# XV explained — Ulysses

> Chapter companion for Ulysses by James Joyce.

## What happens

In this hallucinatory episode, Leopold Bloom is transformed into a fantastical figure—a lord mayor, a messianic leader, and a builder of the new Bloomusalem—as he parades through a surreal Dublin filled with pageantry, political satire, and grotesque comedy. The chapter juxtaposes Bloom's grandiose visions with tender moments, including his silent vigil over the sleeping Stephen Dedalus and a vision of his deceased son Rudy as a fairy boy. The narrative blends civic ceremony, bawdy humor, and deep paternal longing.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fatherhood and Filial Relations

Bloom's vision of his dead son Rudy and his protective stance over Stephen highlight the theme of paternal longing and surrogate fatherhood.

### The Ordinary and the Epic

The chapter transforms Bloom's mundane identity into an epic, messianic figure, blending the quotidian with grandiose fantasy.

### Nationalism and Colonialism

The parade includes Irish nationalist symbols, British military regiments, and references to colonial conflicts, satirizing both imperial and nationalist rhetoric.

## Character check-ins

### Leopold Bloom

Bloom is the central figure of this hallucinatory sequence, appearing as a lord mayor, messianic figure, and tender guardian over Stephen.

### Stephen Dedalus

Stephen is shown asleep or unconscious, murmuring fragments of poetry, while Bloom watches over him.

### Zoe Higgins

Zoe interacts with Bloom in the brothel, teasing him and asking for a cigarette.

### Rudy Bloom

Rudy appears as a vision—a fairy boy in an Eton suit, reading and smiling, representing Bloom's lost son.

### John Howard Parnell

He appears as city marshal leading the fantastical procession.

### Tom Kernan

Tom Kernan is among the crowd, praising Bloom during the procession.

### John Wyse Nolan

He is present in the crowd, commenting on James Stephens.

### The Man in the Macintosh

A mysterious figure who appears to denounce Bloom as a fireraiser.

## Key lines

> Mankind is incorrigible. Sir Walter Raleigh brought from the new world that potato and that weed, the one a killer of pestilence by absorption, the other a poisoner of the ear, eye, heart, memory, will, understanding, all.

Bloom delivers a mock-serious speech about how Sir Walter Raleigh introduced both the potato (a life-saving crop) and tobacco (a harmful drug) to Europe, illustrating humanity's flawed nature.

_This reflects Bloom's ironic commentary on progress and human folly._

> I, Bloom, tell you verily it is even now at hand. Yea, on the word of a Bloom, ye shall ere long enter into the golden city which is to be, the new Bloomusalem in the Nova Hibernia of the future.

Bloom proclaims himself a messianic figure, promising a utopian future in a fantastical new Dublin called Bloomusalem.

_This parodies religious and political prophecy, blending Bloom's Jewish heritage with Irish nationalism._

> Against the dark wall a figure appears slowly, a fairy boy of eleven, a changeling, kidnapped, dressed in an Eton suit with glass shoes and a little bronze helmet, holding a book in his hand.

Bloom sees a vision of his deceased son Rudy as an ethereal, fairy-like boy, reading and smiling.

_This poignant moment underscores Bloom's deep grief and longing for his lost child._

## Links

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