James Joyce structured Ulysses to correspond with events in Homer's Odyssey. The relationship between two principle characters in Ulysses, Leopold Bloom as a sonless father and Stephen Dedalus as a fatherless son parallels the circumstances of Odysseus and Telemachus. This interpretation of the relationship between Bloom and Stephen, however, does not account for a significant theme of Ulysses, that of motherhood. Despite the idea that Bloom is a father looking for a son and that Stephen is a son looking for a father, the desires of both of these characters go beyond that of a father and son relationship. Although Joyce makes it evident that Bloom is, in face, in search of a son, Bloom is more suited to assuming the role of a mother than a father to that son. In Stephen's case, it is difficult to determine whether he is in search of a father, a mother, or whether he is attempting to free himself from maternal ideas and figures altogether.
Before exploring the role of the maternal caregiver in the lives of Bloom and Stephen's, it is important to first establish motherhood as a powerful theme of the novel. In Ulysses, women are portrayed as unfaithful; Bloom's wife, Molly, is having an affair with Blazes Boylan, Stephen maintains that Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway, was unfaithful to her husband, and in the play that Stephen discusses, Hamlet, Gertrude betrays her husband. Despite these negative images of women, Joyce does not underplay the importance of motherhood. Bloom realizes that "Home always breaks up when the mother goes," and he believes that a mother's duty to her son is "To protect him as long as possible even in the earth [after death]" (pp. 151, 110). Bloom even wants to keep a talisman, a small potato, because i...
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...rom representations of motherhood contributes to the ultimate failure of a lasting bond between Bloom, who attempts to be Stephen's surrogate mother, and Stephen, who rejects Bloom's offer to stay in his home. Being disillusioned with his father, and feeling resentment toward his mother, perhaps Stephen instead seeks a "lover" to fulfill his need for nurturing as he wonders when and how he will ever find a partner. Thus, the acceptance, rejection, fulfillment, and significance of motherhood pervades Ulysses. Joyce not only equates motherhood with the universal role of nature and the cycle of life, but he also extends the role of motherhood into the production of literature when Stephen claims that "In woman's womb word is made flesh" (p. 391). Continuing this analogy, Joyce becomes the "mother" of Ulysses, a novel unprecedented in style, imagination, and technique.
For most women, getting pregnant and becoming a mother transpires them to a time in their life that is filled with joy and gratitude. Such enthusiastic emotions arise from the fact that the soon to be mom realizes she will have someone to love, influence, and guide. Marking the start and development of maternal love. In Toni Morrison's novel, Sula, every major character's life is shaped by the presence or absence of maternal love. Being that the mother-child relationship has the ability to positively or negatively define the child's identity development.
James Joyce uses sexuality throughout his works to establish an intimate and relatable bond between the reader and the characters in his works. All of Joyce’s works address issues in sexuality, which presents the idea that sexuality was of upmost importance to him. Given that sex is a large part of human existence, it is a good way to get the attention of the reader. A substantial amount of characters throughout Ulysses and A Portrait of the Artist as A Young Man are driven by sexual desire. In fact, there is so much sex throughout in Ulysses that “early publishers and critics refused to publish it because of its vulgarity; the sexuality featured in Ulysses was part of the claims that the novel was obscene” (Ivie). Sex is a wonderful way to connect the reader to the character, and Joyce is talented in being able to bring the reader right into the sexually suggestive minds of the characters. Each character in all of Joyce’s works are defined by their sexuality and are in search of some type of self-identity, and through that idea is how Joyce best portrays that sexuality itself may be defined by adultery, prostitution, and masturbation and other bodily functions.
The lack of support and affection protagonists, Sula Peace and Nel Wright, causes them to construct their lives on their own without a motherly figure. Toni Morrison’s novel, Sula, displays the development of Sula and Nel through childhood into adulthood. Before Sula and Nel enter the story, Morrison describes the history of the Peace and Wright family. The Peace family live abnormally to their town of Medallion, Ohio. Whereas the Wrights have a conventional life style, living up to society’s expectations.The importance of a healthy mother-daughter relationship is shown through the interactions of Eva and Hannah Peace, Hannah and Sula, and between Helene Wright and Nel. When Sula and Nel become friends they realize the improper parenting they
Contrastingly, Mrs. Darling, his wife, is portrayed as a romantic, maternal character. She is a “lovely lady”, who had many suitors yet was “won” by Mr. Darling, who got to her first. However, she is a multifaceted character because her mind is described “like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East”, suggesting that she is, to some extent, an enigma to the other characters, especially Mr. Darling. As well as this, she exemplifies the characteristics of a “perfect mother”. She puts everything in order, including her children’s minds, which is a metaphor for the morals and ethics that she instils in them. Although ...
Today child neglect is the largest part of child abuse in the United States, and almost two-thirds of all reported cases in child protective services is neglect (Dubowitz). Before the 1970’s child abuse mostly referred to physical abuse; however, now it encompasses physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as well as neglect (Compton’s). Physical abuse is when a child is hurt by getting hit, punched, kicked, or any other form of beating by an adult (Compton’s). This abuse will only harm the child physically and though it is horrific and can lead to long term effects it will normally only lead to violence. Emotional abuse is when an adult is hateful to the child by calling him names, and another form of emotional abuse is when an adult is punishing a child in a way that will cause him mental trauma (Compton’s). Emotional abuse is terrible for the child’s self-esteem however they can go and learn that they are important to the world by their contributions. Sexual abuse is when a child is touched inappropriately or molested (Compton’s). This is detrimental to a child but in most cases the child will block this out for when they grow older it is like it never happened which will cause no harm to their mental state. Neglect is when an adult will not seek medical help for their child and will not provide them with food, shelter, clothing, or emotional support (Sullivan). This is where the real trauma takes place on a child. The child will not suffer from being hit but they suffer from starving until someone is kind enough to feed them or they die from malnutrition. The child will not suffer from a parent calling them names but they might never know if their parent knows their name or cares to even speak to th...
To be able to appreciate the magnitude of the problem, it is important to first determine what the issue is all about. This paper is going to analyze this issue developing recommendations on how to combat the crime in the United States. This will be achieved by discussing the nature of this issue, who the victims are and the current legislation on the pro...
Children of neglect or abuse is on the rise, according to NCANDS, about nine of out every thousand child...
The role of a father could be a difficult task when raising a son. The ideal relationship between father and son perhaps may be; the father sets the rules and the son obeys them respectfully. However it is quite difficult to balance a healthy relationship between father and son, because of what a father expects from his son. For instance in the narratives, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences” both Willy and Troy are fathers who have a difficult time in earning respect from their sons, and being a role model for them. Between, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences,” both protagonists, Willy and Troy both depict the role of a father in distinctive ways; however, in their struggle, Willy is the more sympathetic of the two.
Child neglect is when a caregiver fails to give a child the care, and the supervision they need to stay physically and mentally healthy. Child neglect is when parents or the caregivers fail to provide for the children’s basic needs such as clothing, food, shelter, and so on. Child neglect takes many forms such as physical, educational, and emotional neglect. Physical neglect can be seen as a refusal or delay to provide medical attention to a child. If an infant or child is not bathed or kept clean, this is physical neglect. Abandonment, kicking a minor out of the house, lack of parental supervision, leaving the child unattended, or not allowing a runaway to return home may also be seen as physical neglect. Educational neglect includes allowing your child to become truant, not enrolling them in school, or depriving them of special education classes if they need it. Along with their physical needs, children also have emotional needs. All children should have a safe and stable home environment where they are loved and nurture...
...ve been suffering mental abuse by their husband. This play presents the voice of feminism and tries to illustrate that the power of women is slightly different, but can be strong enough to influence the male dominated society. Although all women are being oppressed in the patriarchal society at that time, Glaspell uses this play as a feminist glory in a witty way to win over men. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters solve the crime by reflecting on Minnie Wright’s unhappy marriage that leads her to murdering. Using the relationship between female and male characters throughout the play, Glaspell speaks up to emphasize how the patriarchal society underestimated women’s rights and restricted women’s desires.
At the heart of James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man lies Stephen Dedalus, a sensitive young man concerned with discovering his purpose in life. Convinced that his lack of kinship or community with others is a shortcoming that he must correct, Stephen, who is modeled after Joyce, endeavors to fully realize himself by attempting to create a forced kinship with others. He tries many methods in hopes of achieving this sense of belonging, including the visiting of prostitutes and nearly joining the clergy. However, it is not until Stephen realizes, as Joyce did, that his true calling is that of the artist that he becomes free of his unrelenting, self-imposed pressure to force connections with others and embraces the fact that he, as an artist, is fully realized only when he is alone.
Child abuse is one of the most serious issues in the United States today. Child abuse is the physical, emotional/ psychological or sexual maltreatment of a minor. Neglecting a child is another type of abuse, and includes malnutrition, abandonment, and/or inadequate care of a child’s safety. Additionally, any neglectful act can lead to physical or emotional harm and in some cases death of a child. Unfortunately, young children are the most vulnerable population to child abuse. Statistics indicate that victims in their first year of life had the highest rate of victimization at 21.9 per 1,000 children of the same age in the national population (United State Children’s Bureau, 2013). Additionally, the victimization was highest for children younger than one year 21.9 at per 1,000 children in the population of the same age (United State Children’s Bureau, 2013). Although, the rate of substantiated child abuse and neglect for children ages 13 months through three years old has slightly decreased from 2008 to 2012, the rate of victimization of children younger than age three continues to be of concern (United State Children’s Bureau, 2013). Moreover, 78.3 percent of victims were neglected, 18.3 percent were physically abused, and 9.3 percent were sexually abused (United State Children’s Bureau, 2013). Furthermore, evidence suggests that the main type of abuse that young children experience is neglect. Child abuse has always existed in society and is a major problem in this country that cannot be ignored. Unfortunately, child brutality brings a variety of consequences in a child’s life and affects every...
Neglect is a type of maltreatment that refers to the failure by the caregiver to provide needed, age-appropriate care although financially able to do so or offered financial or other means to do so. Neglect is an ongoing pattern of lacking care and is normally observed by close people in close contact with the child. Usually physicians, nurses, day care-sitter, relatives and neighbors are normally the ones to suspect and report infants, toddlers, and preschool age children. Once a child is in school , the school personnel often notices symptoms of child neglect.Children of teenage mothers suffer a higher rate of neglect and face a difficult future. An awareness campaign aimed at expectant teen moms will reduce the bad effects of neglect.
Odysseus and Ulysses have differences, but also similarities. The man's role in his son's life shifts once Telemachus matures. However, Odysseus and Ulysses portray similar characteristics - their love for their crew and their determination in achieving goals. The man is a born leader; he shows leadership in raising his son, caring for his crew, and ultimately, in taking charge of his life. The poets acclaim men who have direction in life to strive and attain goals.
Stephen's Journey to Maturation in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce