Summary Of Oxen Of The Son In James Joyce's Ulysses

Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus are evidently the two leading characters of Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ , both with underlying family issues and struggles with everyday life. Because of these concerns, both characters become subject to a father son connection. This essay will aim to pick out the aspects in ‘Oxen of the son’ that correlate with the subject of paternity along with delving into some background information about the pair in order to back up the statements that will be made. By doing this, the at-onement of Bloom and Stephen in the given episode will become clear cut and their relationship will be seen largely as paternal. ‘Oxen of the Sun’ is indeed the first time Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom are placed in the same location. This chapter is the one in which we are given evidence of the links between Bloom and Stephen. As Joseph Valente states, ‘Their Bereavements share a like gender profile (both mourn the loss of a significant female other), a like familial complication (both sustain incestuous attachments to their lost object), an analogous

Stephen’s attachment to his deceased mother and his non-existent relationship with his father parallels with Blooms deficiency of any of his biological children and becomes the backbone of why Bloom casts an eye over Stephen in a father figure sense. All of this comes to light in the episode ‘Oxen of the Sun’, firstly and most obviously because it is the first time they are placed in the company of one another, but secondly because in the environment and circumstance Joyce has created Bloom is depicted as the father figure. This is seen not only with Stephen but with all of the men present and therefore with the actions of Stephen in his intoxicated state we see Leopold Bloom grow to protect him in a paternal