Notes on "Proteus" (Chapter 3) in "Ulysses"

General theme:  struggle with reality, struggle to see truth 
                (existential, poetic, personal).  Stephen's 
                approach to the problem is philosophical & 
                artistic (cf. Bloom's practicle approach) 

Style:  Stream of Consciousness (Stephen's).  Operation of 
Stephen's mind = Style.

Stephen is brilliant -- hard to follow at times, especially when 
he is thinking about Aristotle.

Homeric parallel:  Telemachus wrestles with Proteus, a 
personification of the sea.  By clinging to him, he forces 
Proteus (who changes into many frightening shapes) to reveal 
news of the whereabouts of his father.
                                      
Proteus = Reality as flux, its surface ever-changing.  Fluid, 
Bergsonian reality; radical temporalism as in Stream-of-
Consciousness writing.

No clear information, no clear foreshadowing of Bloom, except 
the urine link and other cross-connections (blindness, raw-head-
and-bloody-bones, multiple-identity theme, seaside walks, 
possible masturbation, etc.)  Also, Bloom is a family man who 
lacks a son; Stephen is an individualist who lacks a functional 
father.  Bloom a representative of the physical, practical, 
scientific temperament, as opposed to Stephen, the artist-
philosopher-alienated-intellectual. 

Bloom pointers:  32, 33, 37, 41

Stephen as phenomenologist:  31

The imaginary visit:  32-33

Self-mockery & paralysis:  34, 35, 37

Multiple identities:  35

Kevin Egan's exile:  34-37

Stephen's poem:  40

Closing symbol -- the threemaster:  42