Essay on The Chapter of Circe in James Joyces Ulysses

The Chapter of Circe in James Joyces Ulysses Chapter Circe of Ulysses is said to be the most confessional chapter of the novel (Schechner 100). In this way, the themes and underlying meaning present throughout the chapter are more pertinent to the novel as a whole than any other aspect of this particular section. Specifically, themes of love, power, masochism, and consciousness watermark the literature throughout the chapter. What is more, we, as readers, face the battle between mind and body as well as the idea that Circe is a symbol for the entire novel. Regardless of which theme or idea we refer to, one cannot deny the†¦show more content†¦Specifically, I will refer to the love contained within the parent-child relationship. Stephen grieves at the thought of how he used to treat his mother, Molly thinks of the sweater she knit for her dead son Rudy, and Bloom has a vision of what Rudy might have been like as a young man. In all three cases, the theme of love is an absolute. What is more, the issue of getting over a kind of love is concrete. Stephen is trying to get over how he treated his mother, and Molly and Bloom are trying to get over the death of their son. Though they may carry their love for Rudy with them forever, it is still a necessity to move on and survive. In all three instances, the impulse to love is perverted into the impulse to overcome or be overcome (Ellmann 155), which brings us to the theme of power. Bloom has a fantasy in Act II involving Zoe. In this particular Act, Zoe is smoking, and Bloom is giving her a speech on the issue. His reality fades into unconsciousness, and he dreams of being a famous orator, politician, lord mayor, etc. In the end, his power collapses, and he is martyred. His power collapses. Okay, so we do not have control over our unconscious mind. We do, however, have control over how we feel about ourselves, and that influences our unconsciousShow MoreRelated Buy Essay Online: Comparing Homers Odyssey and Joyces Ulysses2240 Words   |  9 PagesComparing Homers Odyssey and Joyces Ulysses  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay will analyze the style, genre and plots of the Hades episodes found in Homers Odyssey and Joyces Ulysses. Before entering this small treatise, it is important to understand the etymology of the word Hades, since it is the setting for both Joyce and Homer (of course in Homers case, he was speaking of the literal aidhs and Joyce was referring to the graveyard, where Bloom attends the funeral of Paddy Dignam and broodsRead More Portrayal of Women in James Joyces Ulysses Essay1110 Words   |  5 PagesPortrayal of Women in James Joyces Ulysses The novel, Ulysses, by James Joyce shows the reader hour by hour a single day in the life of one man.   But this epic which specifically deals with Leopold Bloom and has reference to Stephen Dedalus, holds so much more appendage to other areas of life.   One, is the portrayal of women in Ulysses. A common speculation is that men seem to have a more dominating status over women.   However, in Ulysses  that theory dwindles due to the women who   play significantRead More How James Joyce Challenges His Readers in Ulysses and Finnegans Wake2592 Words   |  11 PagesHow James Joyce Challenges His Readers in Ulysses and Finnegans Wake      Ã‚   In the history of written literature, it is difficult not to notice the authors who expand their readers style and manner of reading. Some write in   an unusual syntax which forces the reader to utilize new methods of looking at a language; others employ lengthy allusions which oblige the reader to study the same works the author drew from in order to more fully comprehend the text. Some authors use ingenious andRead More James Joyces Ulysses - Balancing Information in Ithaca Essay3248 Words   |  13 PagesJames Joyces Ulysses - Balancing Information in Ithaca I hold this book [Ulysses] to be the most important expression which the present age has found; it is a book to which we are all indebted, and from which none of us can escape. T.S. Elliot In the midst of Ithaca, the climactic second to last episode of Ulysses, James Joyce provides the necessary information for calculating how much excrement, in pounds, is produced annually by the entire population of Ireland (p. 718). The typeRead MoreTo The Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf Essay1237 Words   |  5 Pagesmother. Similarly, this oedipal triangle is formed between James and his parents. Woolf gives reference to Freud and his views on male development and family dynamics by sharing his views on the unconscious whilst talking about them in her own way. She â€Å"absorbs many of Freud’s insights about male and female gender identity, yet at the same time infected them in a manner now known as feminist.† The dialogue between the Ramsay’s and James is seen by the reader to express feelings equating to sexual