Faubourg Saint Patrice - ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

Despite its biting Catholic satire and the seemingly heretical stances of the two
protagonists, the work is not ultimately anti-religious, and Joyce does not appear "a
pawn to the powers of Satan," as the aforementioned Jesuit critic suggested. Joyce's
fascination with religious ritual permeates Ulysses, most significantly in the deep
symbolic exploration of the liturgy of the Eucharist, which, while satirized by Buck
Mulligan and questioned by both Stephen and Bloom, evolves into one of the major
religious themes within the novel. Similarly, while the powerful hierarchy of the Catholic
Church becomes a major focus of satiric attack, Joyce does not completely reject
Catholic spirituality, but, through Stephen and Bloom, explores his own unique version
of the metaphysical aspects of Catholic dogma; the trinity, transubstantiation, the
Immaculate Conception, the identification and treatment of heretics, and the evolution of
Church doctrine are only a few items of Catholic dogma which permeate the thoughts
and actions of the two protagonists. While this dogma is questioned in a typically
satirical tone, the underlying motive is a serious exploration ofthe spirituality and the
rituals which were instrumental in Joyce's development and education and were essential
in defining the cultural character of both Dublin and Ireland. Nevertheless, despite
Joyce's metaphysical explorations in Ulysses, it is clear that his intent was to reveal those
institutional forces which formed the cultural boundaries of his homeland. Or, as
Richard Ellmann describes, Ulysses was Joyce's "Trojan horse," a pointed assault on
Irish culture cleverly disguised through the humor and artistic genius of the prose:
"Ulysses provides a measure against which British State and Catholic Church can be
evaluated, and Ireland as well, both in its patent collusion forces, and in the callousness
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