75 pages 2 hours read

James Joyce

Ulysses

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1922

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Episodes 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Episode 4 Summary: “Calypso”

The narrative switches from Stephen Dedalus to an ad canvasser named Leopold Bloom. At 8:00am, he prepares breakfast for himself and his wife, Molly Bloom. Bending down to feed his cat, he pictures himself from the cat’s point of view. Bloom thinks about purchasing breakfast items from the nearby butcher. Molly mumbles that she does not want anything and Bloom studies their marital bed, a relic from Molly’s upbringing in Gibraltar. She was raised in Gibraltar by Major Tweedy, her father. Before going to the butcher’s, Bloom goes through his routine. He checks his lucky potato and a paper slip that is inside his hat. He reminds himself to make sure he takes his keys from upstairs when he departs for the day. Bloom remembers that the funeral of Paddy Dignam is set to take place on this day. The “happy warmth” (55) of the sun shines on his black clothes. The thought of the weather makes him think of the planet from a celestial perspective, but then he reminds himself that his imagination is not accurate.