Ulysses

Ulysses

by

James Joyce

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Father Cowley Character Analysis

Father Cowley is a priest with a questionable commitment to his profession. He owns back rent to his landlord, the Rev. Hugh C. Love, and enjoys playing the piano in bars. His friends Ben Dollard and Simon Dedalus help him figure out how to deal with the moneylender Reuben J. Dodd in “Wandering Rocks” and sing to his accompaniment in “Sirens.”
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Father Cowley Character Timeline in Ulysses

The timeline below shows where the character Father Cowley appears in Ulysses. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Episode 10: Wandering Rocks
Literature, Meaning, and Perspective Theme Icon
Religion, Atheism, and Philosophy Theme Icon
...coat. The narration briefly cuts from Kernan admiring himself to show Simon Dedalus meeting Father Cowley on the street, then Bloom’s pamphlet floating in the sea, and Denis Breen visiting a... (full context)
Literature, Meaning, and Perspective Theme Icon
Religion, Atheism, and Philosophy Theme Icon
Irish Identity and Nationalism Theme Icon
The fourteenth fragment starts with the scene of Father Cowley meeting Simon Dedalus from the twelfth vignette. Cowley reports that the moneylender Reuben J. Dodd... (full context)
Love and Sex Theme Icon
Religion, Atheism, and Philosophy Theme Icon
...Nolan catches up to them, and then the narrative flashes back to Councilor Nannetti, Alderman Cowley, and Councilor Lyon passing one another on the City Hall steps. Nolan tells Cunningham that... (full context)
Episode 11: Sirens
Alienation and the Quest for Belonging Theme Icon
Literature, Meaning, and Perspective Theme Icon
Love and Sex Theme Icon
On their way out, Boylan and Lenehan run into Ben Dollard and Father Cowley. Simon Dedalus comes over to chat with Dollard, who encourages Simon to keep singing. A... (full context)
Alienation and the Quest for Belonging Theme Icon
Literature, Meaning, and Perspective Theme Icon
Love and Sex Theme Icon
Father Cowley convinces Simon Dedalus to sing the aria “M’appari” from the opera Martha, then offers to... (full context)
Alienation and the Quest for Belonging Theme Icon
Literature, Meaning, and Perspective Theme Icon
Love and Sex Theme Icon
Fate vs. Free Will Theme Icon
Dollard and Cowley cheer Simon Dedalus on, and he begins to sing in a beautiful, sweeping voice that... (full context)
Literature, Meaning, and Perspective Theme Icon
Religion, Atheism, and Philosophy Theme Icon
...how music is essentially just based on the mathematical relationships among sounds. Listening to Father Cowley improvise, Bloom feels like he’s being taken through an obstacle course. He reflects sympathetically on... (full context)
Love and Sex Theme Icon
Religion, Atheism, and Philosophy Theme Icon
...to his ear. Bloom thinks about Blazes Boylan’s “seaside girls” song and Lydia’s sunburn. Father Cowley plays a “light bright tinkling” song, and Bloom asks himself if there’s really a difference... (full context)