of !tephenPs !andymount stroll2 6loomPs e1it from
!andymount corresponds with the novels official entry into the QNightQ episodes of the novel and a final
reference to Q#roteusQ occurs when 6loom notes that it is dark and difficult to see2 6loom plays with the
idea concluding that Irish Bome -ule is similarly a QMirage2Q In love and life, 6loom argues, what
appears on the hori"on is not necessarily what is2
It is interesting that QNausicaaQ captures the transition from dusk to night even though it ends at % pm2
The darkening of the day foreshadows a shift in the mood of the novel, )ut the winding of the day refers
to 6loomPs comparative age in relation to !tephen, who strolled the )eaches of !andymount earlier in the
day2 6loomPs fascination with young girls is heightened )y his flagging energy2 <fter mastur)ating, he
considers the effects of Mac5owellPs QtemptationQ referring to himself in the third7person plural: Qdrained
all the manhood out of em222my youth2Q Ehile 5edalus hopes for a grey7eyed muse, 6loom is 4ertyPs
grey7haired lover2 ,ike !tephen, 4erty is considered as the QfutureQ of Ireland and her Qwinsome Irish
girlhoodQ is a fusion of se1ual allure, childlike purity and maternal instincts2 !he is a Qsterling good
daughter222 Aust like a second motherQ and within her chest )eats Qthe very heart of a girlwoman2Q
=ust as !tephen is considered to )e Qconsu)stantialQ of several men, 4erty Mac5owell is alternately
temptress and patron2 The overriding QreliefQ and QrescueQ themes of QNausicaaQ limit the parallels to
Mac5owellPs namesake, 4ertrude of Bamlet, )ut =oyce clearly suggests that Mac5owellPs affected
displays are attempts to QcorruptQ 6loom, though the desire to tempt 6loom is only one of several minor
motives2 4ertyPs chief motive comes from her emulation of the Hirgin Mary and 4ertyPs )eachside QHirgin
MaryQ )ears a striking resem)lance to the fourth chapter of < #ortrait of the <rtist as a Foung Man, where
a )eachside QHirgin MaryQ inspires !tephen 5edalusP crucial epiphany2 The opening lines of QNausicaaQ
invoke the )lessings of QMary, star of the seaQ and Mac5owellPs Qegg)lueQ garments give her a chromatic
48
resem)lance to the traditional depictions of the Hirgin Mary2 <dditionally, 4erty wears a )adge
identifying her as a Q/hild of Mary2Q
Mac5owell considers 6loom as a dark and lonely stranger and the narrator suggest that Qeven if he
W6loomX was a #rotestant or Methodist she WMac5owellX could convert him easily if he truly loved her2Q
Ironically, 6loom is a =ew who is far )eyond the pale of Mac5owellPs religious preferences2 Even though
Mac5owell is unaware of 6loomPs =ewish heritage, her e1pression of )enevolence as an avatar of the
Hirgin is the closest that /hristianity comes to including 6loom within its fold2 The motif of the Hirgin
Mary is complicated )y the simultaneous references to !andymountPs church tower, the Martello tower
and MaryPs )eacon7like strength2 These phallic sym)ols of strength are intermittent in 6loomPs display of
his flagging potency and Mary )ecomes a tower that is also female, offering Qpure radiance, a )eacon ever
to the stormtossed heart of man, Mary, star of the sea2Q <s Mary, Mac5owell offers the traditional female
succor to a hero in need while asserting towered strength and power over the emasculated and elderly
6loom2 Mac5owellPs invocation to the Qholy virgin of virginsQ is ironic given 4ertyPs se1ually corrupt
)ehavior and preference for phallic imagery2 <s a )eacon7like virgin who saps 6loomPs masculinity and
youth, Mac5owell foreshadows 6ellaN6ello who appears as Q/irceQ in a Nighttown )rothel, )ut the
sincerity of Mac5owellPs love and concern for 6loom allows her to successful apply her /hristian idea of
QMary, the refuge of sinners,Q to the =ewish stranger2
The power of Mac5owellPs QloveQ for 6loom is supported )y the refrain of his love song: QTell me, Mary,
how to woo thee2Q Mary appears in 6loomPs musical register despite his ignorance of /hristian themes
and his immediate reference to Qthose lovely seaside girlsQ supports the idea that 6loom is not
consciously aware of 4ertyPs somewhat deli)erate transition into an avatar of the Hirgin Mary2 Ehile
6loomPs previous references to love songs inevita)ly focused on his wifePs )etraying act of adultery,
6loomPs wooed QMaryQ and the Qlovely seaside girlsQ smother 6loomPs thoughts of adultery to a mere
flicker2 Ehile 6loom does )riefly consider his relationship with Molly, his paced and ordered thoughts
have conspicuously lost the agitated preoccupation and distress that marked his earlier feelings of
e1clusion2 QMaryQ and the Qlovely seaside girls,Q even in 6loomPs contrived musical form, e1press =oycePs
argument for love as the facilitator and preserver of human relationships2
< few direct allusions to 5antePs 5ivine /omedy appear in QNausicaaQ and these may )e =oycePs method
of confirming the chapterPs unmistaka)le thematic reliance upon the final cantos of #aradiso, which are
commonly referred to as an 0de to ,ove2 In 5antePs Q0de,Q the HirginPs offering of love and mercy
matches an e1plosion of music starry lights2 =oyce includes these elements in the fireworks, )eacon7lights,
hymns and love songs of QNausicaa,Q the last of DlyssesP numerous seaside chapters2 <s night ends and
6loom prepares to return to 5u)linPs ur)an locales, the image of the merciful Hirgin seems especially apt2
Mac5owell offers 6loom the one interlude of respite )etween the terrors of KiernanPs pu) in QThe
/yclopsQ and 6loomPs ta1ing guardianship of !tephen during the chronology of the ne1t three chapters2
<s =oycePs prototypical young Irish woman, Mac5owellPs efforts as a Qrefuge of sinnersQ and
Qcomfortress of the afflictedQ propels the theme of love while suggesting that maternity, QIrishnessQ and
Q/atholicismQ are indeed, Qconsu)stantial2Q In QNausicaa,Q =oycePs typically heated satire of the church
has cooled and Mac5owell is permitted her /atholic sym)ols and religious piety2 4erty can perform
religious healing on a human level even as =oyce questions the /atholic /hurchPs legitimacy2 The potency
of QMaryQ should remind the reader of !tephenPs !andymount memories of his mother, Mary 5edalus as
the sum of the thematic de)ate again corro)orates the comparative strength of maternal love as opposed
49
to the paternal2 Even as 6loom prepares for his paternal mission, he is only sustained on account of
Mac5owellPs maternal intervention and the sincerity of 6loomPs desire for a son is undercut )y his
unproductive spilling of his seed2
/hapter $&: The 01en of the !un
!ummary: QThe 01en of the !unQ )egins no earlier than $; pm and ends at appro1imately $$pm2 <fter the
QNausicaaQ episode, 6loom finally arrives at The National Maternity Bospital to visit Mina #urefoy who
has )een in la)or for three days2 6ecause 6loom is concerned that #urefoy has not )een a)le to deliver the
child, he waits in the hospital )efore )riefly seeing Mrs2 #urefoy, whose hus)and, Theodore, is not
present2 <fter a )rief discussion with one of the midwives, 6loom decides to wait outside the maternity
room, until he has received word that, with the aid of 5r Borne and midwives, Mina #urefoy has given
)irth to a healthy son2
Ehile 6loom is waiting for information regarding #urefoyPs la)or, he meanders into a darkened waiting
room where he encounters !tephen 5edalus, who is sitting at a long ta)le, drinking a)sinthe in the
company of several other young men who are also drinking2 <pparently, !tephenRs acquaintances,
including 6uck Mulligan, are mostly medical students and interns at the hospital2 Ehen 6loom sits at the
drinking ta)le of the younger men, he is initiating the first union )etween the novelPs principal characters
86loom and 5edalus92 6uck Mulligan is a menacing presence in the hospital and 6loom consciously
assumes a paternal role, fearing that Mulligan has laced !tephenPs drink with a harmful su)stance2
Even after 6loom Aoins the conversation of the semi7ine)riated men, Mulligan remains as )awdy and
irreverent as )efore, making crass references to contraception, se1ual intercourse, mastur)ation and
procreation2 <nd 6loomRs paternal aura seems to only e1tend to !tephen, who he singles out as the one
decent character in the group2 -epeatedly, the young men are cautioned to lower the volume of their
laughter and profanity2 <fter !tephen separates from Mulligan at the chapterPs end, 6loom worries for
!tephenPs safety and he decides to follow !tephen who has departed for Q6audyville,Q alongside his friend
Hincent ,ynch; presuma)ly, the young men intend to visit a )rothel2
<nalysis:
The 01en of the !un were the golden cattle of the sun7god Belios, whose herd freely gra"ed the sea7side
pastures of one of the coasts where DlyssesP crew takes refuge from the stormy seas2 In The 0dyssey,
several mem)ers of DlyssesP crew decide to slaughter and roast a few of the o1en, despite DlyssesP
repeated warnings2 The sun7god Belios is enraged and while he spares Dlysses and the temperate
mem)ers of his crew, those who have taken part in the slaughter of the sacred flock are destroyed2 =oycePs
Q01en of the !unQ chapter engages a thematic question of life versus death, with the sun as the igniting
force )ehind life and the destruction of the cattle as a testament to the destruction that death )rings2
5u)linPs National Maternity Bospital is the setting of the chapter and provides the appropriate conte1t for
discussions of )irth and dying2 =oyce does makes a few references to cattle2 The diseased Irish cattle,
which 5easy has crusaded for, may )e slaughtered in the port of ,iverpool2 The name of Mina #urefoyPs
doctor is Borne, a pun on the horns of a )ull and the multiple )irths occurring in the cramped hospital
quarters resem)le a )arnyard scene, complete with a manger2
50
The principal mother of the chapter, Mina #urefoy, shares her first name with the )armaid Ms2 Kennedy
whose gold7hair is a reference to the color of the sun as well as the sacred cattle2 The )irth of #urefoyPs
Qgolden childQ is also a pun on the words son and sun2 The imagery of wool and cattle in regards to
#urefoyPs new)orn son identifies him with BeliosP sacred herd while also suggesting that the #urefoy heir
may play a messianic role2 <mid references to 6ullock har)or and the Q)ullock)efriending )ard,Q the
refrain Q)ully)oyQ is repeated applied to the new)orn #urefoy, indicating his vigor as well as his
congruity with the sacred cattle2 Q6ully)oyQ is one of the few positive )estial references in a novel replete
with negative ones2 In a day of death and dying, the )irth of the healthy young #urefoy is a contrast to the
6loomPs dead new)orn, presenting a long7awaited response to the novelPs u)iquitous e1pressions of decay
and infertility2
=oyce develops the Q)ully)oyQ as a messianic parallel to the 01en of the !un, )y constructing Mrs2
#urefoy as a Hirgin Mary7type character2 The image of a manger is presented in the narrative even though
there are no mangers in the hospital and the a)sence of #urefoyPs hus)and simulates the e1clusive link
)etween the Hirgin and the new)orn /hrist2 Ehile is unsurprising that =oycePs thematic treatment of Qlife
and deathQ relies upon a construction of maternity as the source of life, it is worth noting that the )irth of
the Q)ully)oy,Q like the )irth of /hrist, reveals the conspicuous a)sence of a human paternal unit2 Instead,
6loomPs thoughts of his dead son -udy suggest paternityPs comparative irrelevance and even as 6loom is
drawn to Mina as a source of life, the into1icated young men at his ta)le are mocking and disrespectful in
their humorous philosophi"ing on conception, pregnancy and contraception2 In particular, MulliganPs
sordid humor is the epitome of Qslaughter,Q for =oyce, as he humorously ponders various violations of
lifePs sacredness2
Q01en of the !unQ is one of the more difficult chapters to read as =oyce employs another anonymous
narrator who is )oth omniscient and physically a)sent from the setting of the chapter2 /oncentrating on
the theme of )irth, the prose of the chapter is artificially into nine different sections to emulate the nine
months of gestation2 Early on in the chapter, it )ecomes clear that each of the nine sections corresponds to
a phase in the )irth or evolution of the English language2 Q01en of the !unQ opens with a /eltic chant of
)roken sentences )efore progressing into various forms of 0ld and Middle English2 <s the sentence
structure and synta1 proceeds chronologically, the chapter assumes a more narrative tone relying upon
narrative structures that chronologically correspond to the various syntactical forms of the English
,anguage2 5uring the 0ld English sections of the chapter, =oycePs narrator emulates the form of 6eowulf
and other <nglo7!a1on epics2 ,ater on, Q01en of the !unQ )ecomes a morality tale of Everyman and
again, appears fashioned after /haucerPs /anter)ury Tales2 <s the tension )etween !tephen and his friends
increases and 6loom )ecomes more alarmed at MulliganPs distasteful humor, the narrative shifts to
QmodernQ versions of the English language, )earing stylistic relationships with 5ickens and various
Hictorian writers2 <s a de)ilitated !tephen makes his e1it, the language of empire degenerates into dialect
and ur)an slang, the arc from )irth to death having come full circle2
The affected narrative style of Q01en of the !unQ is the source of continuous humor2 The opacity and
intended QdistanceQ of the narratorPs 0ld English does very little to o)scure his insults2 <t times, the
narratorPs Aoy in mocking the characters is Aust as unflinching as the commentary of the narrator in QThe
/yclops,Q though this narrator lacks the sinister traits of his counterpart2 Ehile engaged in a parody of
6eowulf, the narrator regards the QwoundQ of the hero, 6loom, and we later learn that this wound is a
mere )ee7sting2 To e1press his disapproval of the young menPs conversation, the narrator names them as
51
!irs, whose )awdy displays testify to the intended irony of the narratorPs superficial compliment2 ,ater,
the young men are regarded as knights sitting at King <rthurPs round ta)le if not a fraternity of warriors,
gathered in a mead hall2 These hyper)olic descriptions have the dual purpose of indicating chronological
shifts in the narrativePs structure and reminding us that !tephen and his friends are getting drunk in a
Maternity Bospital, one of the least likely venues for such activity2 Ehen =oyce parodies the famous
Qmorality playsQ of EuropePs Middle <ges and early -enaissance, the narrator renames many of the
characters, giving them names that offer some sort of )iographical information, if not character
assessment2 <n intern named 5i1on is renamed Qlearningknight,Q ,enehan is descri)ed as an
unimpressive Qfranklin,Q !ir ,eopold comes to regard !tephenPs friends as wastrels Aust as he is renamed
Q/almerQ to !tephenPs Q6oasthard2Q
The narratorPs hyper)olic e1cesses can )e most easily detected in the depiction of 6uck Mulligan whose
sordid comedy is cast as wholly evil2 The 0ld English narrator parodies himself )y referring to Mulligan
as #unch /ostello, )ut the harmless 8and rather accurate9 moniker is replaced )y the phrase Qchild of
,ilith,Q and the !atanic connotations of ,ilith Au1apose Mulligan with the messianic Q)ully)oy2Q
MulliganPs su)sequent names, Qpatron of a)ortionsQ and Qspawn of a re)el,Q prevent the reader from
considering MulliganPs humor as harmless impropriety2 The morality tale, featuring Q/almerQ and
Q6oasthard,Q presents Mulligan as QKillchildQ )ecause of his unnecessarily ardent adulation of )irth
control2 Mulligan is renamed Q/arnal /oncupiscenceQ after he argues that men should mastur)ate rather
than marry, and he later distri)utes )usiness cards that read QMr Malachi Mulligan2 +ertiliser and
Incu)ator,Q in order to advertise his fictitious scheme to live on a compound of women with whom he will
fornicate2 Mulligan is wholly uninterested in the potential for procreation through se1 even as he argues
that his role as Q+ertiliser and Incu)atorQ will Austify his se1ual e1cesses2
<t times, MulliganPs unnecessary and immature cruelty resem)les /iti"en2 Mulligan refers to the morning
milkmaid whom he calls QMother 4rogan,Q e1claiming QtherePs a )elly that never )ore a )astard2Q
MulliganPs reduction of procreation to its status as an inconvenient side7product of shallow and lust7
driven se1, is not the full e1tent of his offense2 <dditionally, the young medical student revels in the
details of death, corruption, perversion and destruction2 6uck spends several minutes discussing incest
and he affects the seriousness of a moral philosopher while telling a riddle after which the audience must
decide )etween )alancing the life of a pregnant woman against the life of her un)orn child2 0ur final
images of Mulligan make e1plicit references to BomerPs Q01en of the !unQ as Mulligan relishes a story of
once eating pre7)orn calves from living cows2 Mulligan is indicted for his intentional and unprovoked
efforts to violate the sacredness of life and in satirical praise of MulliganPs numerous songs and alleged
visions, the narrator name him Malachi -oland !t2 =ohn Mulligan2
6loomPs attempts to QrescueQ !tephen reflect his concern for 5edalusP physical condition as well as his
reali"ation that !tephenPs acquaintances would eventually produce in him, their same sacrilegious and
crass manners2 Ehen #urefoy finally gives )irth, 6loom struggles to pull !tephen away from the
drunkenness of the ta)le so that he might consider the QmiracleQ which has Aust taken place2 !uggesting to
!tephen that the sincere cele)ration of )irth and life is a necessary characteristic of a true artist, 6loom
asserts that Qone must have a cold constitution and a frigid geniusQ to resist reAoicing at the news of
#urefoyPs )irth, considering the fact #urefoy has innocently and patiently suffered three days of intense
pain2 6loomPs invitation to !tephen is countered )y MulliganPs refrain, Q0 lust our refuge and our
strength,Q a corrupted reference to the Hirgin Mary2
52
The scene in the Maternity Bospital pits 6loom against Mulligan, )oth of whom intend to influence
!tephen, whose lack of maturity )ecomes glaringly apparent2 !tephen appears as alternately fearful and
)oastful, and the depiction of Qyoung !tephen orgulous of Mother /hurchQ confirms our suspicion that
!tephen is irritated )y MulliganPs )lasphemy )ecause he has )een una)le to sever his own connections
with the -oman /atholic /hurch2 Even as the narrator e1amines !tephenPs emotional QyouthQ and lack of
rigor and independence, )oth the anonymous o)server as well as 6loom agree that !tephen is decent soul
who lacks the depraved sensi)ilities of his acquaintances2 Even though !tephen tries to emulate them, his
conscience prevents him from fully reveling in their humor2
5espite 6loomPs e1hausting display of paternal affection and his unspoken thoughts of his son of eleven
days, )uried Qon a fair corselet of lam)Ps wool,Q the chapterPs tone hints that 6loom and 5edalus will )e
una)le to forge a permanent relationship2 Ehile !tephen remains o)sessed with questions of paternity, his
Bamlet7ghosts and Telemachus7like voyages inevita)ly return to the image of his dead mother2 !tephenPs
most o)vious departure from his two antecedents is his preference of the maternal to the paternal2 5espite
the chapterPs multi7tiered argument against paternity, 6loom continues on his mission2 6loomPs overtures
to the into1icated 5edalus are mostly ignored, though not )ecause !tephen intends to disrespect 6loom2
The tragic sense of 6loomPs condition is heightened )y our reali"ation of what 6loom does not know: that
he is thinking of his son, while !tephen is thinking of his mother2 6loom is e1plicitly descri)ed as a
desperate figure who, QWhavingX no manchild for an heir looked upon his friendPs son and was shut up in
sorrow2Q The chapter makes reference to Qour mighty motherQ in addressing the midwives of Mina
#urefoy, and we should recall the Q)irthca)leQ that !tephen considers as the unifying factor of humanity2
Mina #urefoy is similarly constructed as the sym)ol of a fruitful union )etween Ireland and the -oman
/atholic /hurch, in contrast to the Qsireland2Q <nd #urefoyPs Hirgin Mary imagery is further developed in
the parallel )etween her three days of la)or and the three days spanning /hrist crucifi1ion, )urial and
resurrection2 The female is present at the Qwom)Q and at the Qtom)Q and MollyPs thoughts in Q#enelopeQ
similarly identify Qthe aged sistersQ who Qdraw us into life222over us dead they )end2Q
In contrast, QNo)odaddy,Q a 4od7like figure who lacks personal aspects of mercy, epitomi"es =oycePs
ideas of fatherhood2 Ehile the Hirgin Mary is elevated, 4od is punned as a mere Qdisseminator of
)lessingsQ and !tephen recalls his earlier thoughts that fatherhood is fleeting and inconsequential2
MulliganPs Aoke, that he will )ecome a hired fertili"erNincu)ator, underscores the inconsequentiality of
fatherhood2 Even 6loom comes under attack as the narrator Audges him: Qthou has sinned against my light
lust2Q 6loomPs sin against the QlightQ is his mastur)ation, spilling his seed rather than attempting to create
life2 There is little hope for the 6loom7Hirag line as the narrator notes 6loomPs solemnity: QThere is none
now to )e for ,eopold, what ,eopold was for -udolph2Q This is a dou)le7damnation as Q-udolphQ is the
name of ,eopoldPs father and the name of his son2
6loomPs paternal efforts are transfigured into more of a /hrist7like, messianic outreach than fatherly
guidance, in part )ecause 6loom is too QdifferentQ and too much of a misfit to )reach the divide he shares
with !tephen2 Ehile he cannot claim !tephen as an heir, he is a)le to play the role of the QKind
KristyannQ who helps !tephen, the Qyung man hoose frend tuk )ungellow kee2Q This voice comes from
the street, one of the QNighttimeQ voices2 0ccurring at the end of the chapterPs QevolutionQ of the English
language, this slang 8which closely resem)les T2!2 EliotPs appro1imations of )lack <merican dialects9
e1presses am)iguous emotions of <nglo7<merican Modernists who welcomed the end of Hictorian
sensi)ilities, all the while dismayed )y the inevita)le Qculture chaosQ of language without structure2
53
The 8European9 Modernist response to the rise of Q6lack EnglishQ as )eing QoutsideQ of the culture is
especially poignant in this =oycean conte1t considering that =oyce is a self7e1iled Irish writer QoutsideQ of
the 6ritish culture2 =oycePs protagonist, 6loom, is even more Qe1cludedQ than the young melancholy
!tephen, )ecause Mr2 6loom is an apostate =ew living )eyond the pale of orthodo1 =udaism at the same
time that his questiona)le Q=ewishnessQ makes him a Qdark horseQ in /atholic Ireland2 +inally, the
Messiah to which 6loom aspires, is similarly a reAected )eneficent character, e1pelled to the wilderness
)efore an ultimate reAection )y his kinsmen and e1ecution )y foreigners2 5espite the intended opacity of
the conclusionPs Q6lack English,Q this passage provides one of the clearest depictions of 6loom and
!tephen2
The narrator e1plains that Foung !tephen needs a place to Qlay crown of his hed ( night,Q and the alert
reader should recall =oycePs earlier employments of the crown pun2 5edalus is =oycePs parallel to the
princes Telemachus and Bamlet, and his first name, !tephen, is as 4reek as his last name, 5edalus,
deriving from the 4reek word for crown, !tephanos2 The QnightQ voice humorously refers to Martello as a
Q)ungalow,Q )ut in spite of his foreign anonymity and distance, the )lack street speaker easily identifies
the QkeyQ as !tephenPs primary concern 8and recurring motif9, even as the young 5edalus is drunk and
clueless2 The allusion to Mulligan7the7usurper as !tephenPs QfrendQ is as 8intentionally9 ironic as the plea
to the QKind Kristyann,Q 6loom2 <t the conclusion of QThe /yclops,Q 6loom QascendedQ into heaven,
having reali"ed his EliAahNThrowaway potential2 6eginning in QNausicaa,Q the anonymous narrators
initiate 6loomPs Q/hristiani"ation,Q after a stressful day as an identifia)le outsider2 Ehile the characters of
Dlysses retain their knowledge of 6loomPs =ewishness, the narrators allow 6loom to develop messianic
imagery, all the while underscoring the fact that, unlike other literary heroes, he is a forgiven failure2 Even
as his act of mastur)ation is chained to his immediate desires for an heir, his am)itions to )e a Messiah
are limited )y his depiction as )eing a QKristyannQ instead of /hrist, a facilitator instead of a savior2
/hapter $I: /irce
!ummary:
6loom follows !tephen and ,ynch out of the maternity hospital as they head to 6awdyville, a )rothel in
the red7light district of 5u)lin that =oyce refers to as Nighttown2 The reader is presented with grisly
scenes of street urchin and deformed children, rowdy 6ritish soldiers and depraved prostitutes2 6loom
follows the young men )y train )ut he gets off at wrong stop and has initial difficulty keeping track of
them2 Be is then accosted )y a stranger who refuses to let him pass and a QsandstrewerQ runs him off the
road2
<s 6loom progresses deeper into Nighttown with the hopes of finding young !tephen, the frenetic pace of
the red7light district provokes several hallucinations in 6loom and his secret thoughts and hidden fears are
played out )efore us2 < so)er 6loom is greeted )y the spirits of his dead parents as well as the image of
his wife Marion 8Molly9 who speaks to him in QMoorish2Q The farce continues when 6loomPs )ar of
lemon soap )egins to speak and Mrs2 6reen, the wife of the lunatic 5enis, appears in the road and flirts
with 6loom )efore mocking him for getting caught in the red7light district2 6loom is suddenly in a
courtroom, charged with accusations of lechery2 !everal young girls recount sordid stories of his 6loom,
54
the conspicuous voyeur, and the courtroomPs roll includes various characters from earlier in the day
including #addy 5ignam and +ather /offey, who presided over 5ignamPs funeral2
The narrative a)ruptly shifts when 6loom finally arrives at 6ella /ohenPs )rothel2 Ehen 6loom finds
!tephen inside, he immediately seeks to protect the young man from )eing swindled2 !tephen continues
his own descent into drunken madness and 6loom holds 5edalusP money to avoid any further losses2
!tephenPs despairing hallucinations reach their clima1 when he encounters the vengeful ghost of his
mother who )egs him to return to the -oman /atholic /hurch2 5edalus )reaking his sym)olic chains to
past )y smashing /ohenPs cheap chandelier with his walking stick2 /haos ensues when 6ella /ohen tries
to overcharge !tephen for the damage and 6loom must defend !tephenPs interests2 <gain, as they are
leaving the )rothel, 6loom comes to the defensive when #rivate /arr assaults !tephen2 /arr attacks the
into1icated young man despite 6loomPs insistence that !tephen is incapa)le of protecting himself2
!tephen has lost his glasses, his hand wounded and he immediately faints after /arrPs )low2 Hincent
,ynch deserts 5edalus in Nighttown and 6loom directs !tephen towards shelter2 In the final scene of
Q/irce,Q 6loom is distracted )y the vision of his dead son, -udy, not as a new)orn infant )ut at the age
that he would have )een had he lived2
<nalysis:
BomerPs /irce was an enchantress famed for her )eauty as well as her powerful spells2 Dlysses visited
/irce and after inviting his crew to dine at her ta)le, she turned may of them into swine and led them to
her pen where they were Aoined )y her other male victims2 Dlysses and his more temperate sailors had to
struggle to overcome /ircePs powerful charms2 =oycePs /irce is 6ella /ohen, who runs a )rothel in
Nighttown in order to pay for her sonPs tuition at 01ford2 The masochist tint of /ohenPs )rothel
emphasi"es female domination, lust, gluttony and the )estial nature of man2 6ellaPs enchantress7like
function is reaffirmed in the copious pig and )ondage imagery of the Q/irceQ episode2 Ehile the ancient
Dlysses overpowered /irce, 6loom immediately succum)s to hallucinations2 In his maAor se1ual
hallucination, 6loom enAoys the transformation of Q6ellaQ to Q6elloQ as he is QtransformedQ into a
femini"ed )east2 The )rothel functions as a sty and )oth the prostitutes and their patrons are chained to
sordidness of Nighttown at the same time that they each suffer under the )urdens of memory2 !tephen
)reaks /ohenPs chandelier in an effort to ward off his motherPs ghost and !tephenPs nostalgic and religious
o)sessions are as QenchantingQ and harmful as 6loomPs se1ual preoccupations with masculinity and
virility2 !tephen and 6loom are completely vulnera)le in Nighttown, as if they are hypnoti"ed or under a
spell and )oth must re7assert themselves2
Q/irce,Q which reads as a play, is easily the longest of DlyssesP chapters2 The =oycean hallucinations are as
motivated )y the logic of dreams as they are )y his e1cessive puns and references to the 6i)le, to
!hakespeare, to music as well as to the previous fourteen chapters of the novel2 In 6loomPs QNighttownQ
hallucinations, earlier events are recounted with the details mi1ed up2 In QNausicaa,Q 6loom noted that
4erty Mac5owellPs attempt at a flirtatious strut looked more like a limp; in Q/irce,Q Mac5owell is a
limping street urchin2 Even though 6loomPs mother, Ellen Biggins 6loom, is =ewish, she carries religious
sym)ols and calls upon the Qsacred Beart of MaryQ in a manner that resem)les !tephenPs dead mother,
Mary 5edalus2 6oth the 5edalus and Hirag family ghosts chastise their living sons who have departed
from the religious orthodo1y of their youth2
55
The Q/irceQ chapter )ears testament to the Modernist =oycePs reliance upon the writings of !igmund
+reud2 In particular, =oycePs argument that 6loomPs dreams reveal his repressed se1ual fears and desires is
very +reudian2 In 6loomPs sado7masochistic hallucination, the )rothel )ecomes a startling place: 6ella
/ohen )ecomes a large man named 6ello and 6loom )ecomes a female pig who enAoys )eing de)ased
and fettered2 The e1tremes of 6loomPs hallucination provide insight into his servility in MollyPs presence2
Towards the end of 6loomPs hallucination we find the humorous cheering of )ystanders who proclaim the
unparalleled se1ual prowess of 6la"es 6oylan2 4iven the se1ually e1plicit language of the scene, it is
little surprise that Dlysses was )anned in the Dnited Kingdom and Dnited !tates when it was first
pu)lished in $%((2
!tephenPs tormenting hallucinations are far less humorous than 6loomPs and with his dead motherPs ghost
in pursuit, !tephenPs )ehavior resem)les the madness of #rince Bamlet2 <ll around him, !tephen hears
corrupted versions of the love songs that he sang to his mother and Aust as he has reAected paternity,
!tephen must now reAect his mother and declare his independence2 <s soon as !tephen smashes 6ella
/ohenPs chandelier, his motherPs ghost vanishes2 loom upon e1iting !andymount !trand2
/hapters $>7$*
/hapter !i1teen: Eumaeus
!ummary: <fter !tephen is revived, 6loom directs him towards a Qca)manPs shelter,Q a coffeehouse
owned )y a man named Q!kin7the74oatQ +it"harris2 <s !tephen )egins to slowly so)er up, 6loom )egins
a conversation in earnest, discussing his ideas of love and politics2 6loomPs desperation makes his desire
for a QsonQ transparent and even when !tephen is so)er, he does not seem to )e particularly interested in
6loomPs thoughts2 The conversation )etween 6loom and 5edalus resem)les the conversation in the
5ignam funeral carriage, where 6loom appears as a man who is desperate for acceptance2
In his efforts to win !tephenRs favor, 6loom attempts to play the role of an intellectual2 Dpon entering the
ca)manRs shelter, 6loom hears a few Italians speaking their native language and he turns to !tephen, to
proclaim his love of the Italian language, specifically its phonetics2 !tephen 8who knows Italian9 calmly
replies that the Italian melody that 6loom has heard, was a )ase squa))le over money2 Though 6loom
soon reali"es that he does not know the )rooding young 5edalus very well, he )elieves that the studentPs
company would )e )eneficial for the 6looms2 Be could perhaps )e a singer like his father and his
economic potential is all the more pleasant to 6loom )ecause he considers !tephen to )e an QedifyingQ
partner in conversation2 ,ater in the conversation, 6loom demonstrates his intellectual deficiencies as he
attempts to discuss politics with 5edalus arguing a shallow and superficial Mar1ist ,eninism2 6loomRs
reform calls first, for all citi"ens to Qla)orQ and second, for all citi"enRs needs to )e secured regardless of
their varying a)ilities, provided that this reform is carried out Qin installments2Q #erceiving !tephenRs
negative reaction to )e a non7intellectual aversion, 6loom seeks to immediately assuage 5edalus )y
e1plaining that poetry is Qla)or2Q
6loom leaves the ca)manPs shelter and invites !tephen to his home at @ Eccles !treet and the young man
grudgingly accepts2 Ehile inside the coffeehouse, !tephenPs paid less attention to 6loom and more
attention to a man named E2 62 Murphy, a self7descri)ed world sailor who had Aust come home to see his
56
wife after many years2 The comic sea )ard adds a comic note to the tiring chapter, with his stories of
acro)ats, conspiracies and tattoos2 <s he is leaving the ca)manPs shelter, !tephen sees his dissipated
friend, /orley2 Ehen /orley e1plains that he is in need of work, !tephen suggests that /orley visit Mr2
5easyPs school to apply for an opening, as 5edalus intends to vacate his post2
<nalysis: BomerPs Eumaeus was a herder who sheltered Dlysses when he first arrived in Ithaca2 The
QEumaeusQ parallel is the Qca)manPs shelterQ which provides sustenance for 5edalus and 6loom, who are
nearing the end of their wanderings2 +it"harrisP nickname, Q!kin7the7goat,Q presents a superficial parallel
to the Ithaca herder and E2 62 Murphy is close to the Dlysses prototype than 6loom is2 It is Murphy who
has traveled the world and has now returned home, fearing what infidelity may have transpired in his
a)sence2
The long7winded prose of this chapter resem)les the anonymous narrating of the fourteenth chapter,
QNausicaa2Q 6oth chapters emulate medieval morality tales and /hristian para)les and this chapter also
develops the theme of the story7telling wanderer2 ,ike the Q<ncient Mariner,Q E2 62 Murphy performs in
a role similar to DlyssesP role in BomerPs QNausicaaQ episode2 The dissipated, wandering style of the
narrative is meant to evoke the listlessness of the weary travelers2 The sentences are long and winding;
often times, they are not completed and this narrator seems too weary to offer a penetrating ga"e into the
minds of 6loom and 5edalus2
In his arrangement of motifs, =oyce makes specific reference to /hristPs para)les of the 4ood !amaritan
and the #rodigal !on as well as legendary wanderers like =upiter +luvius and the Q+lying 5utchman2Q The
words of E2 62 Murphy 8Qmy wife )elieves me dead, rocked in the cradle of the deepQ9 link all of these
figures together as they )edeviled )y questions of recognition2 6oth !tephen and 6loom have )een
irrevoca)ly changed on =une $>, and after their pained wandering, they may not resem)le the people they
once were2 =oyce reali"es this and as Ithaca approaches, the men contemplate the fragility and endurance
of love2 6loom thinks to himself: Qlove me, love my dirty shirt,Q a ma1im of forgiveness that )oth he and
Molly would need to learn2 The narrator is more e1plicit in the questions posed to the reader: Q/an real
love, supposing there happens to )e another chap in the case, e1ist )etween married folkOQ
/hapter !eventeen: Ithaca
!ummary: The novelPs penultimate chapter marks the pre7dawn hours of =une $@, $%;&2 !tephen returns
with 6loom to his residence at @ Eccles !treet and after a strained conversation and a cup of cocoa,
5edalus departs, turning down 6loomPs invitation to stay for the night2 Ehen the two gentlemen reach @
Eccles, 6loom reali"es that he does not have his key and he is forced to literally Aump over a gate in order
to gain entry into the house2 <fter navigating his way through the dark house, 6loom retrieves a candle
and returns to lead !tephen through the dark house2 Their conversation is more spirited as !tephen is
considera)ly more conscious and lucid than he was in the fourteenth and fifteenth chapters2 <nd unlike
his demeanor in the ca)manRs shelter, !tephen is less sullen as he sits in the 6loom residence drinking
cocoa2 6loomRs conversation eventually tires 5edalus though, and despite 6loomRs efforts, he departs
without committing to 6loomRs offer for a future engagement for QintellectualQ conversation2 5edalus
does not know where he is going to go, as he declines returning to his fatherRs house and is locked out of
Martello2 4uiding !tephen outside of the house, 6loom lingers outside to stare at the multitude of early
57
morning stars2 Dpon re7entering the house, 6loom retires for the night, focusing his thoughts on the
untidy house2
There is visi)le evidence of 6oylanPs earlier visit and after )riefly contemplating a divorce, 6loom
silently clim)s into )ed, offering Molly a kiss on the rear end2 It seems that 6loom is eager to forget the
matter, and will sacrifice his self7respect for comforts of married sta)ility2 6loomPs su)missiveness
presents a sharp contrast to the triumphal actions of BomerPs Dlysses2 In the original QIthacaQ episode,
Dlysses and his son Telemachus attack #enelopePs suitors, e1ecuting them all )efore re7esta)lishing
Dlysses on his throne2
<nalysis:
QIthacaQ has long )eguiled many literary critics; the chapter is structured as an interrogation or catechism2
Through the answers to ?;@ posed questions, the reader gleans an account of 6loomPs early morning
activity2 <gain, an anonymous narrator accompanies =oycePs complicated narrative structure2 The tone and
scope of the questions alternates from philosophical to personal, effecting a new e1perience for the
reader; all the while, QIthacaQ is )ursting with the usual =oycean humor and wordplay2 The narrator asks
why 6loom was Qdou)ly irritatedQ discovering the a)sence of his key; the response: Qhe had forgotten and
)ecause he remem)ered that he had reminded himself twice not to forget2Q ,ater, the narrator descri)es
6loomPs Qfirm full masculine feminine passive active handQ and refers to 6loomPs Qclandestine
satisfaction of erotic irritation in masculine )rothels2Q The narrator also mimics 6loomPs am)iguities and
o)sequious manners2 -ecounting 6loomPs previous invitation to visit the 5edalus family, the narrator
e1plains: QHery gratefully, with grateful appreciation, with sincere appreciative gratitude, in
appreciatively grateful sincerity of regret, he declined2Q <t some points, the o)sessive narrator is self7
satirical: Qthey W!tephen and 6loomX drank in Aocoserious silence EppPs massproduct, the creature cocoa2Q
<t the same time that the narrator humorously delves into 6loomPs psyche, the questions present an
equally impersonal universality leading some critics to liken the chapter to a catechism, an 0lympian
divinityNoracle or the 0ld Testament Qvoice of the whirlwind2Q 0thers suggest another 0ld Testament
parallel to 4odPs interrogation of the 6i)lical character, =o)2 The language of the chapter is )oth scientific
and theoretical, reducing 6loomPs spiritual conundrums to neat formulas and o)servations2 -emarking on
the human7ness and universality of 6loomPs solitude, the narrator descri)es 6loom as Qassumed )y any or
known to none2 Everyman or Noman2Q QEverymanQ and QNomanQ link 6loom to a medieval morality play
and BomerPs Dlysses, respectively2 6loomPs fatalism is recast as his cogni"ance of Qthe futility of triumph
or protest or vindication,Q ultimately citing Qthe apathy of the starsQ as the source of his anti7heroic stance2
Most critics agree that the questions and answers of QIthaca,Q whatever their thematic import, produce an
Qo)AectivityQ that none of the other narrators have created2 6loomPs emotional discovery of QevidenceQ of
6oylanPs visit could have easily upset the tonal )alance of the anti7sentimental novel2 Instead, Dlysses
remains on track, for even as 6loom e1periences his heart)reak, he is reduced to si"e: 6loom is only one
of )illions of souls whose Qallotted human life formed a parenthesis of infinitesimal )revity2Q
=oycePs portrait of 6loom defies Bomeric heroics to stress the mundane qualities that 6loom shares with
all of humanity2 !imilarly, with a more pacifist and mellow union )etween =oycePs Dlysses and
Telemachus figures replaces the martial vengeance of BomerPs father and son pair2 <gain, =oyce gives
6loom a tint of the religious imagery that was first employed in QNausicaa2Q 6loom and !tephen resem)le
a /atholic procession, as 6loom searches for a Qlucifer matchQ )efore lighting a candle to guide !tephen
58
into the house2 <s Q!tephen o)eys his W6loomPsX signQ to enter, the young 5edalus links 6loom with the
/atholic Q+athersQ he has o)eyed since his schooldays2 This /hristian imagery is deepened when we learn
that 6loom has )een )apti"ed three times throughout his life, and his final site of )aptism is the same site
where !tephen was )apti"ed2 The religious imagery ends with !tephenPs departure from @ Eccles and it is
descri)ed as Qthe e1odus from the house of )ondage to the wilderness of inha)itation,Q ironically drawing
attention to 6loomPs =ewishness while alluding to a well7known #salm shared )y )oth =udeo7/hristian
traditions2
Even as !tephen su)consciously admits him as a Q+ather,Q 6loomPs messianic am)itions flare and he
imagines himself as the Qlight to the 4entiles2Q Though =oyce has continually satiri"ed his heroesP
messianic comple1es, in this chapter it seems that 6loomPs imperfect desire to help !tephen is enough to
merit the ultimate respect and admiration of the narrator2 6loom has plenty of faults and his schemes for
the )etterment of others often seem hypocritical2 =oyce also paints 6loom as the shallow )ourgeois type7
he dreams of a utopian settlement called Q+lowervilleQ or Q6loom /ottageQ all the while conceding that
Mar1Ps QrevolutionQ is )oth desira)le and inevita)le, only it must come in Qinstallments2Q 6loom )efriends
!tephen, in part, )ecause he )elieves that his conversation is edifying and that he would )e a good tutor to
teach Molly how to speak Italian2
6loom has a sincere desire to Q)etterQ the world and the souls around him and this considera)ly affects his
interactions with others2 Ehen faced with !tephenPs une1pected )rusqueness, 6loom is hesitant to Audge
him, instead suggesting that !tephen is simply in need of etiquette lessons2 6loomPs own failings are
laugha)le7at the end of the chapter he considers leaving his wife )ut after contemplating the Dlysses7like
life of a wanderer, he concludes that it is too late in the night for a Qdeparture2Q <nd to the catalogue of
6loomPs weaknesses and moments of indecision, =oyce adds the details of the unflattering minutia of
6loomPs life: his urination, his flatulence and his painful )ee sting2 +or the narrator, and perhaps for the
reader, 6loomPs heroism comes from his constant desire for a )etter world, his untiring acts of
)enevolence and his eagerness to see the )est in people while forgiving the most painful offenses2 6y the
conclusion of QIthaca,Q 6loom has not mastered the kingliness of a verita)le messiah, nor has he amassed
a congregation of devotees2 Nonetheless, the 4od7like narrator acknowledges 6loomPs faults and forgives
him with the same alacrity that 6loom has demonstrated earlier2
In QIthaca,Q the relationship )etween 6loom and !tephen touches upon a few )iographical details of
=oyce2 0ne of the narratorPs tangents discusses the age ratio )etween the two heroes2 Dlysses is set in
$%;&, as !tephen is (( years old and 6loom is ?*2 In QEandering -ocks,Q Mulligan and Baines Aokes that
!tephen 5edalus would perhaps )e a)le to Qwrite something ten years from now2Q In $%$&, =oyce first
pu)lished selections of his novella, < #ortrait of the <rtist as a Foung Man and the relationship )etween
=oyce and 5edalus is strengthened )y the fact that in $%;&, =ames =oyce and !tephen 5edalus were )oth
(( years old2 5edalus, like =oyce, left for #aris in $%;( and the conclusion of QIthacaQ foresees that in
$%;&, 5edalus, like =oyce, will leave Ireland to take up permanent residency elsewhere2
6loom is si1teen years !tephenPs senior, at the age of ?*2 Not coincidentally, =oyce completed Dlysses in
$%(;, at the age of ?*, having effectively written two avatars of himself into the novel7a younger =oyce
and his older counterpart2 In the novelPs repeated references to 5antePs 5ivine /omedy, =oyce has
suggested the 6loomN5edalus relationship as a parallel to the HirgilN5ante relationship and now we find
that =oyce is effectively mentoring his younger self via 6loom2 Not only does this account for 6loomPs
59
8perhaps, 5arwinian9 desire to assist !tephen, )ut it also e1plains the e1cessive similarities )etween the
two characters who are descri)ed as the Qkeyless couple,Q a pair of #rince Bamlets who ponder whether
Qto enter or not to enter2 To knock or not to knock2Q +or his part, 6loom is largely unaware of what
influence he may have had on 5edalus2 Ehile under 6loomPs )eneficent ga"e, 5edalus has decided to quit
his Ao) at Mr2 5easyPs school2 Ee canPt know whether 6loom motivated this li)eration, we do know that
6loom at least provided a place of QrefugeQ for !tephen while he was drunk and a)used in Nighttown2
6loomPs course as a Throwaway officially ends when !tephen leaves his house for the Qwilderness of
inha)itation,Q doomed to wander for a time, as he is without key2 No dou)t 6loom is somewhat relieved
to see the )urdensome heroPs mantle set upon young !tephenPs shoulders2
/hapter Eighteen: #enelope
!ummary:
Q#enelopeQ is DlyssesP eighteenth and final chapter2 Molly 6loom thinks on her life )efore marriage and
she defends and regrets her affair with 6oylan, while )emoaning the social restrictions on women2 Mrs2
6loom catalogues the detriments of her married life, descri)ing her nagging loneliness, the deceptive
allures of adultery and the )etrayals she has suffered on account of her emotionally a)sent Q#oldy2Q
MollyRs narrative quickly slides )etween the distant and recent past and we learn of her years as an
unmarried and attractive young lady in 4i)raltar, a 6ritish colony on the southernmost tip of !pain2 Ber
years with her mother ,unita and her father, a military man named Tweedy, seem to offer her the most
pleasure as she is largely displeased with 6oylanRs rough manners and her hus)andRs effeminate
deficiencies2
+or all of the negative assessments of hearth and home, Q#enelopeQ is emphatically )raced with the word
QFesQ at the )eginning and conclusion, and we have every reason to )elieve that7at least for =une $@7the
6loomPs intend to preserve their marriage2 #erhaps in irritation and gratitude for 6loomPs Qkiss on the
rump,Q Molly intends to turn his servility on its head )y waking up early to serve 6loom Qhis )reakfast in
)ed with a couple of eggs2Q <fter analy"ing 6loomRs faults, Molly suggests that she knows 6loom )etter
than anyone else and that their shared memories represent an emotional wealth that she would )e una)le
to duplicate in a relationship with 6oylan2
<nalysis:
The final chapter is named for Q#enelope,Q the faithful wife of the 4reek hero, Dlysses2 Ehen suitors
overran her hus)andPs palace and forced her to concede DlyssesP death and remarry, #enelope remained
faithful, claiming that she had to knit a funereal shroud in memory of her hus)and )efore she could
choose a suitor2 <fter spending each day earnestly knitting, #enelope would spend the night unraveling
the work that she had done2 Eventually, her suitors tired of the ruse and DlyssesP triumphal return could
not have come a moment later as it had )een twenty years 8and two Bomeric epics9 since Dlysses first left
Ithaca to assist King Menelaus and the 4reeks at Troy2 <s Dlysses and Telemachus reclaim the palace,
#enelope has locked herself in her )edroom cham)er and when Dlysses enters the cham)er to greet his
wife, she does not recogni"e him2 Dlysses must prove himself )y recounting the story of their wedding
)edPs construction, a secret that #enelope knows that only Dlysses would know2 The end of epic is a
60
portrait of marital )liss, even as the king and queen are physically altered, haggard and aged2
+urthermore, Dlysses has more difficulties to endure2
Q#enelopeQ lacks the few narrative pretenses that are found in other chapters, e1pressing the simple and
unstructured Qinterior monologueQ of Molly 6loom2 Dnlike the other interior monologues, MollyPs is
uncorrupted )y dialogue or outside distraction )ecause it occurs when she is half7asleep2 6ecause
Q#enelopeQ is so heavily foreshadowed in the seventeen previous chapters, some readers erroneously
conclude that this final chapter functions like the Earl of 5udleyPs cavalcade in the final section of the
QEandering -ocksQ chapter: a chronology that retraces the narrative timeline from start to finish, e1isting
simultaneously in time2 Even though Molly presents a fairly complete chronology of =une $> 8as well as a
few other historical moments9, Q#enelopeQ is very clearly a catalogue of MollyPs thoughts )eginning at the
precise moment when she is stirred )y 6loomPs arrival into their )ed2 This is after ? am and is pro)a)ly
closer to four or five in the morning as the light of the summer dawn is fast approaching2 Q#enelopeQ is
the novelPs final, most daring attempt to capture the essence of the human mind at work2 =oyce
complicates this mission and the Q#enelopeQ that we see is Molly whose su)conscious is at work while
she is drifting into sleep2 The non7narrative prose skips coherently from fragment to fragment and the lack
of punctuation suggests a hallucination that is distinct from the regimented hallucinations of Q/irce2Q That
the chapterPs mere eight sentences span over $>;; lines of te1t is evidence enough that Q#enelopeQ is
DlyssesP closest appro1imation to the Qstream of consciousness,Q functioning almost e1clusively as a
series of linked ideas rather than words2
=ust as Q#enelopeQ carries the tropes of Modernism, it also represents a twentieth7century alternative to
BomerPs scheme of marital )liss2 =oycePs revision is Qmoderni"edQ and made QrealQ )y MollyPs infidelity
and una)ashed se1uality2 The o)solescence of epic, )attlefield heroism is chronicled in the story of
6loom7as7Dlysses Aust as the decline of se1ual purity and marital devotion is captured in MollyPs role as
#enelope2 The 6looms deviate from the classical ideal )ut they are a)le to attain a degree of marital )liss
and perhaps it is more meaningful )ecause they have )oth strained and struggled2 =oyce argues in
Q#enelopeQ that even though his Dlysses and #enelope are imperfect, they are a)le to unite )ecause their
love for each other is uncorrupted and solid2
The Qwedding )edQ motif was developed midway through Dlysses, foreshadowing the treatment of the
marriage )ed in Q#enelope2Q In Q!cylla and /hary)dis,Q !tephenPs !hakespearean criticism e1pounded
upon <nn BathawayPs infidelity and the Qsecond)est )edQ that her playwright hus)and )equeathed to her2
The QAingle Aangle AinglingQ of the loose )ed figured as a musical confession of MollyPs rather athletic
se1ual encounter with her energetic paramour, 6la"es 6oylan2 =oycePs Q#enelopeQ takes place in the mind
of the unfaithful wife who is sleeping in the QAingle Aangle AinglingQ )ed where she committed adultery
earlier in the afternoon2 In this regard, Molly cannot )e any more different from #enelope who marital
devotion is unmatched2 This final chapter provides the resolution of the QAinglingQ while delivering
MollyPs much anticipated presence2 Mrs2 6loom )riefly appeared in Q/alypso,P in a similarly half7asleep
state and Molly is also a fleeting character in QEandering -ocks,Q offering a coin of charity to a )eggar2
The conspicuous narrative presence of 6la"es 6oylan, the recurring QAingle AangleQ of the )ed and
6loomPs own foreknowledge and reflection of MollyPs affair force =oyce to present MollyPs QsideQ of the
story2
61
Molly appears as the sum total of all of the novelPs female characters2 +using Mrs2 6reen and Mrs2
/unningham together, Molly presents herself as the )eleaguered wife of a difficult man, all the while
admitting her own QkimonoQ antics2 MollyPs thoughts on maternity contrast with Mina #urefoy and the
midwives, )ecause of her dismal attitude, no dou)t influenced )y her hus)andPs refusal to inseminate her
during se12 Molly also evokes the images of se1ual conquest and competition, having vanquished Martha
/lifford, Molly confirms the superiority of songs over flowers7as the medium of love2 In this regard,
Molly 6loom resem)les 5ouce and Kennedy of the 0rmond 6ar, )ut her closest link is to the QNausicaaQ
character, 4erty Mac5owell2 MollyPs first se1ual e1perience involves mastur)ating a man into her
handkerchief and like Mac5owell, she found religious confession to )e an inhumane institution: Qtheres
nothing like a kiss long and hot down your to soul almost paralyses you then I hate that confession when I
used to go to +ather /orrigan2Q MollyPs possessiveness and odd sense of piety produce a Nausicaa7like
commentary: Qhed W,eopold 6loomX never find another woman like me to put up with him2Q
Q#enelopeQ is perhaps, most notorious for MollyPs coarse language and se1ual frankness2 In considering
how she has aged and her )eauty has faded, Molly thinks to herself, Qwould I )e like that )ath of the
nymph with my hair down yes only shes younger or Im a little like that dirty )itch in that !panish photo2Q
<nd in regarding her own )ody and her retentive physical charms, Molly e1claims, Qhow soft like a peach
easy 4od I wouldnt mind )eing a man and get up on a lovely woman2Q ,ater, Molly e1plains her se1ual
frankness saying Qit didnt make me )lush why should it either its only nature2Q <nd with a commitment to
honesty, Molly assesses her two paramours2 !he reveals 6loomPs 8unsurprising9 se1ual proclivities, his
penchant for voyeurism and pornography 8Qthe smutty photoQ9, his anal fetishes, and his coprophilia: Qhed
like me to walk in all the horse dung I could find )ut of course hes not natural like the rest of the world2Q
-ather casually, Molly admits: Qits a wonder Im not an old shrivelled hag )efore my time living with him
so cold never em)racing me2Q It is not difficult to detect the sadness that she has thinly veiled )ehind her
e1acting honesty when she compresses her QinfertilityQ and QlonelinessQ into one charge, citing 6loom as
the wrongdoer2 Ehen Molly confesses, Qthe last time he W6loomX came on my )ottom when was it the
night 6oylan gave my hand a great squee"e,Q we finally understand that 6loomPs emotional distance
corrupted their se1ual union and forced Molly to seek companionship elsewhere2 ,ike 5ouce and
Kennedy, Molly refers to 6loomPs Q)oiled WgreasyX eyesQ and in her )iting commentary, Mrs2 6loom
renames her hus)and Q#oldy pigheadedQ )ecause Qhe thinks he knows a great lot,Q ending the su)Aect with
the )ackhanded moniker Q, 6oom2Q <pparently, she has read the evening press regarding 5ignamPs
funeral2
Q#enelopeQ offers an equally descriptive portrait of 6la"es 6oylan, confirming his legendary se1ual
prowess: Qhe must have come ? or & times with that tremendous )ig red )rute of a thing he has2Q Molly
even considers eloping with 6oylan )ut she quickly admits that 6oylan has his own faults2 In her
overtures, Molly resem)les a hy)rid of Mac5owellPs QNausicaaQ and 6loomPs penpal, Martha /lifford: QI
wishsome)ody would write me a loveletter his wasnt much and I told him he could write what he liked
yours ever Bugh 6oylan2Q 6oylanPs rough and casual demeanor complements his athletic se1uality2 Molly
descri)es him as QvulgarQ and comments that she Qdidnt like his slapping me )ehind going away so
familiarly in the hall though I laughed Im not a horse2Q MollyPs final Audgment of 6oylan, Qno thatPs no
way for him has he no manners nor no refinement nor no nothing in his nature,Q is a lasting one and it is
not a mere coincident that the word QnoQ occurs five times in this fragment2 MollyPs final image, her
memory of Bowth Bead, where she Q gave him W6loomX the )it of seedcake out of my mouthQ presents
the word QyesQ thirteen times within the span of ten lines2
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<s Q#enelopeQ concludes, MollyPs acceptance of 6loom, stems from their shared memories and Mrs2
6loom assumes a defiant tone in her defense of ,eopold2 To the women of 5u)lin, she remarks, Qlet them
get a hus)and first thats fit to )e looked at and a daughter like mine2Q <nd she chides the men of 5u)lin
for their treatment of 6loom, Qmaking fun of him then )ehind his )ack I know well when he goes on with
his idiotics )ecause he has sense enough not to squander every penny piece he earns down their gullets
and looks after his wife and family goodfornothings poor #addy 5ignam222Q Molly admits to the reader
that she Qloves to hear him W6loomX falling up the stairs of a morning,Q suggesting that his awkward
foi)les 8Qfalling upQ9 have an endearing quality to them, and like Nausicaa, Molly prides herself on her
unique a)ility to perceive 6loomPs )rooding thoughts and melancholy2 6loom is Qa madman no)ody
understands his cracked ideas )ut me2Q
MollyPs most revealing confession comes in her discussion of love songs2 !he remem)ers 6en Bowth and
confides that she needed to hear #oldy admit his love of her: QI had the devils own Ao) to get it out of him
though I liked him for that2Q Ehen she e1plains the nature of 6loomPs adoration, Molly takes on the
imagery of the Hirgin Mary: Q0 Maria !antisima222he said hed kneel down in the wetQ and several times,
Molly refers to Qa 4orgeous wrap of some special kind of )lue colour,Q a chromatic link )etween
Q#enelopeQ and the avatar of Mary that appears in QNausicaa2Q MollyPs refrain, Qyes Ill sing,Q is tempered
)y her confession: QI could have )een a prima donna only I married him comes looooves old deep down2Q
Ber final conclusion is that the love song that she sings is the song of her marriage, with all of its trou)les
and Aoys2 Ber thoughts on -udyPs death are reflected when she notes that her hus)and got her on stage Qto
sing in the !ta)at Mater2Q The !ta)at Mater, concerns the sadness of the Hirgin Mary, the mother of
/hrist, standing at the cross of her dead son; the opening lines of the hymn, sta)at mater, dolorosa,
confirm the messianic potential of the 6loom7Hirag lineage and similarly recall Q5olorosa,Q the !panish
QCueen of BeavenQ whose song commingles )eauty and pain2 In this regard, the !ta)at Mater of
Q#enelopeQ is a fitting conclusion to ,ovePs )itter mystery, sung )y !tephen 5edalus at his motherPs
death)ed2 In typical =oycean style, a living sonPs song to his dead mother has )een answered )y a living
motherPs song to her dead son2
$m%ortant &'otations (x%laine)
$2 <mor matris: su)Aective and o)Aective genitive2
This quotation, part of !tephen3s inner monologue, appears in Episode Two2 <mor matris translates to
Jmother love,L a concept that !tephen ponders while giving e1tra help to his student !argent2 !argent
reminds !tephen of himself at the same ageG!tephen was similarly dirty and disheveled, a child only a
mother could love2 !tephen thinks of Jmother loveL frequently in DlyssesGhe contrasts the concrete,
)odily reality of a mother3s love to the disconnected, tension7ridden relation )etween a father and a child2
In Episode Nine, !tephen calls amor matris Jthe only true thing in life,L and skeptically identifies
paternity as Ja legal fiction2L The phrase Jsu)Aective and o)Aective genitiveL refers to the confusion a)out
the translation of amor matrisGit can )e either a child3s love for a mother or a mother3s love for a child2
This touches on !tephen3s difficulties in deciding whether to )e an active or a passive )eing2 In Episode
Nine, he frames the choice this way: J<ct2 6e acted on2L In the quotation from Episode Two a)ove, we
see !tephen trying to understand the ethics and power relations involved in his teacher7stu7dent
relationship with !argent in terms of the compassion entailed )y Jmother love2L
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(2 Bistory is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake2
This quotation appears in Episode Two, during !tephen3s conversation with Mr2 5easy2 Eith !argent and
his class earlier in Episode Two, !tephen was the reluctant teacher, and now 5easy attempts to position
him as the pupil2 6ut !tephen )lithely maneuvers out of this role )y way of a few cryptic statements, such
as the one a)ove2 Bere, !tephen3s version of history as a JnightmareL is an e1plicit challenge to 5easy3s
conception of history as moving toward one goal 8the manifestation of 4od9, and an implicit challenge to
Baines3s version of history in Episode 0ne as something impersonal and cut off from the present 8JIt
seems history is to )lameL92 !tephen3s conception of history has several meanings2 !tephen sees history,
and Irish history in particular, as filled with violenceG5easy3s and Baines3s conceptions of history
ena)le this violence )y e1cluding certain people from history in 5easy3s case 8those who do not )elieve in
a /hristian 4od9 and )y a)solving those who perpetrate violence from any )lame in Baines3s case2
!tephen3s comment also refers to his conception of the tensions )etween art and historyG!tephen sees
history as an impossi)le chaos and art as a way of representing that chaos in an ordered fashion2 +inally,
!tephen3s statement is also an e1tremely personal oneGhis own history is something he is trying to
overcome2 <t the opening of Dlysses, !tephen is feeling particularly hopeless a)out the possi)ility of
rising a)ove the circumstances of his up)ringing2
?2 GEhat is itO says =ohn Eyse2 G< nationO says 6loom2 < nation is the same people living in the same
place2 G6y 4od, then, says Ned, laughing, if that3s so I3m a nation for I3m living in the same place for
the past five years2
This dialogue occurs in Episode Twelve, during the confrontation scene at 6arney Kiernan3s pu)2 ,ed )y
the citi"en, the men at 6arney Kiernan3s e1plicitly identify 6loom as an outsider, his =ewish7Bungarian
roots )eing incompati)le with their essentialist conception of Irishness as a JracialL and /atholic
category2 Bere, 6loom3s conception of a nation may seem e1cessively loose 8especially when he )acks up
several lines later to qualify, J0r in different placesL9, )ut 6loom3s position on nationality as a self7
selected category is part of the triumph of 6loom3s compassionate humanism over the violent
essentialism of the citi"en and others2 Ned ,am)ert3s sarcastic response to 6loom here is an e1ample of
another way in which 6loom is repeatedly marked as an outsiderGthe 5u)lin men with whom 6loom
associates are skilled in using mockery and sarcasm to esta)lish authority over others, while 6loom does
not use humor in this way2
&2
2 2 2 each contemplating the other in )oth mirrors of the reciprocal flesh of theirhisnothis fellowfaces2
This quotation occurs in Episode !eventeenGit is a narrative description of !tephen and 6loom3s
wordless interaction in 6loom3s garden Aust )efore !tephen leaves2 Their meeting is in no sense idealGa
father7son connection is not e1plicitly made, and !tephen declines to stay the night and pro)a)ly will not
see 6loom again2 Fet the narrative of Episode !eventeen manages to convey their union as sym)olically
meaningful, )y tapping various themes2 This sentence manages to include an optimistic set of thematic
connotations: the JrecognitionL theme from 8disguised9 0dysseus and Telemachus3s meeting in The
0dyssey; and an idea of the father7son relationship involving versions of the same )odily self 8JfleshL92
64
The JreciprocalL aspect of their meeting implies that !tephen has managed to find a medium in the
trou)lesome dynamic of activity7passivity2 The JtheirhisnothisL narrative play also manages to suggest
that the meeting is an ideal )alance )etween a coming7together and a realistic recognition of Jotherness2L
I2 2 2 2 and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around
him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my )reasts all perfume yes and his heart was going
like mad and yes I said yes I will Fes2
Molly3s final words seem to refer immediately to her memory of accepting 6loom3s proposition of
marriage during their day spent on Bowth2 Bowever, the am)iguity of the many masculine pronouns in
Molly3s monologue also e1ists hereGin the same paragraph, she remem)ers a similar outdoor scene of
love with ,t2 Mulvey, and the am)iguity of this seeming affirmation of the 6looms3 marriage is typical of
=oyce3s endings2 Bowever, the looseness of Molly3s language in these final lines also enacts a
com)ination of the immediate realistic level of the te1t with the idealistic, sym)olic levelGMolly3s JFesL
here is an unqualified affirmative of natural life and of physical and emotional love2
65