# Wandering Rocks explained — Ulysses

> Chapter companion for Ulysses by James Joyce.

## What happens

This chapter follows multiple characters through the streets of Dublin, including Mr Kernan, Stephen Dedalus, Dilly Dedalus, Simon Dedalus, and Mr Bloom, as they encounter various sights, sounds, and interactions that reveal their inner thoughts and the city's social fabric.

## Themes in this chapter

### Memory and History

Mr Kernan recalls historical events like Emmet's execution and the 1798 rebellion, while Stephen reflects on the past through objects and books.

### Alienation and Belonging

Stephen feels disconnected from his family and society, while Dilly's poverty and Simon's neglect highlight familial estrangement.

### The Ordinary and the Epic

The chapter juxtaposes mundane activities like shopping and walking with grand historical and literary references, blending the everyday with the monumental.

## Character check-ins

### Tom Kernan

Mr Kernan walks through Dublin, reflecting on his appearance and past, and observes the city's landmarks and people.

### Stephen Dedalus

Stephen watches a lapidary at work, browses a bookcart, and encounters his sister Dilly, feeling a sense of guilt and despair.

### Dilly Dedalus

Dilly buys a French primer from a bookcart and is confronted by her father Simon, who gives her a shilling.

### Simon Dedalus

Simon Dedalus meets Father Cowley, then finds his daughter Dilly and gives her money, while joking about his own poverty.

### Leopold Bloom

Mr Bloom browses in a bookshop, reads from 'Sweets of Sin', and purchases the book.

### Father Cowley

Father Cowley speaks with Simon Dedalus about being barricaded in his house due to debt collectors.

## Key lines

> Down there Emmet was hanged, drawn and quartered. Greasy black rope. Dogs licking the blood off the street when the lord lieutenant’s wife drove by in her noddy.

Mr Kernan recalls the execution of Robert Emmet, imagining the gruesome scene of his hanging and the dogs licking blood from the street as the lord lieutenant's wife passed by.

_Reflects on historical violence and public spectacle._

> She is drowning. Agenbite. Save her. Agenbite. All against us. She will drown me with her, eyes and hair. Lank coils of seaweed hair around me, my heart, my soul. Salt green death.

Stephen feels his sister Dilly is drowning in poverty and despair, and he fears being pulled down with her, using the term 'agenbite' (remorse) to express his guilt.

_Stephen's internal anguish over his family's plight._

> All the dollarbills her husband gave her were spent in the stores on wondrous gowns and costliest frillies. For him! For Raoul! Yes. This. Here. Try.

Mr Bloom reads a passage from 'Sweets of Sin' about a woman spending her husband's money on luxurious clothes for her lover Raoul, which excites him.

_Bloom's voyeuristic interest in the erotic novel._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ulysses_se/chapters/x
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ulysses_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ulysses_se/chapters