Ulysses · Chapter
VI explained
Bloom attends Paddy Dignam's funeral at Glasnevin Cemetery, reflecting on death, memory, and the rituals of burial.
What happens
Bloom attends Paddy Dignam's funeral at Glasnevin Cemetery, reflecting on death, memory, and the rituals of burial. He observes the mourners, the priest, and the gravediggers, and interacts with Martin Cunningham, John Henry Menton, and Joe Hynes. Bloom contemplates mortality, the afterlife, and the physical decay of the body, while also recalling personal losses like his father and son Rudy.
Themes in this chapter
Mortality and Grief
Bloom's reflections on death, the physical decay of the corpse, and the rituals of burial dominate the chapter.
Memory and History
Bloom recalls past funerals (Mrs Sinico, his father) and historical figures like Robert Emmet, linking personal and collective memory.
The Body and Sensuality
Contrast between the dead body and living warmth, with Bloom's thoughts on cheese as corpse of milk and the sensuality of life.
Characters to notice
- Leopold Bloom
Attends Paddy Dignam's funeral, reflects on death and memory, interacts with other mourners.
- Martin Cunningham
Walks with John Henry Menton, helps point out the crushed hat, lays down the law.
- John Henry Menton
Has a crushed hat fixed by Bloom's suggestion, shows brief acknowledgment.
- Joe Hynes
Takes names of mourners, asks Bloom about a man in a macintosh.
- Corny Kelleher
Lays wreaths, directs the boy, opens sidedoors for the coffin.
- Paddy Dignam
The deceased, whose funeral is the central event of the chapter.
Key passages
“A corpse is meat gone bad. Well and what's cheese? Corpse of milk.”
A dead body is like spoiled meat; cheese is similarly spoiled milk.
Bloom's macabre meditation on decay and transformation.
“They are not going to get me this innings.”
Death won't claim me this time around.
Bloom's defiant thought about his own mortality.
“The love that kills.”
Love can be fatal.
Bloom's reflection on Mrs Sinico's funeral and the destructive power of love.