Episode: Nestor
Day 3
Mr. Deasy's School
Pages: 24-31 (Gabler)
25-35 minutes
Podcast available
Overview
We arrive at Mr. Deasy's school in Dalkey, where Stephen teaches a class of boys. The episode focuses on a history lesson about Pyrrhus, a student named Sargent who needs help with math, and the beginning of Stephen's uncomfortable encounter with the headmaster. Joyce's portrait of the classroom is both comic and melancholy—Stephen is clearly out of place here.
Key Themes
- History as 'a nightmare from which I am trying to awake'
- Teaching as a profession versus artistic calling
- The riddle Stephen poses to the boys (and its deeper meanings)
- Stephen's sympathy for the struggling student Sargent
- Time and memory as recurring motifs
What's Stirring
What do you make of Stephen's famous line about history being a nightmare?
Why does Joyce include the detail about Stephen helping Sargent with his sums?
How does Stephen's teaching style reflect his character?
What is the answer to Stephen's riddle, and why does it matter?