ULYSSES by JAMES JOYCE

"The movements which work revolutions in the world are born out of the dreams and visions in a peasant's heart on the hillside."

PR: 7/10

"Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. [...]"

- And hence starts one of the greatest tale ever written in the history of English Literature.

The story begins with Stephen Dedalus, Haines and Buck Mulligan in the same scene. Whereas Stephen Dedalus can be said the Joycean version of Telemachus in Homer's Odyssey and another main protagonist, Leopold Bloom as Ulysses himself.

His wife, Molly Bloom, is the irony version of Homer's Penelope in Odyssey.

The story, in short is about a charred salesman, who decides to take a trip of the city of Dublin, and goes on and on the streets, visiting pubs and even Red District areas, where he meets with an young guy, Stephen Dedalus (portrayed as Telemachus) and takes him home in the middle of the night. He talk to him about his wife, and probably tries to pimp her out to the young man.

Though he may have already guessed that his wife Molly Bloom is already having an affair.

But what can be said, "Love loves to love love" - and everything else is just a matter of time, mere coincidences.

Molly's affair is confirmed, though hinted before, in the last chapter, chapter 18 called Molly's Soliloquy, where the whole chapter is written from her perspective and narration.

"I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes."

- thus concludes the book.

Here in this story, Ulysses, which is a twisted version of Homer's Odyssey, where Leopold Bloom desperately needed a son, and Stephen Dedalus, a father. Though their union lasted only a few chapters, which was inevitable, but still both played their part well to represent such as Ulysses and Telemachus respectively as in Odyssey.

Irony is, in Odyssey, wife of Ulysses, Queen Penelope, is ever too loyal to her husband even after his long absence and she effectively looks after his properties and fends off her suitors cleverly; whereas Molly Bloom, wife of Leopold, is an adulterous and haves an affair which is direly confirmed in the last chapter.

Each chapter has a different and unique way of writing. Some is first person narrative, another is a deep philosophical, another romance and drama, another musical, another would be a play. He even creates a chapter where the closeness of Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom is given spotlight in the form of questions and answers. The last chapter, is a single sentenced chapter, without any punctuations, just non-stop.

I wouldn't say I highly enjoyed this work of brilliance because I had to look up many references and annotations, but I'm glad I made it through the way out, alive, i.e.

And I won't recommend this book to anyone until its a course book and they HAVE to study, or they're seriously patient and ACTUALLY willing to read it, like in my case. It requires very acute amount of patience and concentration.

I would prefer one must read Homer's Odyssey first before reading Joyce's Ulysses.

This book, was brainwrecking. The hardest book I've ever read.

Thank you for reading!!