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10 Wandering Rocks

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Summary

This episode acts as the entr’acte for Ulysses. In it, 19 short vignettes follow the movement and interactions of various characters, major and minor, through the streets and shopts of Dublin. The episode begins by following Father Conmee, a Jesuit priest, on his trip north, and concludes with a coda, an account of the cavalcade of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, William Ward, Earl of Dudley, through the streets, which is encountered by several characters from the novel. Throughout are interpolations: identical moments and recurring objects that put together the seemingly disparate vignettes.

Odyssey Allusion

In the Odyssey the sorceress Circe warns Odysseus of the “Wandering Rocks” that have only been successfully passed by the Argo. These rocks smash ships and the remaining timbers are scattered by the sea or destroyed by flames. The rocks lie on one of two potential routes to Ithaca; the alternative, which is taken by Odysseus, leads to Scylla and Charybdis.

Joyce’s Schema

The schema lists “mechanics” as the art for this episode, and we can think of each of the 18 sections as a gear in the Dublin machine. Short scenes or occurrences in one section might reappear (or pre-appear) in other sections of the episode divorced from space (but not time) in a device called interpolation. Think of these interpolations as teeth from one gear momentarily interlocking with another gear in the turning Dublin machine.

Characters

Episode Notes

1. Father John Comnee exits Saint Francais Xavier’s Church

  • Father Comnee is moving throughout the streets of Dublin, self-assured and “mild” 10.188
  • In his walk, he encounter:
    • A onelegged sailor, whom he blesses but does not give money (he only has enough for a bus fare)
    • A well-to-do wife of a politician (whom he lauds with friendly politeness)
    • Three boys who are students at Belvedere (whom he dispatches to mail a letter for him)
    • A flamboyant dancing master named Denis Maginni
    • And the upright pawn-shop owner Mrs. M’Guinness (whom he salutes)
  • He boards the tram to avoid an unsavory neighborhood, and percieves the passengers
    • “The solemnity of the occupants of the car seemed to Father Conmee excessive for a journey so short and cheap. Father Conmee liked cheerful decorum” 10.119
    • He spies a couple, but he thinks are awkward, but “they had so many worries in life, so many cares, poor creatures.” 10.140
    • He also notices a minstrel show advert, and thinks of the “souls of black and brown and yellow men… a pity that they should all be lost, a waste, if one might say.” 10.144
  • He has a reverie of the past, where men of his ilk were truly honored, where priests of his esteem confidentially held knowledge of the sins of the aristocratic elite.
  • “It was a charming day.” 10.179 He thinks to himself, or does the narrator?
  • He looks up at The Clouds, “a flock of small white clouds going slowly down the wind. Moutonner, the French said. A just and homely word.” 10.181
  • Entering the office, he notices two young lovers, the Hedge Lovers
    • “A flushed young man came from a gap of a hedge and after him came a young woman with wild nodding daisies in her hand. The young man raised his cap abruptly: the young woman abruptly bent and with slow care detached from her light skirt a clinging twig.” 10.199

2. Corny Kelleher in O’Neill’s Funeral Est

  • In H. J. O’Neill’s Funeral Establishment Corny is chewing a blade of hay, as previously seen by Father Comnee
  • Corny pulls “himself erect” and looks out onto the street:
    • He notices “Father John Conmee stepped into the Dollymount Tram on Newcomen bridge” 10.213
    • And “a generous white arm from a window in Eccles street flung forth a coin.” 10.221

3. The One-Legged Sailor at MacConnell’s Corner

  • A one legged sailor, a veteran of the British Navy, lurches around the streets, begging for money and grunting a patriotic song “The Death of Nelson”
  • And Molly’s arm again: “A plump bare generous arm shone… flung forth a coin over the area railings. It fell on the path” 10.251

4. The Dedalus Sisters

  • In the Dedalus Home, Katey and Boody return home from school and join Maggy, who is doing the laundry
  • Boody inquires if they sold any of Stephen’s books on the street
  • Apparently, they have nothing to eat except what’s given by charity
  • Upon the mention of their father, Boody curses, “our father who art not in heaven” 10.291 father-cursing
  • The crumpled advert is seen floating down The Liffey
  • A lacquey rings his bell

5. Blazes Boylan in Thornton’s

  • Blazes is in Thornton’s Fruit and Flower Shop to pick up flower ahead of his Rendezvous with Molly
  • He instructs the “blond girl” working on how to arrange the flowers and fruits
    • According to the Uncle Charles Principle, the language of the narration acquires the tastes of Boylan in this section: “shamefaced peaches” (10.306), “plump red tomatoes” (10.308), “fat pears” (10.305, 333) and “blushing peaches” (10.333) in particular stand out as relevant to this character’s mentality on this day.
  • The HELYS Sandwhich-board Men can be seen outside
  • As Boylan asks for the basket to be delivered asap, the narration has an Interpolation: “a darkbacked figure under Merchant’s arch scanned books on the hawkers cart.” 10.314
    • Indeed, it’s Bloom looking for books as Boylan is looking for flowers, both for the same woman
  • Boylan then flirts with the girl:
    • he lies, “It’s for an invalid” 10.322
    • olges “Blazes Boylan looked into the cut of her blouse” 10.327
    • He speaks “gallantly” and “roguishly” 10.336
    • Takes a red carnation between his teeth and makes the girl blush

6. Stephen & Artifoni

  • At the center of town, Stephen run into Almidano Artifoni, his Italian singing tutor
  • They talk in Italian, Artifoni tries to convince Stephan to pursue singing, rather than art:
    • Artifoni says, “I, too, was convinced the world was a place of beastliness and sin when I was young. But your voice…it could be a source of income for you. Instead, you sacrifice yourself.”
    • “Bloodless sacrifice,” Stephen replies with the shy smile of a favored student.
    • Of course, this closely mirrors Joyce’s own life, he was a talented singer who opted to write instead
  • Artifoni realizes the convo made him miss his train; he holds up a “baton of rolled music as a signal” 10.363 — not dissimilar to Bloom Rolled-up Newspaper

7. Miss Dunne in Boylan’s Office

  • Boylan’s secretary Ms. Dunne is at the typewriter, she writes out the day’s date, “16 June 1904” 10.376 16 June 1904
  • The HELYS Sandwhich-board Men are seen again outside
  • Miss Dunne thinks about her evening, a skirt she wants, a man who’s caught her attention, hopes to get out by 7 pm.
  • She answers the phone, is told by Bloom to book travel tix for he and Molly; Ms. Dunne tells Boylan that Lenehan has been looking for him and to meet at the Ormond Hotel Bar at 4 pm.

8. Ned Lambert, Reverend Love, and J. J. O’Molloy in St. Mary’s Abbey

  • This vignette takes place in St. Mary’s Abbey, which Lambert claims is “the most historic spot in all Dublin” 10.408 — in part due to Lord Thomas Fitzgerald declaring himself a rebel there in 1534 … it was orignally a synaoguge
  • We see two more interpolations from the arranger:
    • “From a long face a beard and gaze hung on a chessboard” 10.425
    • “The young woman with slow care detached from her light skirt a clinging twig.” 10.440

9. Tom Rochford’s Invention; Lenehan and M’Coy in Crampton Court

  • Tom Rochford shows off his invention, which shows outsiders which musical act is currently on stage
  • Lenehan promises to pitch the invention to the music concert producer.
  • As they leave, Lenehan tells M’Coy of Tom Rochford’s heroism in saving a man who had fallen down a manhole
  • Lenehan goes into lynams and learns of the Tip on Throwaway ”— Even money, Lenehan said returning. I knocked against Bantam Lyons in there going to back a bloody horse someone gave him that hasn’t an earthly. Through here.” 10.517
  • M’Coy moves a banana peel aside, “Fellow might damn easy get a nasty fall there coming along tight in the dark,” he thinks 10.515
  • We then have our first of three Interpolations:
    • In Phoenix Park, the The Viceregal Cavalcade begins its journey across the city: “The gates of the drive opened wide to give egress to the viceregal cavalcade.” 10.517
    • Elsewhere, young Patrick Dignam leaves a butchers shop: “Master Patrick Aloysius Dignam came out of Mangan’s, late Fehrenbach’s, carrying a pound and a half of porksteaks.” 10.535
    • Molly replaces the Unfurnished Apartments card that fell in Section 3: “A card Unfurnished Apartments reappeared on the windowsash of number 7 Eccles street.” 10.542
  • As the men discuss the Tip on Throwaway, they bump into a “darkbacked figure scanning books on the hawker’s cart.” 10.520
    • The men discuss Bloom and his knack for finding bargains … apparently on an astronomy book, in this case.
  • Lenehan launches into the story about Glencree Dinner:
    • After a night of music and drinking, Lenehan is sitting next to Molly inthe carraige
    • At each bump in the road, he pusposefully fondles her, while Bloom is ignorant
      • “Every jolt the bloody car gave I had her bumping up against me. Hell’s delights! She has a fine pair, God bless her. Like that.” 10.558
      • “The lad stood to attention anyhow, he said with a sigh. She’s a gamey mare and no mistake. Bloom was pointing out all the stars and the comets in the heavens” 10.565
    • The story leaves Lenehan gasping in laughter, “I’m weak, he gasped.” 10.577
  • M’Coy is not so pleased by the story, they turn to compliments On Bloom: “He’s a cultured allroundman, Bloom is, he said seriously. He’s not one of your common or garden… you know… There’s a touch of the artist about old Bloom.” 10.581

M’Coy, a married man himself, “grew grave” (10.578) in silent rebuke of Lenehan’s tale of infidelity. Lenehan gets the hint, changes his tack, and compliments Mr. Bloom.

10. Bloom on Wellington Quay

  • Bloom is looking for a book for his wife
  • He again thinks about Mina Purefoy, who’s been pregant for three days, and says “Child born every minute somewhere” 10.589 very close to his comments in Lestrygonians
  • Deciding on Sweets of Sin, Bloom pages through the book, gets aroused, and selects it for Molly
  • After an interpolation showing the The Viceregal Cavalcade the bookseller returns, hocks a loogey on the floor and approves of Bloom’s selection.

11. Dilly and Simon Dedalus in Dillons Auctionrooms

  • Again the interpolation of the Laquey’s Bell ringing, twice mentioned in this vignette:
    • “The lacquey by the door of Dillon’s auctionrooms shook his handbell twice again and viewed himself in the chalked mirror of the cabinet.” 10.642
    • “The lacquey lifted his handbell and shook it: — Barang!” 10.649
    • This apeared as an interpolation back in Section 4 10.281 in the midst of Katey, Boody, and Maggy Dedalus’s conversation about Simon, Dilly, and the Dedalus family’s destitution. By drawing our attention back to that scene, the arranger provokes indignation on behalf of the family Simon has failed.
  • Dilly Dedalus is standing on Dillons Auctionrooms, just outside Bachelor’s Walk
  • Simon Dedalus who has been drinking at The Oval pub, approaches his daughter, and immediately corrects her posture
  • Dilly presses her father for money, he responds, “There is no-one in Dublin would lend me a fourpence.” 10.669
  • He hands her a shilling, and Dilly says, “I suppose you got give five… give me more than that.” 10.680
    • To which Simon curses them as ““an insolent pack of little bitches since your poor mother died” 10.682
    • Dilly curtly thinks, “I’m going to get rid of you. Wouldn’t care if I was stretched out stiff. He’s dead. The man upstairs is dead.” 10.685 The man upstairs is dead

12. Thomas Kernan at Jame’s Gate

  • At Jame’s Gate emerges Thomas Kernan who has just enjoyed a “thimbleful” 10.724 of drink
  • In this vignette we are provided a much more close and personal inner monologue, usually reserved only for Stephen and Bloom
  • He thinks back about a conversatoin of a shipwreck, sneaks in a bit of anti-Americanism, and admires his own attire, which he got 25% off
  • More Interpolations:
    • a conversation between Simon Dedalus and Father Cowley 10.740
    • The Crumpled Throwaway Elijah is coming: “North wall and sir John Rogerson’s quay, with hulls and anchorchains, sailing westward, sailed by a skiff, a crumpled throwaway, rocked on the ferrywash, Elijah is coming.” 10.752
    • And Josie and Dennis Breen in the continued pursuit of legal action over the U.P. Card
  • Kernan mistakes a man for Ned Lambert’s brother, remembers political violence, and then mentions Retrospective Arrangement: “When you look back on it all now in a kind of retrospective arrangement.” 10.783 Retrospective arrangement

13. Stephen and Dilly Dedalus in Bedford Row

  • Stephen is walking down Bedford Row looking into the shop windows and thinking to himself
  • He stops at a book cart, wondering, “I might find here once of my pawned schoolprizes.” 10.840
  • He thumbs through a self-help book, and thinks to himself, “Thumbed pages: read nad read. Who has passed here before me?” 10.846
    • He stops at the “How to win a woman’s love”… “for me this” 10.847
  • Dilly Dedalus surprises him, and Stephen tries to hide the book in his hand
  • Dilly is not so different, she is also sheepish about her book, an introductory French Primer
  • A moment of recogniztion, reflectoin, and pity:
    • “My eyes they say she had. Do others see me so? Quick far and daring. Shadow of my mind.” 10.865
    • “She is drowning. Agenbite. Save her. Agenbite. All against us. She will drown me with her, eyes and hair. Lank coils of seaweed hair around me, my heart, my soul. Salt green death… Agenbit of inwit… Misery! Misery!” 10.877 Misery misery
    • A certain Remorse of Conscience and Recognition of Self: Stephen sees himself in the young girl struggling in his abusive family; but having escaped, knows he cannot go back lest he drowns with them

14. Simon Dedalus, Fr. Bob Cowley, and Ben Dollard at Ha’penny Bridge

  • Simon meets with the other men and explains that he owes money to Reuben J. Dodd, and that Dodd has placed two men to collect the debt at Cowley’s home
  • Cowley has asked Ben Dollard to ask “long John” Fanning, a subsheriff, to intervene
  • Dollard then appears and joins in on the banter
  • Cowley also owes money to his landlord, Rev Love

15. Martin Cunningham, Jack Power, and John Wise Nolan at Castleyard Gate

  • Martin Cunningham has been help with financial arrangements for the Dignam family
  • He mentions that he asked Father Conmee for assistance in placing one of the Dignam boys in school
    • Which from Section 1 we know that Conmee intends to help
  • In the fundraising, Bloom has “put his name down for five shillings” 10.974, and not only that, actually paid it out
    • We see Bloom’s Genorisity here, which is met by Bloom’s generosity is met with some measure of incredulity shaded with anti-Semitism: “I’ll say there is much kindness in the jew.” 10.980
  • The party find Long John Fanning, shoot the breeze
  • The Viceregal Cavalcade passes by, which surprises them: What’s that? Martin Cunningham said. All turned where they stood… From the cool shadow of the doorway he saw the horses pass Parliament street, harness and glossy pasterns in sunlight shimmering.” 10.1032

16. Buck Mulligan and Haines in the Dublin Bread Company

  • Buck and Haines enter the Dublin Bread Company, and Buck points out John Howard Parnell, who is playing chess (an interpolation we saw in 8)
  • They both order a melange drink
  • They then claim “Shakespeare is the happy hungtingground of all minds that have lost their balance.” 10.1061 Huntinggrounds of minds
  • Interpolation again to the one-legged sailor
  • Buck further insults Stephen, “Wandering Aengus I call him,” 10.1067 and “They drobe his wits astray,” referring to the Catholics 10.1072
  • As the food arrives, they consider Stephen the author; Buck suggests that Stephen will “write something in ten years” 10.1089
    • Indeed, Joyce published Dubliners in June 1914
  • Final interpolation to the Crumpled Throwaway Elijah is coming - it has almost made out into the bay, and is now just passing the Rosevean Schooner, seen in the end of Proteus

17.Cashel Boyle O’Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell at Merrion Square

  • Almidano Arifiono and Farrell walk along Merrion Square
  • Farrell, with his “stickumbrelladustcoat dangling” 10.1104 bumps into the Blind stripling
  • The blind man curses Farrell, “You’re blinder nor I am, you bitch’s bastard!” 10.1120

18. Patrick Dignam

  • Patrick has escaped the “dull” 10.1125 of his household and goes to buy porksteaks
  • He notices Boyland talking to a drunk Bob Doran
  • He wonders if others see him in mourning clothes, thinks about how his and his fathers name will be printed in the newspaper tonight
  • He recalls the funeral earlier: a fly, the bumps of them bringing the coffin down:
    • “His face got all grey instead of being red like it was and there was a fly walking over it up to his eye. The scrunch that was when they were screwing the screws into the coffin: and the bumps when they were bringing it downstairs.” 10.1161
  • He is trying to acclimate himself to the fact that his father is dead: “Pa is dead. My father is dead” 10.1170 and hopes “he is in purgatory now because he went to confession to Father Conroy on Saturday night.” 10.1173

19. The Viceregal Cavalcade all throughout Dublin

  • The final section follows the viceregal calvalcade, a representative of the British crown, indeed British Imperialism
  • While the viceregal is a representation of a head of state, Conmee, which opens the episode, is a head of the church
  • What ensures is a panoply of the novel’s characters as they all watch (or ignore) the procession move throughout the city
    • Some characters wave, salute, or stare; others ignore, have their backs turned, or only catch it in the last second — we have been seeing interpolations of this throughout the episode, but now see it unified and in the perspective of the coach at the end
  • I’ve heard or read somewhere that the wandering rocks referenced in The Odyssey actually represented the rocky strait of the Black Sea - the rocks seemed to move based on the tidal level. A bright student of mine once suggested that Section 19 represents low tide in the “Wandering Rocks” episode: all of the characters are visible. Among them: characters (mostly minor but some major) that we have encountered before, some that we have yet to meet in full, plus the mysterious man in the brown macintosh.

Analysis

Wandering Dubliners

Theme of the episode: mechanics. We see this episode as 19 vignettes following different residents of Dublin — these residents often bump into each other (sometimes literally) interacting, conversing, and moving together. Indeed, they work as interlocking gears, the intricate machinations behind the face of a clock, or in this case, the city of Dublin.

It is suggested to read this episode as a map, or from above. Maybe as a bird’s eye view, maybe atop Nelson’s Pillar.

Themes of obstruction, frustration, and bumper cars also throughout.

Imagery: the River Liffey is perhaps the Bosporus Strait. Dubliners, then, are the wandering rocks, between Europe and Asia. Europe as material wealth and Asia spiritual wealth. Indeed, the former is perhaps represented by the Viceregal Cavalcade that concludes the chapter, and the latter by Father John Comnee, who opens the chapter.

Missions of Mercy

Indeed, both Father John Comnee and the Viceregal Cavalcade are on “missions of mercy,” setting out to destinations of philanthropy. Fr Comnee is trying to raise money for the Dignam family, the Viceregal going to bazaar to raise money for a Mercer’s Hospital.

The two men on their travels, assume a grandeur and command respect - at least they should. In reality, they have little sway over the public: the Viceroy, who was “most cordially greeted on his way through the metropolis” is instead haphazardly waved and often ignored by Dubliners. He is saluted by the river: “the Poddle river hung out in fealty a tongue of liquid sewage.” 10.1197 Even the river (where streamers are often set out in celebration) is literally spewing vomit in the face of its guest: a true Irish greeting of the British.

Indeed, neither men are seen to completing their missions. They set out with goals, but do they complete them? That’s left to the reader.

Comnee, or Optimism

As Comnee travels along Dublin, he notices the One-legged sailor which he only prays over (He only had change for his fare, and didn’t want to give a large note to him), which draws his attention to the those injured at war - a thought that doesn’t last long, as he is interrupted by a fellow Dubliner. Later, he sees a bargeman, which he deems “idyllic.”

The suffering, war, and manual labor before him is merely a aesthetic before him laid out by God, a “providence of the Creator who had made turf to be in bogs whence men might dig.”

Bloom vs Boylan

Bloom is setup as the bumbling fool. In Lenehan’s story, he talks of taking every advantage of the bumps in the road to touch Molly, all the while Bloom is seemingly oblivious, pointing out the constellations in in the night sky. After a good laugh, and pointing out that his little “lad stood to attention,” he also acknowledges that “He’s a cultured allroundman, Bloom is, he said seriously. He’s not one of your common or garden… you know… There’s a touch of the artist about old Bloom” 10.581. Yet while charaters constantly make fun of Bloom’s supposed bumblings, once they think about it, they all acknowdege that he’s not such a bad fella.

We see Boylan in this episode buying flowers ahead of his rendezvous with Molly. He is archetypal woman killer: puts a red carnation in his teeth and flirts with the shopkeeper girl with his “roguish smile.” His motivations are clear: women, sex.

Yet in a interpolation, we see a “dark backed figure,” looking over a book cart. It is Bloom, looking for a book for his Molly, as she didn’t seem to like the book this morning, as seen in Calypso, as it did not contain any smut. Bloom skims through some books, and lands on Sweets of Sin, knowing it is a book that Molly would like. It is clear here, that Bloom is a thoughtful, considerate, and cultured man of the arts (at least he’d like to think himself).

Bloom does not fit the mold he is casted: that of the bumbling old possessive cuckold. Boylan, of course does, with his white suit and straw hat.

The Doomed Son, The Surrogate Son

Bloom constantly thinks back to his son Rudy, the source of guilt, regret, and abstiance for the past 11 years.

The Man Upstairs

Simon says to his daughter that he might as well be dead, calling himself the man upstairs… god.

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