The Man in the Brown Macintosh Character Analysis in Ulysses

A mysterious character appears at Dignam’s funeral wearing a brown macintosh raincoat, but nobody can figure out who he is. Bloom mentions him to the reporter Joe Hynes, who mistakenly records his name as “M’Intosh” on the list of mourners. Bloom repeatedly thinks about him for the rest of the day, but never learns who he is. Many critics have suggested that he represents James Joyce himself.

The Man in the Brown Macintosh Character Timeline in Ulysses

The timeline below shows where the character The Man in the Brown Macintosh appears in Ulysses. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...and, while the gravediggers prepare to lower the coffin, he tries to figure out who an unfamiliar man wearing a macintosh raincoat in the corner might be. He asks whether it’s necessary to waste so much wood... (full context)

...Hynes comments that M’Coy was fired from the newspaper for stealing money. Hynes asks about the mysterious stranger in the macintosh , but mistakenly records his name as “M’Intosh” and disappears before Bloom can correct him. (full context)

Irish Identity and Nationalism Theme Icon

...Menton, Denis J. Maginni, Blazes Boylan, Cashel Boyle O’Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell, Patrick Dignam, and the man in the brown macintosh . (full context)

Alienation and the Quest for Belonging Theme Icon

...before him on the beach and wonders who he might be. This reminds him of the man in the brown macintosh . He notices a lighthouse flashing in the distance and thinks of other things that... (full context)

...points. The men drink absinthe, Bannon appears to learn that Bloom is Milly’s father, and the man in the macintosh seems to make an appearance. Someone starts vomiting and someone else declares their love for... (full context)

Suddenly, the man in the brown macintosh emerges from a trapdoor and declares that Bloom is an impostor, and his real name... (full context)

...the table makes a loud cracking noise, and he realizes he never figured out who the man in the brown macintosh was. He thinks about the day’s other failures and “imperfections”—he didn’t sell Keyes’s ad, he... (full context)