This is the blog -- the electronic home -- for Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition for the class of two-thousand eleven at Gloucester (MA) High School.
In Ulysses, Joyce reintroduces us to Stephen Dedalus, or should I say to Telemachus. Telemachus was the son of Odysseus, who spends the majority of the Odyssey searching for what has become of his father. In his father’s absence, suitors vying for his mother’s hand in marriage took over his house. Stephen faces a similar problem of home invasion. He is the only one who pays the rent for the Martello tower, but Buck Mulligan, his roommate, takes advantage of him, demands money from him, and invites an Englishmen, Haines, to live with them. Buck is the first character introduced to the reader as he shaves and mocks the Catholic Church. At first I was really confused by his actions, but when Stephen reveals that he saved men from drowning and proclaims him a hero, I saw that he and therefore Haines are symbolic of the suitors in the Odyssey. Buck further enforces this in his conversation with Stephen about his mother and in his eating habits. As in A Portrait, Joyce reveals much through the food. Before they begin breakfast he once again shows his disdain towards religion with his hasty saying of grace. Buck seems obsessed with eating and gives off the impression of a glutton. He rushes around to prepare the meal, overreacts when he learns they are out of milk, and his main course is fried. His diet is a reflection of his soul. His mannerisms alienate Stephen, and force me to think why Stephen puts up with this mooch. Buck’s constant badgering of Stephen to lend him some money to buy alcohol makes me think of the boisterous suitors that take over Ulysses’ palace. Stephen’s willingness to give in to Buck mirrors Telemachus’ powerlessness to drive the suitors away. Before Stephen leaves his two roommates, Buck demands the key, and Stephen willingly gives it to him, considering him a “usurper.” This reminds me of Stephen’s frittering of his prize money on his family, but this time it seems he has a different opinion on money. His lack of concern over money suggests he has abandoned material wealth. I noticed this is also reflected in his attire, as he is still dressed in mourning a year after his mother’s death.
I’m still confused about the role of the razor blade Buck uses. I see a connection between the bowl of lather and Stephen’s mother’s bowl of vomit. Is his shaving symbolic of light being shed on Stephen’s character, his relationship with Stephen, or of Stephen’s relationship with his mother? Could it just symbolize a suitor’s sword or enhance his image as a suitor?
After reading the first section of Ulysses I hadn’t done much analyzing for themes, but was mostly figuring out what was actually happening. However I noticed that certain images were emphasized and seemed to have a deeper meaning such as mirrors, eyes, and oceans or seas, and certain colors. Buck Mulligan calls the sea “our mighty mother”, and Stephan looks at the ocean mourning for his mom. Buck doesn’t seem to understand Stephan, or his stubbornness in not praying for his mother, his “grey” eyes search Stephan. Buck later offers Stephan a grey pair of pants, but Stephan turns down the offer and says “I can’t wear them if they are grey. It seems that the color grey is symbolizing a quality of Buck that Stephan doesn’t desire. Stephan looks at his “shiny black coat sleeve” before turning down the offer, and I believe that the “grey” highlights Buck’s dull/weak opinions. I came to this tentative conclusion because Buck’s eyes are grey when he is trying/failing to understand Stephan’s bold refusal to give in against his belief and pray even for his mother on her death bed. Since Stephan’s coat is black I feel like it is highlighting the fact that he remains strict to his beliefs, and never wants to be like Buck not having any passionate beliefs and giving in to service. As to Sean’s question about the bowl of vomit compared to the bowl of lather and razor, I am really not sure as to what the comparison means. I noticed that the color of the rag used to wipe the razor was colored “snot green” according to Buck, as well as the “snot green sea”. In addition the bowl of vomit is the same snot green color; I can’t make much insight as to what this means but a guess would lead me to say that the vomit symbolizes the weakness the mother had, and the fear and begging she does by praying. This is probably far-fetched, but I know this is one aspect that Stephan is repulsed by, his mother’s servitude to religion.
Emily, I believe that Buck’s use of the sea has a bit of a deeper meaning, and I agree with your idea of Buck’s misunderstanding of Stephen.
Apart from mooching off of Stephen, Buck talks a great deal about mothers. He refers to the sea as a “mighty mother” and seems to manipulate Stephen’s love of aesthetics to ease into the topic of Stephen’s mother’s death. Buck scolds Stephen for his refusal to pray for his mother at her deathbed. Although this may seem to establish Buck as a moral person, it is simply not the case. This reveals that Buck is a manipulative person, who is only concerned about himself. He does not care about Stephen’s actions but does care about the effect of those actions concerning his own life. Because his wealthy aunt doesn’t approve of Stephen, he is a threat to his obtaining money from her. Stephen brings up what Buck said to his mother: “it’s only Dedalus whose mother is beastly dead.” This causes Buck to feel embarrassed and he offers an apology for offending his mother. Stephen says that he is the one that requires an apology. Although this may seem selfish of Stephen, he knows that his actions were justified by his beliefs and through it Stephen reveals to the reader his acknowledgement of Buck’s motives.
Following this, Buck sings a song that Stephen had sung to his mother in her deathbed. Joyce makes the meaning and purpose of the song quite obvious: Stephen’s confusion of his love for his mother. Emily, I believe Stephen’s wearing of black is important to establish his respect for his mother, because black is the color of mourning and he is still wearing it even though his mother died last year. This seems to further show the divide between Stephen and Buck’s characters. Buck is open about his beliefs against religion, where Stephen is much more respectful in his questioning of its purpose in his life, even though he does not agree with it. Is he trying to say that his opinion concerning religion has changed following his mother’s death? I noticed that when he begins to remember her death following Buck’s song, a cloud appears over the sun and the bay becomes a darker green. Does this mean that Stephen cannot yet see the importance or purpose of his mother, because there is not enough light to see through the darkened water?
The purpose of the woman who brings milk to the tower confuses me. It seems as though Joyce is trying to state the lack of knowledge of the Irish people concerning their own culture, through her inability to speak Irish and her misinterpretation of it for French. Because she delivers milk and the way Joyce describes her pouring it implies that there is a connection between her and Stephen’s mother. Is Stephen’s dissatisfaction with religion due to his mother’s apparent trust in God and not in Ireland? Or is it because religion takes priority over Irish culture?
Emily, do you remember the poem near the beginning of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man? The end goes: "Canker is a disease of plants, cancer one of animals." I don't know if you ever found a reason to this in that book, but I think Stephen's mother's death explains it, because Joyce's own mother died due to cancer. I find it kind of strange that he would foreshadow his mother's death when he was a child.
To Sean, after reading your reply about Buck and Stephan, I see where you’re coming from about Buck being selfish, and now I feel like he is more indifferent to Stephan’s actions, although he still does not understand his motives. As for the cloud making the water a deeper green, I did not even notice that my first time reading but I find it entirely possible that he did change his views since his mother’s death. At the end of “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”, Stephan refused to go along with the world, he found no meaning in it and acted absurdly (making his mother wash him a grown boy) refusing to serve. Now he is functioning in society, although unhappy he maintains a job, and is hardly acting as absurd as he was. It seems as if he grew up and accepted the fact that “There’s only one sense of the world, it seems to me, Stephan said.” It is not clear as to if Stephan changed his views on religion, or simply realized he had to “serve” in some way to lead a normal life. Now that his mother is gone he can’t expect her to take care of him in absurd ways.
I find Stephen’s view of Cyril Sargent a bit disturbing. “…a squashed boneless snail” (Joyce, 27). Sargent reminds me of a young Stephen from “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” mainly due to the fact that both are described as being weak. I think Stephen views him with distaste due to the major difference between the two characters; that being their intelligence. Anyways, Sargent serves as a specimen through which Stephen can examine his confusion concerning motherly love. From him, he learns about unconditional love; that a mother loves their child regardless of who he is.
I believe that Mr. Deasy’s calling to Sargent serves as some sort of stepping stone to connect the ideas that both characters bring to Stephen. Mr. Deasy is Joyce’s version of Nestor, whom Telemachus visits in search of his father’s whereabouts; however, Mr. Deasy essentially lectures Stephen on the importance of money. In the process, he reveals his opinions concerning Jews in Europe and how they have yet to enter Ireland.
From this I infer that Stephen is going to meet Leopold Bloom (I don’t know much about him besides that he is Jewish and becomes the protagonist after the third chapter), and Bloom will eventually serve as a sort of “father figure” to Stephen. I’m not completely sure how this will happen, and thinking about how it will makes it seem improbable to me. Nonetheless, I feel strongly that these two characters will meet and strike up some sort of intellectually-beneficial relationship due to the subjects in chapter two.
I admit that I got a bit lost in the maze that is chapter three. What I did pick up was the importance of the final image of the ship. Earlier in the Telemachiad, Buck tells Stephen to meet him at a pub/bar called the “Ship”, so they can go drinking. Based on this and with Stephen’s childish antics, I predict that Stephen will go “overboard” and Bloom will end up protecting him somehow. The ship could also be considered to be symbolic of Bloom’s entry into the novel, based upon the fact that he is a “foreigner” in Ireland. I’m basing this off of Stephen’s thought that there may be someone who saw him pick his nose, and his turning around to see a ship.
I noticed a lot of rhythm and sound manipulation in chapter three. I had trouble figuring out what the manipulation meant in situations like when he talks about the wavespeech, and it was all gibberish. I was intrigued by this use of sounds but struggled to find meaning in it, Sean any ideas?
Sean and Emily P,
In Ulysses, Joyce reintroduces us to Stephen Dedalus, or should I say to Telemachus. Telemachus was the son of Odysseus, who spends the majority of the Odyssey searching for what has become of his father. In his father’s absence, suitors vying for his mother’s hand in marriage took over his house. Stephen faces a similar problem of home invasion. He is the only one who pays the rent for the Martello tower, but Buck Mulligan, his roommate, takes advantage of him, demands money from him, and invites an Englishmen, Haines, to live with them. Buck is the first character introduced to the reader as he shaves and mocks the Catholic Church. At first I was really confused by his actions, but when Stephen reveals that he saved men from drowning and proclaims him a hero, I saw that he and therefore Haines are symbolic of the suitors in the Odyssey. Buck further enforces this in his conversation with Stephen about his mother and in his eating habits. As in A Portrait, Joyce reveals much through the food. Before they begin breakfast he once again shows his disdain towards religion with his hasty saying of grace. Buck seems obsessed with eating and gives off the impression of a glutton. He rushes around to prepare the meal, overreacts when he learns they are out of milk, and his main course is fried. His diet is a reflection of his soul. His mannerisms alienate Stephen, and force me to think why Stephen puts up with this mooch. Buck’s constant badgering of Stephen to lend him some money to buy alcohol makes me think of the boisterous suitors that take over Ulysses’ palace. Stephen’s willingness to give in to Buck mirrors Telemachus’ powerlessness to drive the suitors away. Before Stephen leaves his two roommates, Buck demands the key, and Stephen willingly gives it to him, considering him a “usurper.” This reminds me of Stephen’s frittering of his prize money on his family, but this time it seems he has a different opinion on money. His lack of concern over money suggests he has abandoned material wealth. I noticed this is also reflected in his attire, as he is still dressed in mourning a year after his mother’s death.
ReplyDeleteI’m still confused about the role of the razor blade Buck uses. I see a connection between the bowl of lather and Stephen’s mother’s bowl of vomit. Is his shaving symbolic of light being shed on Stephen’s character, his relationship with Stephen, or of Stephen’s relationship with his mother? Could it just symbolize a suitor’s sword or enhance his image as a suitor?
After reading the first section of Ulysses I hadn’t done much analyzing for themes, but was mostly figuring out what was actually happening. However I noticed that certain images were emphasized and seemed to have a deeper meaning such as mirrors, eyes, and oceans or seas, and certain colors. Buck Mulligan calls the sea “our mighty mother”, and Stephan looks at the ocean mourning for his mom. Buck doesn’t seem to understand Stephan, or his stubbornness in not praying for his mother, his “grey” eyes search Stephan. Buck later offers Stephan a grey pair of pants, but Stephan turns down the offer and says “I can’t wear them if they are grey. It seems that the color grey is symbolizing a quality of Buck that Stephan doesn’t desire. Stephan looks at his “shiny black coat sleeve” before turning down the offer, and I believe that the “grey” highlights Buck’s dull/weak opinions. I came to this tentative conclusion because Buck’s eyes are grey when he is trying/failing to understand Stephan’s bold refusal to give in against his belief and pray even for his mother on her death bed. Since Stephan’s coat is black I feel like it is highlighting the fact that he remains strict to his beliefs, and never wants to be like Buck not having any passionate beliefs and giving in to service. As to Sean’s question about the bowl of vomit compared to the bowl of lather and razor, I am really not sure as to what the comparison means. I noticed that the color of the rag used to wipe the razor was colored “snot green” according to Buck, as well as the “snot green sea”. In addition the bowl of vomit is the same snot green color; I can’t make much insight as to what this means but a guess would lead me to say that the vomit symbolizes the weakness the mother had, and the fear and begging she does by praying. This is probably far-fetched, but I know this is one aspect that Stephan is repulsed by, his mother’s servitude to religion.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I believe that Buck’s use of the sea has a bit of a deeper meaning, and I agree with your idea of Buck’s misunderstanding of Stephen.
ReplyDeleteApart from mooching off of Stephen, Buck talks a great deal about mothers. He refers to the sea as a “mighty mother” and seems to manipulate Stephen’s love of aesthetics to ease into the topic of Stephen’s mother’s death. Buck scolds Stephen for his refusal to pray for his mother at her deathbed. Although this may seem to establish Buck as a moral person, it is simply not the case. This reveals that Buck is a manipulative person, who is only concerned about himself. He does not care about Stephen’s actions but does care about the effect of those actions concerning his own life. Because his wealthy aunt doesn’t approve of Stephen, he is a threat to his obtaining money from her. Stephen brings up what Buck said to his mother: “it’s only Dedalus whose mother is beastly dead.” This causes Buck to feel embarrassed and he offers an apology for offending his mother. Stephen says that he is the one that requires an apology. Although this may seem selfish of Stephen, he knows that his actions were justified by his beliefs and through it Stephen reveals to the reader his acknowledgement of Buck’s motives.
Following this, Buck sings a song that Stephen had sung to his mother in her deathbed. Joyce makes the meaning and purpose of the song quite obvious: Stephen’s confusion of his love for his mother. Emily, I believe Stephen’s wearing of black is important to establish his respect for his mother, because black is the color of mourning and he is still wearing it even though his mother died last year. This seems to further show the divide between Stephen and Buck’s characters. Buck is open about his beliefs against religion, where Stephen is much more respectful in his questioning of its purpose in his life, even though he does not agree with it. Is he trying to say that his opinion concerning religion has changed following his mother’s death? I noticed that when he begins to remember her death following Buck’s song, a cloud appears over the sun and the bay becomes a darker green. Does this mean that Stephen cannot yet see the importance or purpose of his mother, because there is not enough light to see through the darkened water?
The purpose of the woman who brings milk to the tower confuses me. It seems as though Joyce is trying to state the lack of knowledge of the Irish people concerning their own culture, through her inability to speak Irish and her misinterpretation of it for French. Because she delivers milk and the way Joyce describes her pouring it implies that there is a connection between her and Stephen’s mother. Is Stephen’s dissatisfaction with religion due to his mother’s apparent trust in God and not in Ireland? Or is it because religion takes priority over Irish culture?
Emily, do you remember the poem near the beginning of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man? The end goes: "Canker is a disease of plants, cancer one of animals." I don't know if you ever found a reason to this in that book, but I think Stephen's mother's death explains it, because Joyce's own mother died due to cancer. I find it kind of strange that he would foreshadow his mother's death when he was a child.
ReplyDeleteTo Sean, after reading your reply about Buck and Stephan, I see where you’re coming from about Buck being selfish, and now I feel like he is more indifferent to Stephan’s actions, although he still does not understand his motives. As for the cloud making the water a deeper green, I did not even notice that my first time reading but I find it entirely possible that he did change his views since his mother’s death. At the end of “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”, Stephan refused to go along with the world, he found no meaning in it and acted absurdly (making his mother wash him a grown boy) refusing to serve. Now he is functioning in society, although unhappy he maintains a job, and is hardly acting as absurd as he was. It seems as if he grew up and accepted the fact that “There’s only one sense of the world, it seems to me, Stephan said.” It is not clear as to if Stephan changed his views on religion, or simply realized he had to “serve” in some way to lead a normal life. Now that his mother is gone he can’t expect her to take care of him in absurd ways.
ReplyDeleteI find Stephen’s view of Cyril Sargent a bit disturbing. “…a squashed boneless snail” (Joyce, 27). Sargent reminds me of a young Stephen from “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” mainly due to the fact that both are described as being weak. I think Stephen views him with distaste due to the major difference between the two characters; that being their intelligence. Anyways, Sargent serves as a specimen through which Stephen can examine his confusion concerning motherly love. From him, he learns about unconditional love; that a mother loves their child regardless of who he is.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Mr. Deasy’s calling to Sargent serves as some sort of stepping stone to connect the ideas that both characters bring to Stephen. Mr. Deasy is Joyce’s version of Nestor, whom Telemachus visits in search of his father’s whereabouts; however, Mr. Deasy essentially lectures Stephen on the importance of money. In the process, he reveals his opinions concerning Jews in Europe and how they have yet to enter Ireland.
From this I infer that Stephen is going to meet Leopold Bloom (I don’t know much about him besides that he is Jewish and becomes the protagonist after the third chapter), and Bloom will eventually serve as a sort of “father figure” to Stephen. I’m not completely sure how this will happen, and thinking about how it will makes it seem improbable to me. Nonetheless, I feel strongly that these two characters will meet and strike up some sort of intellectually-beneficial relationship due to the subjects in chapter two.
I admit that I got a bit lost in the maze that is chapter three. What I did pick up was the importance of the final image of the ship. Earlier in the Telemachiad, Buck tells Stephen to meet him at a pub/bar called the “Ship”, so they can go drinking. Based on this and with Stephen’s childish antics, I predict that Stephen will go “overboard” and Bloom will end up protecting him somehow. The ship could also be considered to be symbolic of Bloom’s entry into the novel, based upon the fact that he is a “foreigner” in Ireland. I’m basing this off of Stephen’s thought that there may be someone who saw him pick his nose, and his turning around to see a ship.
ReplyDeleteI noticed a lot of rhythm and sound manipulation in chapter three. I had trouble figuring out what the manipulation meant in situations like when he talks about the wavespeech, and it was all gibberish. I was intrigued by this use of sounds but struggled to find meaning in it, Sean any ideas?
ReplyDelete