Eumaeus

Chapter Sixteen, Eumaeus

Narrative Focus: Bloom/Stephen

Characters: Stephen, Bloom, Skin-the Goat (shelterkeeper), “Lord” John Corley (see “Two Gallants” in Dubliners

Setting: Dublin Streets and the Cabman’s Shelter, 1 PM.

Homeric Correspondence:
Upon his return to Ithaca, Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar. He is first recognized by the beloved swineherd Eumaeus and then reunited with Telemachus in the swineherd’s hut (Books XIV, XVI), a direct coincidence with the interview in Skin-the-Goat’s shelter.

Synopsis:
Bloom guides Stephen to the cabman’s shelter where Stephen recovers over coffee. The red-bearded sailor, himself a returned Odysseus, spins yarns of adventure that underscore the theme of the wanderers’ return home.

Critical Issues:
Joyce designated the “art” of this chapter as navigation. Note the emergence of Odysseus as returned mariner (Bloom, the sailor).

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04-15-10