The Chapter of Circe in James Joyce's Ulysses
Chapter Circe of Ulysses is said to be the "most confessional chapter of
the novel" (Schechner 100). In this way, the themes and underlying meaning
present throughout the chapter are more pertinent to the novel as a whole
than any other aspect of this particular section. Specifically, themes of
love, power, masochism, and consciousness watermark the literature
throughout the chapter. What is more, we, as readers, face the battle
between mind and body as well as the idea that Circe is a symbol for the
entire novel. Regardless of which theme or idea we refer to, one cannot
deny the potency of the chapter in terms of literary content and finesse.
A theme that supports the literary finesse of Circe is chemical imbalance.
Specifically, I came across research to support the theory that Circe is a
metaphor for Schizophrenia. Though this cannot be considered a major
watermark, the idea does not lack merit and is interesting in the least.
The chapter progresses in the same way the disease progresses. The chapter
begins with strong anxiety in Act I. In Act II, the reader is introduced
to delusions of grandeur, which are symbols for paranoia. In Act III, the
actions and fantasies slow, and a general paralysis is in the air. In Act
IV, the chapter moves to systematic delusions. This progress goes hand in
hand with the transgression of Schizophrenia. Again, though Circe as a
symbol for schizophrenia does not constitute a major theme of the chapter...
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... of endurance and self-irony and abetted by fantasy" (Schechner 104). The
reader, though, would never see this without the themes of love, power,
masochism, and most importantly, streams of consciousness.
WORKS CITED
Ellmann, Richard. Ulysses on the Liffey. London: Oxford University Press,
1972.
Gilbert, Stuart. James Joyce's Ulysses. New York: Vintage Books, 1952.
Hodgart, Matthew. James Joyce. Boston, MA: Roulledge & Kegan Paul Press,
1978.
Riquelme, John Paul. The Teller and Tale in Joyce's Fiction. Baltimore,
MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1983.
Schechner, Mark. Joyce In Nighttown: A Psychoanalytic Inquiry Into
Ulysses. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 1974.
Therefore, the setting, the characters, mainly the protagonist, the symbolic significance, the assents, the narrative perspectives and levels of meanings are all interrelated.
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Stephen's Journey to Maturation in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce