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Friends, I seem to keep on going back to the first page of Ulysses! But now I feel that I have understood 'enough' of the section 1/chapter 1 to proceed to the second section. Before doing that I want to put down my thoughts and ask you to comment on them, add to them, etc. Please feel free. I was helped in this by many books of commentaries I glanced through, but most importantly by the book Ulysses, David Fuller, St. Martin's Pres, 1992, ISBN 0-312-07965-6 Summary of Chapter 1: The first section introduces many of Joyce's thoughts and ideas and preoccupations. The important 'actors' of the section can be divided into two kinds: animate one and the inanimate ones. The first kind is made up of Buck Mulligan, Stephen Dedalus, Haines, Old woman selling milk, Stephen's mother. The latter kind is composed of the church and the tower, the nick name - kinch. The 'animate' actors: Buck Mulligan: The jolly Buck Mulligan has many roles to play in this chapter. He is the 'guy betrayer' of Ireland (David Fuller), he is the one who shows what Stephen is by giving him the nick name Kinch, he is the ironic symbol of the church, and finally he sets the tone of the chapter in the very first sentence. The reference to the bowl, mirror and knife lying 'crossed' on it is indeed a reference to the church. The mirror being the medium that reflects the state of affairs. Mulligan is the betrayer as (a) he shelters Haines, an Englishman and (b) he does not pay his due to Ireland which one sees in the way he behaves when he has to pay money to the old lady. Not only does he not pay her, he jokes singing, "Heart of my heart, were it more, More would be laid at your feet." Would he have really done it, is another question. Haines: Haines (the only character for whom I cannot find a fitting adjective, yet) is the epitome of England. He behaves like many a conqueror did, his conscience is not bothered by what has happened. He says, "We feel in England that we have treated you rather unfairly. It seems history is to blame." He is fair, apparently at least, as he is the one who thinks of paying for the milk. He also has the romantic view that Irish must be spoken in Ireland. The moody, brooding, sensitive and serious Stephen Daedalus ofcourse shows all that bothers him (Joyce) in the first few pages. He wants to be free of the church, but is very much aware of its presence in his life, and therefore,I feel, is not free of its bonds. He is not free of the image of his mother's death and by attaching so much importance to his refusing to kneel at her death side, he underscores how chained he still is. He is still in mourning - "I can't wear them if they are grey." I am a bit surprised at the importance attached to these external things. One explanation could be that Stephen is still growing up. This section also shows that Stephen has lost hopes of getting any sustenance from either Ireland or England. "I see little hope, Stephen said, from her or from him." (Page 19) It is not only monetary kind of sustenance which he means, though he refers in this sentence to money. |