The Embryonic Artist and the Nightmare of History: In Search of a Father-Guide in James Joyce's Ulysses

Abstract

As readers of Ulysses, our only guide to Stephen's future comes from looking back, searching the novel for clues to Joyce's providential design. When in search of a father-guide for Stephen, one must look to "Scylla and Charybdis," "Oxen of the Sun," and "Circe" as this paper has attempted; however, the role of the father and Stephen's rejection of maternity and paternity pervades the novel. A closer reading of "Nestor," "Hades," "Ithaca," and "Penelope" would offer a starting point, but ultimately it appears that Joyce leaves Stephen's future unknown in the realm of Ulysses; instead, he concludes his novel with a promise for Molly and Bloom, a reconciliation embodied by the "last word (human, all too human)"[147] that completes the novel but also returns us to its beginning: "Yes." [From Afterword]