|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Soap: Chandra, The soap reappears often in the book. In many ways it helps Bloom relax. As I sit typing I suddenly think about Stephen and his need for soap. For me the soap is the most "real" object of the book. Bloom has not paid for the soap by the end of the day. I have no Idea why this little fact makes the book seem so real to me but it does. Chandra- Often in this book objects come back. One such object the newspaper that bloom is holding in his hand has already caused much pain and misunderstanding even though Bloom is unaware of this simple fact. mike ...I have to retract because I read something very interesting on the 'soap' in Gifford. He is referring to the lemony sweet smell of the soap. Gifford says: "... The feast of Tabernackles in the seventh month of the Hebrew calender, a festival that was both a thanksgiving for the completed harvest and a commemmoration of the time when the Israelites lived in tents during their passage through the wilderness. One phase of the observance involves the carrying of palm branches entwined with myrtle and willow, together with a specimen of citron, into the synagogue. The citron to be used for this purpose, according to the elaborate instructions of the Babalonian Talmud, was to be not only without physical flaw but perfect in every way, including the legal, moral, and religious conditions under which it was grown. Together the citron (ethrog) and the twined branches (lulav) represent all the scattered tribes of Israel and are symbolic of the coming redemption that will reunite all the tribes." If I may extrapolate, every time Bloom touches the soap, he is thinking of his being a jew, him being an outsider. Chandra
HOME! |