Chapter Two
Helpful information for following images and themes can be found at Pink Monkey's Story Summary (Barron's Book Notes).
Study Questions for Chapter Two:
1. How does Stephen respond to the political talk of his uncle Charles and others and to his natural environment? What begins to separate him from ordinary children as the chapter wears on, so that, as the narrator says "he was different from others"?
2. How does "the night of the Whitsuntide play" at Belvedere suggest the changes that are coming over Stephen as he moves into adolescence: What kind of relationships does he have with friends such as Heron and Wallis? How do you interpret the significance of the argument the boys had over Lord Byron?
How has he begun to understand the various "voices" swirling around him?
3. How does Stephen experience the onset of sexual desire and what is his initiation into full sexuality like?
4. What accounts for the alienation Stephen feels towards his father? Joyce's novels and stories often dwell upon the difficulties in cultural and generational continuity; how do Stephen's thoughts about his father Simon reflect on those difficulties?
Following are helpful definitions for some troubling phrases and vocabulary in Chapter Two:
black twists--coarse, black tobacco leaves twisted together.
took their constitutional they regularly took a walk for health's sake.
Munster--Simon Dedalus' family home is in Cork, county of Munster, which was traditionally a political hotbed of deep national pride.
The Count of Monte Cristo--a nineteenth-century novel about a handsome hero, Edmond Dantes, who is about to be married to his beautiful and beloved Mercedes when he is falsely accused of treason and imprisoned for fourteen years. He arranges a highly unlikely but melodramatically thrilling escape; then he unearths a treasure which finances several ingenious schemes of revenge on the men responsible for his imprisonment. The multiple allusions to Mercedes, Marseilles, sunny trellises, and moonlit gardens all refer to this novel.
Madam, I never eat muscatel grapes--Dantes (the Count of Monte Cristo) makes this statement to Mercedes; her son remarks that Dantes seems to have an Oriental code of honor-that is, he cannot eat or drink whatever is offered to him in his enemy's house. Because Mercedes married Dantes' rival, Fernand Mondego (alias Count de Morcerf), her house is technically the house of an enemy.
railway carriage--railway car.
in search of Mercedes--the reference is to Edmond Dantes' beloved, the heroine of The Count of Monte Cristo.
his stone of coal--Irish unit of weight; 14 lbs.
the last tram--trams were horse-drawn streetcars.
a new emerald exercise--the reference is to unlined notebooks, similar to today's bluebooks.
A.M.I.L.G. --Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God), the motto of the Jesuit order; Stephen and his fellow students were instructed to place the initials A.M.D.G. at the tops of all their school exercises and essays.
his father's second moiety notices--second half of the notices sent out in bankruptcy proceedings..
L.D.S.--Laus Deo Semper (Praise to God Always), another motto of the Jesuits; often placed at the top of the first page of a school exercise.
provincial of the order--head of a religious order in a province.
the christian brothers--The reference is to Dublin's Christian Brothers School, an inexpensive day school for boys.
gamecocks-- birds bred and especially fed for cock fighting.
Maurice-- Stephen's brother.
the Whitsuntide play refers to a play that is part of a ceremony commemorating Pentecost (the seventh Sunday after Easter).
stewards-- ushers.
the Blessed Sacrament-- the consecrated bread, or wafer.
Indian clubs-- bottle-shaped clubs used in gymnastics.
singlets-- undershirts.
Heron salaamed--Heron bent forward, in a low bow, his right palm on his forehead; this is an Arabic and Indian gesture of respect.
doesn't go to bazaars-- Stephen doesn't go to large shops or flea markets selling unusually colorful and cheap, exotic items.
She's ripping, isn't she?-- She's first-rate, splendid.
. . . that's one sure five-- That's for sure; a top mark in billiards, using only one stroke.
the Confiteor I confess--a formalized prayer said at the beginning of the Roman Catholic Mass.
had not forgotten a whit-- he hadn't forgotten the tiniest detail about the incident.
in a great bake-- another way of saying that someone is angry, or "hot under the collar:"
his bally old play-- "bally" is a euphemism for "bloody;" which has no equivalent in American English; a "bloody shame" could roughly be translated as a "damned shame."
They drove in a jingle.-- a jingle is a covered, two-wheeled Irish vehicle.
drisheens--a traditional Irish dish made of 1 pt. sheep's blood, 1 pt. milk, 1/z pt. water, 1/z pt. chopped mutton suet, 1 C. bread crumbs, salt, pepper, pinch of tansy, thyme leaves. The mixture is formed into a thick roll, tied tightly, and steamed for an hour. Good hot or chilled.
the anatomy theatre--the room where anatomy was taught; usually a large room with seats in tiers.
legend-- here, the word means a carved inscription or caption.
Ay, bedad!--Irish for "by God!"
some maneens like myself --"maneens" is a Irish diminutive of men; Simon is being overly humble, a bit self-deprecating here in order to be well-liked.
slim jim--long strips of candy.
the rector in a black and gold cope--a "cope" is a form of "cloak"; it is long and is worn in processions.
beggars who importuned him for a lob--beggars asking for only a small coin.
he was only a Dublin jakeen--a snooty, lower-class Dubliner.
Tempora mutantur nos et mutamur in illis . . . Tempora mutan- et nos mutamur in illis--The times change us and we change in them. . the times change and we change in them.
a fierce old fireeater--a "fireeater" is a person who likes to argue.
the quarter of the jews--this is a misleading phrase. Stephen has actually wandered into the brothel district of Dublin.