Ulysses

Stephen Dedalus first appeared in Joyce’s work in the semi-autobiographical A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. After the events of the previous novel, Stephen is now 22 and grieving his recently deceased mother. Stephen was in Paris, pursuing his artistic and academic ambitions when he received news that his mother was dying. He refused to pray at her bedside, sticking to his principles as an atheist, and he blames himself for her death, to the point where he is still “clad in mourning” (85) as he grieves. Concurrent to this, Stephen feels unsatisfied as an artist. His poetry has not garnered the respect he craves, nor have his academic theories about Shakespeare proven popular. He teaches history at a boys’ school and plans to leave as soon as he can. Stephen is struggling with his identity. At the beginning of the novel, he feels in flux, no longer satisfied in his own home as Buck Mulligan has usurped everything from him. As such, Stephen is presented as detached, aloof, and desperate to demonstrate his own intelligence. His pretentious references to literature are not only his way of proving how clever he is, but also an attempt to find reference points for his own existence. He latches on to figures like Hamlet because, as the grieving son of a parent, he feels empathy for the characters and hopes that his own existence will follow a similar narrative arc, one which will bring meaning and clarity to his existence. Stephen is searching for an identity as the past versions of himself crumble away.

While Bloom traverses the physical space of Dublin, Stephen is somewhat disconnected from the world around him. As he bathes in the opening scenes of the novel, he floats on the surface of society, occasionally deigning to dip deeper beneath the waves. He is buoyed by a world of his own intellectual pursuits, ideas that allow him to remain at a safe distance from the world in an emotional sense, in the same way and for the same purpose that Bloom and Molly keep each other at bay; they mourn their dead son, whose death has redefined their identities and relationship, and Stephen mourns his dead mother, whose death has forced him to redefine himself and his relationship to the world. He fears becoming too attached to anything, to the point where he actively distances himself from his suffering family members because he feels the pain of his mother’s loss so acutely. As much as Stephen strives for independence or charitably gives away his money, this is affected by his family’s struggles. Stephen is disconnected from the emotional and the material world, a ruptured connection that is not necessarily admirable or sympathetic because his detachment is purely academic and internal. Bloom strives to find a place for himself in society, whereas Stephen is struggling to find himself at all. He feels caught between various “masters” (20), unable to pledge himself to anything or anyone.

After the first three episodes, Stephen sinks back into the scenery. He bursts into vivid life occasionally, but these narrative instances are seen from Bloom’s perspective. Stephen becomes incredibly drunk and smashes a chandelier in a brothel before allowing Bloom to walk him home. The anxious, self-conscious thoughts that pervaded the opening episodes sink back into the mire, overcome by the alcohol and the circumstances. Stephen achieves his goal: he breaks free from Buck Mulligan and does not return to the tower. He accepts Bloom’s hospitality, if only for a moment. This acceptance is the first time that Stephen accepts someone into his life, a brief hint that he may be reconnecting with the world. The long, meandering conversation between Bloom and Stephen does not bring closure to Stephen’s pursuit of identity but hints at a moment of catharsis in the future. Stephen connected with another person, someone else who feels a pointed and definitive sense of grief. This shared moment is Stephen recognizing the power of human relationships. Though he vanishes out into the night, disjointed from the world once again, he has briefly learned how to connect to the world from which he felt so alienated.

Stephen and Leopold may be the primary protagonists of the novel, but Molly Bloom plays an important role. She is the foremost female character, to whom the final episode is given over in its entirety. Before the final episode, however, she is portrayed mostly through the eyes of other people. Bloom makes her breakfast when she is barely awake, leaving the house before she fully rouses herself. From this point on, she is in his thoughts. Not only is he constantly (and correctly) worried that she is having an affair, but other men talk about Molly in front of him. Molly has many admirers. Most of them are shocked that she is married to a man like Leopold Bloom. Whenever Molly is mentioned, people compliment her as a “finelooking woman” (102), as well as mentioning her association with Blazes Boylan and whether he is “mixed up in” (164) her business. Even Bloom’s enemy, the citizen, refers to Molly as “a nice old phenomenon” (293) and is shocked that she would be with a man like Bloom. As such, Molly is frequently portrayed through the male gaze. The men of Dublin know Molly, while Bloom cannot stop fretting about her, meaning that the audience’s understanding of Molly is built from this perspective, turning her into a sexual object who is subject to both lust and jealousy.

Bloom’s relationship with Molly is complicated. They have a daughter named Milly and they lost a young son named Rudy. Since this tragic loss, they have not had sex. As the tragedy of Rudy’s death is slowly revealed through Bloom’s thoughts, Molly’s own sexual behavior becomes more sympathetic. Bloom is as alienated from his wife as he is from society. He performs small gestures for her, such as cooking her breakfast and purchasing her books and lotion, but he is unable to provide her with the emotional and physical support that she needs at a difficult time. He even seems conscious of this, to the point where he sends Milly away seemingly to better furnish Molly’s affair. Molly’s affair is not built on pure lust. Instead, she is seeking emotional and physical gratification in the wake of a tragic loss and the collapse of her marriage. She does not love Boylan, but he is able to provide her with something resembling physical affection, something that her husband is no longer able to provide. His seemingly tacit approval—and his own sexual misdeeds—give Molly permission to embark on her affairs, making her actions more understandable and more sympathetic.

The final episode is four long sentences of Molly’s thoughts. The stream-of-consciousness style allows for a direct insight into her thoughts, emotions, and hopes. Through this long passage, Molly provides a rebuttal to the male-dominated narrative of earlier episodes. In this episode, the audience comes to understand her alienation from her husband and the disinterested way in which she views Boylan as a means to an end rather than as a potential husband. Furthermore, she plans to return Bloom’s favor from the morning and cook him “breakfast in bed” (690). This small, intimate gesture reveals the new tenors of their relationship. They may not be able to talk about their grief or their infidelity, but they can perform rituals of affirmation and affection that reinforce their bond. In the ensuing pages, Molly makes clear that she is frustrated with Bloom and that she sees through many of his lies and secrets. She understands him, however, and she is willing to stay with him. She could have had narratives and adventures of her own (as she states, she could have been an actress), but Molly finds meaning in her everyday life with Bloom. Molly may not be happy, but she understands her own unhappiness. More than Bloom or Stephen, she is approaching an understanding of herself that they crave.