The Embryonic Artist and the Nightmare of History: In Search of a Father-Guide in James Joyce's Ulysses
Author
Hartley, Anne Nicole
Subject
Washington and Lee University -- Honors in English
Ulysses (Joyce, James)
Dedalus, Stephen (Fictitious character)
Father figures in literature
Metadata
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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]