Ulysses/Wandering Rocks

Wandering Rocks explores the stream of consciousness narrative technique with other characters, following a priest, a shop woman, a bar maid, and other folks on the streets of Dublin.

Summary

Odyssey Parallels

The Wandering Rocks is not an episode from Homer's Odyssey - it's the path that was not taken. As such, it represents a path not traveled.

Major Themes

Given the theme of the chapter - the path not traveled, the wandering rocks, the labyrinth - a priest is an interesting choice of character to contrast with Bloom (a Freemason, a Jew, a freethinker, and a science-minded person). And yet similarities shine through. Stephen, though he is Catholic and "under the influence of the Church," is also a freethinker, and contrasts with the priest. Father Conmee has a very grounded, earthly stream of consciousness, probably as close to a stream of consciousness of Jesus as you'll get in literature. Compare to the inward, intellectual monologue of Stephen in Proteus (Ch. 3) the more sensual and covering-the-entire-map nature of Bloom's mental wanderings (Ch. 4, 5, 6, etc.).

Blazes Boylan also makes an appearance for a scene, another nod to the path not traveled. Bloom was rushing to avoid seeing Boylan on the street at the end of Lestrygonians (Ch. 8) - he doesn't mention Boylan by name, just pretends to be frantically searching his pockets - but it's Boylan he's trying to avoid by looking busy. The first real encounter with Blazes Boylan happens in this chapter, although he was also spotted on the way to the cemetery in Hades (Ch. 6). He appears here, buying pears, peaches, flowers, and pawing just about everything else on display at the store (merchandise and otherwise). To heighten the contrast, we see Stephen Daedalus's sisters scraping together food in the scene just prior. From the scene with Boylan: "Bending archly she reckoned again fat pears (pairs) and blushing peaches."

A veteran sailor, a beggar, walks about Dublin asking for alms, and ties together several characters and scenes. (A few other events or elements do the same for characters like Stephen and Leopold in different chapters, but this chapter is a microcosm of different characters.) The beggar is introduced near the beginning of Father Conmee's monologue, setting off a train of thought in Father Conmee. He also seems to experience a daydream/hallucination while on the tram: "Father Comnee at the altarrails placed the host with difficulty into the mouth of the awkward old man who had the shaky head."

Notes

The opening monologue following Father Conmee is notable for a number of reasons - first, it's the first extended stream of consciousness we've seen from a character other than Leopold and Stephen. Second, it repeats the name "Father Conmee" over and over again - like a litany, or an invocation, or a prayer. While it is similar to prior chapters in its narration technique (stream of consciousness), it's also very different in its narration style - it's more objective, descriptive, and grounded than Stephen or Leopold. His thoughts wander down shorter paths - mental culs-de-sac.

Corny Kelleher sped a silent jet of hayjuice arching from his mouth while a generous white arm from a window in Eccles street flung forth a coin.

- What's the best news? he asked. - I seen that particularly party last evening, the constable said with bated breath.

...

A onelegged sailor crutched himself round MacConnell's corner, skirting Rabaiotti's icecream car, and jerked himself up Eccles street. Towards Larry O'Rourke, in shirtsleeves in his doorway, he growled unamiably: - For England... He swung himself forward past Katey and Boody Dedalus, halted and growled: - home and beauty.