Evoking the Female Presence: Tayler Morrissey's Project for English 197—What have you there? Stephen asked.
—I bought it from the other cart for a penny, Dilly said, laughing nervously. Is it any good?
My eyes they say she has. Do others see me so? Quick, far and daring. Shadow of my mind.
He took the coverless book from her hand. Chardenal’s French primer.
—What did you buy that for? he asked. To learn French?
She nodded, reddening and closing tight her lips.
Show no surprise. Quite natural.
—Here, Stephen said. It’s all right. Mind Maggy doesn’t pawn it on you. I suppose all my books are gone.
—Some, Dilly said. We had to.
She is drowning. Agenbite. Save her. Agenbite. All against us. She will drown me wither her, eyes and hair. Lank coils of seaweed hair around me, my heart, my soul. Salt green death.
We.
Agenbite of inwit. Inwit’s agenbite.
Misery! Misery!
(Ulysses 200; 10.862-880)
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Here we see Stephen making the same choice about his relationship with his sister that he had made concerning his relationship with his mother. For fear of becoming too emotionally involved, too entrenched in their problems, Stephen is distancing himself from the women in his family. He refused to yield to his mother's dying wishes, and now he is refusing again to invest himself in Dilly's welfare, or even her education. She had just spent the rations money that Si had given her on a French book. Stephen is sensitive enough to not embarrass her by asking why she would like to learn French when they are barely surviving. He could, however, have given her money, as he has nearly his entire month's paycheck in his hand, or he could even offer to teach her French since he can speak it and has lived in Paris.
It is again his fear of being immersed, or drowning that stops him. He sees that she herself is drowning in hunger, and dejection and lack of opportunity. Rather than risk his own stability and autonomy by attempting to bail her out, he decides to leave her as she is, though the idea disgusts because she is most like him out of all of his sisters. He is afraid she will "drown [him] with her, eyes and hair. Lank coils of seaweed hair around [him], [his] heart, [his] soul. Salt green death" (200; 875-77). This visceral fear of drowning, refusal to sacrifice his self is an ultra-masculine trait. Dilly does not have the opportunity as a young woman to university or live abroad like Stephen did, or the luxury of time to spend drinking and talking about literature, as she is responsible for taking care of and feeding her younger sisters. It is her willingness to be the one to drown for the sake of her family that marks her a female, and makes Stephen wary of interaction.
Here we see Stephen making the same choice about his relationship with his sister that he had made concerning his relationship with his mother. For fear of becoming too emotionally involved, too entrenched in their problems, Stephen is distancing himself from the women in his family. He refused to yield to his mother's dying wishes, and now he is refusing again to invest himself in Dilly's welfare, or even her education. She had just spent the rations money that Si had given her on a French book. Stephen is sensitive enough to not embarrass her by asking why she would like to learn French when they are barely surviving. He could, however, have given her money, as he has nearly his entire month's paycheck in his hand, or he could even offer to teach her French since he can speak it and has lived in Paris.
It is again his fear of being immersed, or drowning that stops him. He sees that she herself is drowning in hunger, and dejection and lack of opportunity. Rather than risk his own stability and autonomy by attempting to bail her out, he decides to leave her as she is, though the idea disgusts because she is most like him out of all of his sisters. He is afraid she will "drown [him] with her, eyes and hair. Lank coils of seaweed hair around [him], [his] heart, [his] soul. Salt green death" (200; 875-77). This visceral fear of drowning, refusal to sacrifice his self is an ultra-masculine trait. Dilly does not have the opportunity as a young woman to university or live abroad like Stephen did, or the luxury of time to spend drinking and talking about literature, as she is responsible for taking care of and feeding her younger sisters. It is her willingness to be the one to drown for the sake of her family that marks her a female, and makes Stephen wary of interaction.
