JOYCE		LUCK CLUB
DUBLINERS	ULYSSES	THE PORTRAIT

Chapter 16 / EUMAEUS - Stephen & Bloom: What is Stephen to Bloom actually? Chandra The early view was that Bloom and Stephen were in a relation of father and son, that because Telemachus and Odysseus unite against their enemies the same must be true of Stephen and Bloom. Over the years and as more readers examine this assumption and look at it more critically, it seems to many to be unsatisfactory. In the Odyssey we know what happens: Odysseus secures his chieftanship and its succession to Telemachus. In Ulysses we have no such sequel. Bloom and Stephen, two outsiders, meet and share a casual moment. Nothing is established between them except plans for a further meeting which seems unlikely to happen, a fact that Bloom more or less recognises although he leaves the matter open enough in his conversation with Molly for her to fantasize about Stephen with some intensity. Stephen simply walks into the night and out of the book. It is as outsiders that they make contact and enjoy a fleeting intimacy. That is I think all that can be claimed for them. Bloom is as much motivated by his reluctance to return home as he is by any real concern for Stephen. This presents an interesting irony, an Odysseus who is not really thrilled by the idea of returning to his home. A nice Joycean touch. Bob Williams  Top! HOME!