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The Theme of Characterization in Ulysses in relation to the narrator depiction of Bloom and Stephen.

Ulysses is structured in a manner to match with events in Odyssey. The association

between Stephen Dedalus, who is a fatherless son and Leopold Bloom a sonless father

corresponds with the events of Telemachus and Odysseus. This association accounts for the

theme of characterization in which the narrator James Joyce uses to convey his message

through the novel Ulysses. But, how does the narrator characterizes Bloom and Stephen? How

do the characters relate to their external environments in similar ways? How is the

characterization reflected techniques like represented speech and thought? What kind of

statement does the novel seem to be making about consciousness in the novel? How might the

represented speech and thought of both these characters shed light upon one another? What sort

of aesthetic principles and character traits seem to be at work with Joyces updated version of the

heroic? If we examine the theme of characterization in Ulysses, we will acknowledge that James

Joyce characterizes Stephen and Bloom by not considering their actions, but by their

impassiveness to show the connection between ideas and action.

The author starts by showing Stephen with a meager lifestyle. For instance, a more

present expression like Stephen Dedalus, displeased and sleepy, leaned his arms on the top of

the staircase and looked coldly at the shaking gurgling face that blessed him, equine in its
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length, and at the light untonsured hair, grained and hued like pale oak (Joyce & Hans,

Episode 1, 2). This happens when Stephen was borrowing Mulligan clothes to mourn his dead

mother. Stephens clothes are extremely worn-out, which show his simplicity. Clothing plays a

key role in the novel through the character Stephen and Bloom. Stephen is wearing black

mourning for his mother while Bloom is wearing black in mourning for Dignam. Both of these

characters moves around the town, the population usually comment to one another about their

clothes and how morbid it is. The author characterizes Stephen and Bloom in this manner to

show how people relate goodness with light by showing two dark men as the heroes of the novel.

The notion of darkness and its relationship with impassiveness and uncertainty plays a

significant role in the novel in showing how Stephen and Bloom situations are related. Stephen is

mourning the death of his mother while Bloom is mourning the death of Dignam.

More importantly, Bloom thinks of Zoe as dominating him through sexual strength and

his own weaknesses, as he says, Laughing witch! The hand that rocks the cradle, in baby

linen and pelisse, bigheaded, with a caul of dark hair, fixes big eyes on her fluid slip and

counts its bronze buckles with a chubby finger, his moist tongue lolling and lisping. (Joyce

& Hans, Episode 11.695). This statement shows how Bloom is distressed by thoughts. He

appears to be a self-pity person, he feels powerless and deserted. Indeed, he sees Zoe in short as

a combination of sexual dominatrix and mother. Through this way, clearly Bloom is

characterized with a non-subvocalized emotional response of this nature to Zoes Come. In

protecting this, when Bloom stares at Zoe, he senses something like smiling. Fortunately, along

with this, he sees a likely maternal role, perhaps even a sort of maternal attitude. In fact, this

combination is something that is found in the relation of women to men in this novel. The female

usually looks at the male as big babies to whom the female despite their dominance in
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intellectual growth must be kind. After sensing this attitude on Zoes side, Bloom feels

weakened, childish and confused in her presence. In fact, Bloom relates himself with the one

baby, he acknowledges clearly; his daughter Milly. In addition, he also relates to Stephen in

search for a son. Thus, James Joyce chooses and strains this identification for thematic motives.

In Blooms depiction with Milly, the narrator puts himself in the place of a daughter and Molly

in the place of himself; the father. This substitution of sex protagonists works against the simple

paralleling of women with nurturing male and parent with care for children. Thoughts are shown

as the triggering force for actions. Blooms acts as a result of distressed thoughts.

Similarly, the speech of Zoe, silent means consent, with little parted talons she

captures his hand, her forefinger giving to his palm the pass touch of secret monitor, luring

him to doom.Hot hands cold gizzard, indicate the lovers totaling game (Joyce & Hans

Episode 11.695). This happens between Zoes invitations, Come and her view. Blooms have

been seemingly looking at the buckles of Zoes slip. In fact, the statement shows how Bloom has

been encountering an abstruse and ambivalent emotional and cognitive childhood vulnerability.

However, it alters that totaling game in order to become an exhortation from Zoe that of

progressive appeal and denial. In fact, this ambivalence is important to Molly as well, although

in this case, the importance is directed to Molly in the sense that Bloom loves her because he is

attached to her and not because of making love with her. In this passage, Joyce metabolically

characterizes Bloom as a child, which in turn is similar to the metaphorical utilization of beaver

in oxen, although in oxen the association of the surface and inferred narrative worlds is

candid, an affair of one to one correspondence. Likewise, Stephen is portrayed as a young man

struggling with remorse thoughts with respect to the death of her mother.
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Joyce depicts Bloom and Stephen with non-dreaming experiences as Bloom state, Wont

sleep. Though. Half dream, woke up me up in the night, she said. Dream he had, a nightmare

indigesSaid the ace of spades was walking up the stairs, The ace of spades! Mr Bloom said

(Joyce & Hans, Episode 8. 224). Through this statement, Bloom is detailing his time to time

experience through dreams. It shows how the world appears to him. Dreams usually parallel

fantasies in presenting individuals with wish fulfillments. However, dreams can be controlled.

The scenarios and the events may move from delightful to amazing. This kind of move is one of

the most outstanding characters of Blooms imaginations in throughout the novel. In addition,

the likelihood of a vastness of aversive emotions denotes that dreaming in an alternative

approach for what occurs with Stephen since what he encounters is neither forcing fantasy nor

manageable simulations. Furthermore, dreams appear fitting because of Blooms sleep at the end

of Nausicaa, which prepare the reader for dreamlike elements in the novel. Moreover, Joyce used

dream when treating Stephen and Bloom as non-dreaming because a dream in a human being act

as a suitable approach for dreaming experiences because there is actual continuity between

imaginations and dreams of Stephen and Bloom. As a matter of fact, Joyce appears to be

showing that Stephen and Bloom, are not fully unusual in this regards. Particularly, the

consequences appear to be that the individual has much less control of their imaginations than

they actually think.

The narrator characterizes the young Stephens appealing determinations ironically as in

the expression of A hesitating soul taking arms against a sea of troubles, torn by conflicting doubts,

as one sees in real life. He came a step a sinkapace forward on neatsleather creaking and a step

backward a sinkapace on the solemn floor. ( Joyce & Hans, Episode 9.263). The statement

shows Stephens disappointment of his Icarus project, disclosing the flaw in his first vision,
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Fabulous artificer. Stephen remembers how he saw birds from the archive paces, two years

ago, an act in which there was an allusion to the hawklike man whose name he bore (Joyce &

Hans, Episode 9 , 303). It is where Bloom would teach Stephen to fly less strenuously than in his

initial revolt. This may contribute to another prognostication, the dream recalled.

Stephen is represented as a visionary man through his mother's death as stated, pain,

that was not yet the pain of love, fretted his heart, silently, in a dream she had come to him

after her death, her wasted body within its loose brown grave-clothes giving off an odour of

wax and rosewood, her breath, that had bent upon him, mute, reproachful, a faint odour of

wetted ashes. (Joyce & Hans, Episode 1.6). Through this statement, Joyce wants to show why

individual thoughts can make one to suffer. Stephen rejected the acceptance of the death of his

mother. He stubbornly refused and as a result, he is wracked with remorse. Clearly, Stephen

thinks that his denial to pray over her mother has killed his memories of her. In addition, Joyce

characterizes Stephen with visionary images to show how thoughts can make a person feel guilty

for not acting responsibly. In this case, the source of Stephens remorse is due to his refusal to

pray for his mother. When her mother died, she keeps on appearing to him as a visionary ghost.

This continues to disturb Stephens throughout the story.

Bloom is transfigured during the end of the Cyclops to show the presence of resurrection

and ascension as the narrator says, You never saw the like of it in all your born puff. Gob. Of

he got that lottery ticket on the side of his poll hed remember the gold cup, he would so, but

begob the citizenand joe for aiding and abetting.The jarvey saves his life by furious driving

as sure as God made Moses. What? O, Jesus, he did (Joyce & Hans, Episode 12. 501). The

mentioning of God, Moses and Jesus by the narrator shows Blooms Christly phenomena. In

addition, his final portrayal of Bloom, as an old sheep face evokes the characterization of
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Christ as the light of the world along with the reference to the evidence that Blooms body is

intact. Likewise, when Bloom ascends to heaven, he assumes the obligation of Stephens

spiritual father. However, only the dramatic artist and God can have an association of spiritual

consubstantiality for they show self- understanding in a Son or self-picture. Through this was,

Joyce wants to depict that the relationship between Bloom and Stephen is grounded on God

view; father to son association. It is the sacrilege of Arius. Indeed, in Telemachus Stephen

claimed that Arius did not support the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. The Arians

believed that the kind of the Son was not from eternity, though the Son came before other

creatures. The picture Rickaby uses to feature the Arian heresy evidences that Stephen is

Blooms Arian son. Hence, the depiction of Stephen by the narrator as well as revealing himself

as Bloom bonds the son of his souls with his soul, though Stephen and Bloom have different

identities. It is only a spiritual likeness. Besides, Son and Father, only the Godlike artist and his

image as a young man can be spiritually similar.

In conclusion, James Joyce has made the novel, Ulysses as a Bible with the potential to

maintain exegetes just as the scripture does. All the episodes with their diverse contrast, even

contradictory message and styles might references the New Testaments, with references to the

humanistic message. In one way or the other, Stephen and Bloom relate to their external

environment in similar ways, which is facilitated through the father- son relationship. In addition,

the sort of aesthetic principles and characters presented by the narrator through Bloom, and

Stephen are appealing and sincerity. The novel also seems to make conclusive statements about

consciousness through Stephen and Bloom whereby Bloom cannot produce male descendants

while Stephens masculinity approach, upsets women. However, all in all, Joyce draws the
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theme of characterization through Stephen and Bloom to show the connection between thoughts

and impassiveness.
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Works Cited

Joyce, James, and Hans Walter Gabler. Ulysses. Gabler ed. New York: Vintage, 1993. Print.

i. Stephen Dedalus, displeased and sleepy, leaned his arms on the top of the staircase

and looked coldly at the shaking gurgling face that blessed him, equine in its length,

and at the light untonsured hair, grained and hued like pale oak (Joyce & Hans, Episode

1, 2)

ii. Laughing witch! The hand that rocks the cradle, in baby linen and pelisse,

bigheaded, with a caul of dark hair, fixes big eyes on her fluid slip and counts its

bronze buckles with a chubby finger, his moist tongue lolling and lisping. (Joyce &

Hans, Episode 11.695)

iii. silent means consent, with little parted talons she captures his hand, her forefinger

giving to his palm the pass touch of secret monitor, luring him to doom.Hot hands

cold gizzard,

iv. Wont sleep. Though. Half dream, woke up me up in the night, she said. Dream he

had, a nightmare indigesSaid the ace of spades was walking up the stairs, The ace of

spades! Mr Bloom said (Joyce & Hans, Episode 8. 224)

v. A hesitating soul taking arms against a sea of troubles, torn by conflicting doubts, as

one sees in real life. He came a step a sinkapace forward on neatsleather creaking and

a step backward a sinkapace on the solemn floor. ( Joyce & Hans, Episode 9.263).

vi. pain, that was not yet the pain of love, fretted his heart, silently, in a dream she had

come to him after her death, her wasted body within its loose brown grave-clothes

giving off an odour of wax and rosewood, her breath, that had bent upon him, mute,

reproachful, a faint odour of wetted ashes. (Joyce & Hans, Episode 1.6)
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vii. You never saw the like of it in all your born puff. Gob. Of he got that lottery ticket on

the side of his poll hed remember the gold cup, he would so, but begob the

citizenand joe for aiding and abetting.The jarvey saves his life by furious driving as

sure as God made Moses. What? O, Jesus, he did (Joyce & Hans, Episode 12. 501).