The published comments on the novel Ulysses exceed the volume of the book itself. However, no analysis can be exhaustive: some parts of the story remain “dark.” One deciphered allusion gives rise to another, another to a third, and so on without end. The Adventures of Ulysses is a fascinating story of the hero. However, no matter how important the physical map of the city and the wanderings of the heroes is. The” map ” of human life, whose symbols — birth, meetings, separations, dramas, tragedies, death – that give the book a philosophical character is even more important. In The Adventures of Ulysses, Bernard Evslin emphasizes that the novel’s main themes are the symbols of human existence.
One of the main topics that Evslin draws attention to is the theme of love. Stories about the arrival of Ulysses on the island of Calypso, about him sailing between Scylla and Charybdis, and Sirens, are imbued with the theme of love (Evslin, 1969, p. 108). For the same purpose, other stories of the King of Ithaca are also introduced in The Adventures of Ulysses. Ulysses sincerely loves his family and does not agree to change it to a paradise island with a goddess as a mistress. The power of feeling is also expressed in the image of Penelope (Evslin, 1969, p. 160). The woman believed in the return of the hero, even when no one believed. Citing the example of Penelope’s waiting, Evslin raises the topic of marital fidelity.
Honor and dishonor are the next themes Evslin has in The Adventures of Ulysses. Thus, Telemachus considers it his duty to find his father and restore the former greatness of the house (Evslin, 1969, p. 123). Penelope thinks that moral decline is cheating on her husband (Evslin, 1969, p. 124). Ulysses believes that it would be dishonorable to give up and not try to return to his homeland (Evslin, 1969, p. 108). Nobility, loyalty to the word, decency, and dignity are the distinctive qualities of the heroes of The Adventures of Ulysses.
Evslin finds that the theme of fate is raised in every episode of the work. He writes that it shows the revolt of the individual against the purpose, against the gods, leaning towards the idea that the hero is useless and criminal (Evslin, 1969, p. 72). Fate even anticipates these movements of the soul, all of them already calculated and deduced by the moirs in the form of a thread of life (Evslin, 1969, p. 73). The problem of divine intervention in the face of the acute in work, according to Evslin. The inhabitants of Olympus also resolve conflicts with each other through man. Therefore, he has sometimes been held hostage in a situation that is not his fault at all (Evslin, 1969, p. 3). The gods control and treat people like puppets, depriving them of self-confidence.
The most complex symbolic superstructure of The Adventures of Ulysses cannot be perceived without reading explanatory literature and requires the interpretation of commentators. As a rule, it is based on the Freudian understanding of the role of the unconscious in the human psyche. The composition of The Adventures of Ulysses is a complex montage of parodies, allegories, symbols, historical reminiscences, streams of consciousness, and naturalistic sketches. Despite the complexity of the novel’s perception, Bernard Evslin was able to identify the main themes of the work, touching on vital aspects of human life such as love, honor, and fatalism.
Reference
Evslin, B. (1969). The adventures of Ulysses. New York, USA: Scholastic Inc.