Ulysses

Ulysses

by

James Joyce

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Martin Cunningham Character Analysis

Easily the most sympathetic and caring of Leopold Bloom’s friends, Martin Cunningham first appears in “Hades,” when he rides with Bloom, Jack Power, and Simon Dedalus in the car to Paddy Dignam’s funeral. He watches out for Bloom in minor conflicts with Power and John Henry Menton, and he helps Bloom escape the citizen’s attack in “Cyclops.” However, he spends most of the day organizing a charity drive to help cover Dignam’s family’s expenses. Bloom partially attributes Cunningham’s sensitivity and benevolence to his difficult relationship with his wife, who is an alcoholic.

Martin Cunningham Quotes in Ulysses

The Ulysses quotes below are all either spoken by Martin Cunningham or refer to Martin Cunningham. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Alienation and the Quest for Belonging Theme Icon
).
Episode 6: Hades Quotes

White horses with white frontlet plumes came round the Rotunda corner, galloping. A tiny coffin flashed by. In a hurry to bury. A mourning coach. Unmarried. Black for the married. Piebald for bachelors. Dun for a nun.
—Sad, Martin Cunningham said. A child.
A dwarf’s face, mauve and wrinkled like little Rudy’s was. Dwarf’s body, weak as putty, in a whitelined deal box. Burial friendly society pays. Penny a week for a sod of turf. Our. Little. Beggar. Baby. Meant nothing. Mistake of nature. If it’s healthy it’s from the mother. If not from the man. Better luck next time.
—Poor little thing, Mr Dedalus said. It’s well out of it.
The carriage climbed more slowly the hill of Rutland square. Rattle his bones. Over the stones. Only a pauper. Nobody owns.
—In the midst of life, Martin Cunningham said.
—But the worst of all, Mr Power said, is the man who takes his own life.

Related Characters: Martin Cunningham (speaker), Simon Dedalus (speaker), Jack Power (speaker), Leopold Bloom, Rudolf Bloom, Sr., Patrick (“Paddy”) Dignam, Sr.
Page Number: 79
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Ulysses LitChart as a printable PDF.
Ulysses PDF

Martin Cunningham Quotes in Ulysses

The Ulysses quotes below are all either spoken by Martin Cunningham or refer to Martin Cunningham. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Alienation and the Quest for Belonging Theme Icon
).
Episode 6: Hades Quotes

White horses with white frontlet plumes came round the Rotunda corner, galloping. A tiny coffin flashed by. In a hurry to bury. A mourning coach. Unmarried. Black for the married. Piebald for bachelors. Dun for a nun.
—Sad, Martin Cunningham said. A child.
A dwarf’s face, mauve and wrinkled like little Rudy’s was. Dwarf’s body, weak as putty, in a whitelined deal box. Burial friendly society pays. Penny a week for a sod of turf. Our. Little. Beggar. Baby. Meant nothing. Mistake of nature. If it’s healthy it’s from the mother. If not from the man. Better luck next time.
—Poor little thing, Mr Dedalus said. It’s well out of it.
The carriage climbed more slowly the hill of Rutland square. Rattle his bones. Over the stones. Only a pauper. Nobody owns.
—In the midst of life, Martin Cunningham said.
—But the worst of all, Mr Power said, is the man who takes his own life.

Related Characters: Martin Cunningham (speaker), Simon Dedalus (speaker), Jack Power (speaker), Leopold Bloom, Rudolf Bloom, Sr., Patrick (“Paddy”) Dignam, Sr.
Page Number: 79
Explanation and Analysis: