Faubourg Saint Patrice - ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

thoughts turn to the concept of guilt: "They wash and tub and scrub. Agenbite of Inwit.
Conscience. Yet here's a spot" (1.481-2). Combining the Christian imagery of spiritual
cleansing through water with an allusion to Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth, Stephen
unveils yet another curious indicator of his mental struggle: his refusal to purge his
physical body is symbolic of his rejection of the spiritual cleansing of Catholic
reconciliation. Moreover, Stephen's refusal to join Mulligan as he bathes combined with
his parting denunciation, "Usurper," establishes Stephen's independence from those
secular forces which both Mulligan and Haines represent. Indeed, Stephen's parting
reflection on the Irish proverb, "Horn of a bull, hoof of a horse, smile of a Saxon," could
be interpreted as a list of his enemies: the Catholic Church, reflected by the papal bull;
disloyal friends, reflected by Mulligan's "equine face"; and British domination, reflected
by Haines (1.732).
The thoughts which plagued Stephen in "Telemachus" are reintroduced in
"Proteus," as Stephen walks along the Sandymount strand. Joyce begins the episode
with Stephen's peripatetic contemplation of the relationship of the physical with the
spiritual: "Ineluctable modality of the visible: at least that if no more, thought through
my eyes" (3.1-2). Interspersed in his protean thoughts are repeated references to
Stephen's rejection of his family and his faith. After noticing two midwives descending
the steps from Leahy's terrace, Stephen's thoughts turn to the Judeo-Christian concept of
"Creation from nothing," which, in turn, ignites his thoughts on Arius, the heresiarch,
consubstantiation, and Stephen's relationship with his father (3.29-69). Simon Dedalus's
words echo through Stephen's memory: "Couldn't he fly a bit higher than that, eh?"
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