Ulysses

As Bloom and Stephen move through Dublin, they find themselves in various drinking establishments. Whether leaving newspaper offices or celebrating the successful birth of a child, or even just searching for something to eat, they visit numerous pubs throughout the day and imbibe large quantities of alcohol. Pubs are so ever-present in the city and in the lives of the characters that Bloom catches himself wondering how so many pubs can sustain themselves in the city and sets himself the challenge of crossing “Dublin without passing a pub” (56). The pubs, the pints, and the patrons congeal, sketching an image of social life in Dublin in the early 1900s. Pubs are a meeting place and a venue for the airing of ideas, whereas pints of beer function as a form of social lubrication. Even the alienated Bloom and the introverted Stephen reveal themselves within the pubs. Stephen tries to stay away, avoiding his appointment with Buck Mulligan at the Ship Inn. Nevertheless, he cannot deny himself this social venture. The pub is a cornerstone of daily life and the pints of beer make social interaction all the livelier. Between them, pints and pubs represent a form of contemporary Irish culture that is acknowledged by the characters themselves.