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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Ulysses, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Alienation and the Quest for Belonging
Literature, Meaning, and Perspective
Love and Sex
Fate vs. Free Will
Religion, Atheism, and Philosophy
Irish Identity and Nationalism
Summary
Analysis
“Stately, plump Buck Mulligan” walks out onto the roof of a Martello Tower on the seashore near Dublin. He carries his razor and shaving mirror in the shape of a cross and sings out the first words of the Latin mass, then calls down into the tower for his friend “Kinch” (Stephen Dedalus). When Stephen comes up the stairs, Buck vigorously makes the sign of the cross, as though trying to banish a demon. Buck jokes that it’s time for the Eucharist and smiles, showing off his gold-tipped teeth. Stephen thinks of “chrysostomos,” a Greek word that means “golden-mouthed.” Buck remarks that both of their names are absurd—Stephen Dedalus and Malachi Mulligan—and starts shaving.
This episode, like all the episodes (or episodes) in Ulysses, corresponds to a specific section of The Odyssey. Telemachus is Odysseus’s son, who is yearning for his father to return from the Trojan War. At the beginning of the Odyssey, Telemachus sets off on a journey to look for news about his father’s whereabouts. From this first episode, it would be easy to mistakenly assume that Stephen Dedalus (or even Buck Mulligan) is the protagonist of Ulysses. But actually, just as the Odyssey starts with the story of Odysseus’s son, Ulysses starts with the story of Stephen Dedalus, who soon proves to be a kind of surrogate or symbolic son to the novel’s real protagonist, Leopold Bloom. This opening scene introduces readers to Joyce’s complex, allusive, and often indirect style, which turns everyday events into rich metaphors. For instance, few readers are likely to immediately understand that “Kinch” is both an Irish slang word for a child and Buck’s interpretation of the sound of a knife (and therefore a reference to how “sharp,” or intelligent, Stephen is). Similarly, “chrysostomos” is an obscure epithet commonly used for great Greek philosophers and Orthodox bishops (most notably St. John Chrysostom). This word is a reference to Buck’s wit as a speaker, but also to the tension between Greek and Christian traditions in Western culture, which is absolutely central to this scene. But Buck mocks both of these traditions, pointing out what he sees as their meaninglessness, but also revealing his own absurdity as a character. Meanwhile, Stephen seems to take both traditions absolutely seriously. This contrast reveals another important tension in the novel: seriousness versus satire, or the tragic versus the comic. As later becomes clear in the novel, Greece also represents Ireland, while Rome (and its Christian tradition) represents England; Greece represents the intellect (which is associated with Stephen Dedalus) while Rome represents practicality (which is associated with Leopold Bloom); and Greece represents the lost origins—or paternity—that Western artists and thinkers are trying to recover (much like Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom try to redeem their own bloodlines in the novel).
Themes
Stephen and Buck complain about Haines, their unpleasant English roommate, who had a nightmare the previous evening and woke up ranting about shooting black panthers. To clean his razor, Buck borrows “the bard’s noserag”—or Stephen’s “snotgreen” colored handkerchief. Buck then looks out at the “snotgreen,” “scrotumtightening” Irish ocean, describes it as a mother figure, and calls out to it in Ancient Greek. Buck’s aunt blames Stephen for his own mother’s death, because he refused to pray for her on her deathbed. Stephen remembers dreaming about his mother’s corpse and thinks about the sea.
Haines’s presence in Stephen’s home clearly represents British colonialism in Ireland, and Buck’s nicknames for Stephen allude to his literary aspirations. Stephen’s mother’s death is absolutely central to understanding him as a character. Stephen gave up on religion in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Joyce’s previous novel, which narrates Stephen’s upbringing). Because he did not believe in God, he did not want to pray for his dying mother, even though she wanted him to. Now, a year later, he views this decision as a mistake and intensely regrets it. But he also knows that he can neither bring his mother back to life nor go back into the past and pray for her. He constantly imagines doing so, but he knows that this will only ever be a fantasy. Of course, this is also a commentary on the relationship between reality and literature, which can break reality’s rules but never fully correct its flaws. This is also the main connection between Stephen and Hamlet, who faces a similar kind of struggle against fate and meets his dead father as a ghost.
Themes
Buck asks about the trousers he has lent Stephen, then jokes that there’s a rumor Stephen has “g.p.i.” (syphilis) and makes fun of Stephen’s appearance. Stephen briefly looks at himself in Buck’s shaving mirror, and he barely recognizes himself. When Buck comments that he stole the cracked mirror from a servant woman, Stephen jokes that this is “a symbol of Irish art.” Buck comments that he and Stephen are smart enough to “Hellenise” Ireland, then jokes about beating up Haines. Remembering a brutal attack against someone named Clive Kempthorpe, Stephen decides it would be wrong to kick Haines out.
Buck’s comments about Stephen are really just cruel, unwanted insults disguised as friendly jokes. While Buck’s comments about Haines suggest that this is just his personality, Stephen is also clearly uncomfortable with him, which raises the question of why they’re roommates at all. In addition to its obvious connection to identity, the mirror in this scene is also a reference to both Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the Irish satirist Oscar Wilde. Buck’s desire to “Hellenise” Ireland (or make it Greek) is a reference to his and Stephen’s literary ambitions—since Stephen is a young version of James Joyce, this is really a reference of Ulysses’s attempt to stage a modern Odyssey in Ireland.
Themes
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Buck notes that Stephen is in a bad mood and asks what the problem is between them. Buck claims not to remember any conflicts they might have had in the past. But Stephen explains how, a few days after his mother passed away, Buck heartlessly called her “beastly dead.” But Buck, a medical student, insists that death is a normal biological event that he sees every day in the hospital. Buck repeats that Stephen was wrong for denying his mother’s dying wish and refusing to pray for her, then apologizes for offending her memory. But Stephen complains that Buck has offended him.
This exchange between Stephen and Buck is a direct reference to a conversation in Shakespeare’s Hamlet between Hamlet and his uncle Claudius. While Buck feigns ignorance about the past, Stephen punishes him for the unintended consequences of his mistakes in the past—just as he does to himself. Buck retreats from his insults and tries to win back his goodwill, but this appears to be motivated by self-interest more than genuine affection. Although they both reject religion, Buck’s materialist view of life and death strongly contrasts with Stephen’s spiritual, philosophical perspective on them.
Themes
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Haines calls up for Buck from within the tower, asking for breakfast. Buck tells Stephen to stop brooding, then sings the Yeats song “Who Goes with Fergus?” as he goes down the stairs. Stephen looks out at the sea and remembers singing this same song to his mother on her deathbed. He thinks of the objects that filled her room and again remembers the nightmare in which her corpse haunts him. He remembers a Latin prayer for the dead, but then thinks, “No, mother! Let me be and let me live.”
“Who Goes with Fergus?” is a soulful Irish mourning song, and it represents Stephen’s sincere love for his dying mother. (This contrasts with his total disdain and indifference towards his father.) Thus, he continues to obsessively mourn his mother’s death and regret his actions. But by abruptly remarking, “let me be and let me live,” he shows that his disobedience had a purpose. Namely, it was a way for him to secure his freedom as an adult and artist. It also recalls famous Biblical stories of disobedience (like original sin).
Themes
Stephen goes down for breakfast, and Buck advises him to ask Haines for money. Stephen explains that he’s about to get paid, so Buck proposes they go drinking and sings a jolly English song. Stephen decides to bring Buck’s shaving bowl downstairs, and then they have breakfast with Haines. Buck complains that there’s no milk for the tea, but fortunately the milkwoman is about to come. Haines comments that the tea is strong, and Buck and Stephen make fun of him by suggesting that this is a great Irish folk tradition that Haines can cover in his research.
Stephen’s roommates aren’t exactly good company. Stephen is clearly broke, but Buck is willing to take advantage of him anyway. While Haines represents the English colonialism that impoverished and devastated Ireland, he also deeply sympathizes with the Irish. In fact, he seems to worship everything Irish, to the extent that Buck and Stephen openly mock him. Much like Stephen, he is trying to atone for the past, but he is not at all up to the task. However, unlike Stephen, he doesn’t seem to be aware of his failure.
Themes
When the milkmaid arrives, Stephen imagines her as a stereotypical poor old Irishwoman, milking cows in the pasture. They drink their tea, Buck praises the delicious milk, and Haines says something in Irish—but the milkwoman thinks it’s French. Buck points out that it’s ironic for the Englishman to be insisting they should speak Irish, but the milkmaid agrees with Haines. The men pay—they’re two pence short.
The milkmaid represents an archetypal figure of Irish identity under English colonialism. In this way, she represents Haines’s view of what the “real” Ireland is: poor, rural, traditional, and backward-looking. But Joyce disagrees with this view: he thinks Ireland should prove its mettle by forming a thriving, independent, modern society. He sides with the literary avant-garde over the literary revivalists. Therefore, when Haines absurdly tries to speak Irish to the milkmaid, he represents the way well-meaning writers, politicians, and sympathizers sabotage Ireland’s progress by trying to vindicate a traditional Celtic Ireland that no longer exists.
Themes
Buck tells Stephen to go get his paycheck from the school so that they can get drunk, and to wash, because he’s filthy. He also asks Stephen to explain his complex theory of Hamlet. Haines tells Stephen he wants to write down his “sayings,” and Stephen rudely asks if he’ll get paid for it. He tells Buck that he just needs to find a way to get some money, and then they strip off their clothes to go swimming.
Although clearly interested in Stephen’s opinions, Haines condescendingly views him more as a curious research subject than as a serious peer. This represents the power structure of English colonialism and also points to how important it is to Stephen to be taken seriously as an artist. Still, Stephen’s financial concerns are clearly getting in the way of his artistic achievement. He truly is a starving artist: on his quest for truth and purity, he has only found poverty and loneliness. Buck’s direct reference to Hamlet hints at the significant correspondences between Stephen and Prince Hamlet throughout this episode. (The reader will learn about Stephen’s theory in the ninth episode.)
Themes
On their way out, Stephen grabs his ashplant and key, then explains to Haines that he rents the Martello tower for twelve pounds. He calls it “the omphalos” (Greek for “navel”). Haines asks Stephen about Hamlet, but Buck quickly summarizes Stephen’s theory—Hamlet is his own father’s ghost—and insists they wait until they’re drunk for Stephen to explain it. Haines compares the Dublin seashore to Elsinore, the setting of Hamlet, and comments that the play might be a religious metaphor for “the Father and the Son.” Buck goes down to the water ahead of the others and sings “the ballad of joking Jesus,” a satirical song about Jesus, Joseph, and Mary.
The comparison between the tower and an “omphalos,” the Greek word for navel, is an example of how Joyce layers different allusions in order to create strong associations between his characters, their aspirations, and literary tradition. First, the word “omphalos” refers to the Oracle at Delphi (the fortunetelling priestess whose temple was believed to lie at the navel, or center, of the world). Secondly, it refers to Calypso’s island, the “navel of the sea,” where Odysseus is stranded at the start of the Odyssey. For Stephen, “omphalos” refers to the way the Martello tower is the center of his world and literary ambitions, and also the starting point of the novel, the place that links it to other traditions (like an umbilical cord, which creates a human navel). Haines bluntly points out the clear metaphorical link between Hamlet, Christian tradition, and the idea of fatherhood. This is an unusually direct kind of symbolism in Ulysses, and it should settle any doubts the reader may have about whether Stephen’s struggle with his own identity and parenthood really makes him a stand-in for Hamlet and Jesus.
Themes
Haines offers Stephen a smoke from his emerald-studded cigarette case and asks if he believes in God. Stephen replies that he’s a free thinker, but when Haines says that he must be his “own master,” Stephen replies that he has two masters: the British state and the Roman Catholic Church. Haines admits that the English have been unfair to Ireland, and “history is to blame.” Stephen thinks about the heretics who have challenged the teachings of the church. Meanwhile, Haines complains that the Jews are trying to take over Britain.
The emerald in Haines’s cigarette case clearly represents Ireland—and the way England debases Ireland by reducing the nation to a pretty accessory. While Haines understands what English imperialism has done to Ireland, he only acknowledges this in the abstract, without assigning blame or considering his own personal place in the equation. This suggests that he is less interested in helping Ireland than curing his own guilt by playing with it. (Of course, this perpetuates British rule rather than challenging it.) His simplistic advice to Stephen about religion shows that he clearly doesn’t understand Stephen’s intellectual sophistication or recognize that Stephen is playing with him—just like the British play with Ireland. Finally, Haines’s comment about Jews is the first hint of the anti-Semitism that plagued Europe in the early 20th century. Anti-Semitism leads other Dubliners to exclude Leopold Bloom throughout the novel.
Themes
Two men stand atop a cliff and talk about a man who drowned nine days ago; they are still waiting for his body to turn up. Down on the beach, Buck chats with another young man about a friend who recently met “a sweet young thing,” a photographer. A priest gets out of the water, and Buck and his friend chat about Seymour, a buddy who is joining the army and dating a girl named Lily Carlisle. Buck makes a joke about the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and gets in the water, while Haines sits on a rock and smokes. Stephen says he’s leaving. Before walking off, Stephen tosses Buck two pennies and the key to the tower, then promises to meet him at a bar called The Ship at 12:30.
Stephen continues to brood while Buck socializes and swims. It turns out that the friend Buck meets is Alec Bannon and the photographer he’s talking about is Milly Bloom. But, like many of Joyce’s hints and allusions, this doesn’t start to make sense until much later, in retrospect. When Stephen passes Buck the key, this symbolizes him giving up control of the home he has paid for, much like Haines represents the British stealing control over Ireland.
Themes
The church bells ring, and on his way up the path, Stephen thinks of a Latin prayer recited by his mother’s deathbed. He realizes that he can’t return to the tower that night, but also can’t go home to his family. Buck calls out to Stephen from the ocean, and Stephen thinks, “Usurper.”
Stephen connects his sense of grief, guilt, and alienation about his family to his feeling of betrayal by Buck and (to lesser extent) Haines. In other words, Stephen has lost his family, his home, and his country. In this novel, he will undertake a quest to recover them. Again, this is a direct reference to Claudius usurping Hamlet’s right to the throne. Soon, it will also resemble Blazes Boylan usurping Leopold Bloom’s place in his home.
Themes
