Finnegans Wake Notes

126: Radio quiz program: 

126-39: First question identifies the epic hero Finn MacCool

139: Second question regards Shaun's mother 

139-40: Third question seeks a motto for the Earwicker establishment 

140-41 Fourth question deals with the four capital cities of Ireland 

141: Fifth question regards the Earwicker handyman 

141-42: Sixth question regards Kate, the charwoman 

142: Seventh question identifies the twelve citizens 

142-43: Eighth question identifies the Maggies 

143: Ninth question concerns the kaleidoscopic dream 

143-148: Tenth question is a "pepette" letter of love 

148-68: Eleventh question asks Shaun if he would aid Shem in saving his soul, includes: Professor Jones on the dime-cash problem (148- 52) The Mookse and the Gripes (152-59) Burrus and Caseous (161-68) 

168: Twelfth question identifies Shem as the accursed brother 

Analysis of Page 126 of Finnegans Wake

Summary

Page 126 features a mixture of riddling, rhetorical questions, and playful linguistic flourishes, all centred on a mythical or symbolic figure who combines historical, biblical, and legendary attributes. The text seems to narrate a distorted biography of HCE (Here Comes Everybody), referencing his immense stature, moral complexities, and entanglements with Irish history, culture, and religion. The playful tone and absurd humour of the passage highlight Joyce's preoccupation with the intertwining of history, myth, and personal identity.

Detailed Line-by-Line Analysis

126.01-126.03: "So? Who do you no tonigh, lazy and gentleman? The echo is where in the back of the wodes; callhim forth!"

• The questioning tone sets the stage for riddles about identity, reinforcing the fragmented and uncertain nature of HCE's character.
• The phrase "lazy and gentleman" is a dichotomy, reflecting the duality of HCE as both everyman and larger-than-life figure.
• "The echo...back of the wodes" suggests mythological or folkloric origins, with echoes often representing fragmented truth or haunting memories.

126.04-126.09: "(Shaun Mac Irewick, briefdragger...their own fine artful disorder.)"

• "Shaun Mac Irewick" plays on Shaun, one of HCE's sons, blending his identity with the act of letter delivery (briefdragger). This reflects themes of miscommunication and reinterpretation.
• "Messrs Jhon Jhamieson and Song" parodies business language, possibly alluding to Jameson whiskey (a nod to Irish commerce) or Joyce’s awareness of his work's commodification.
• The phrase "nightly quisquiquock" is a neologism suggesting confusion or disorder, echoing the text's layered, chaotic style.

126.10-126.13: "What secondtonone myther rector and maximost bridgesmaker...giganteous Wellingtonia Sequoia;"

• The figure described here is larger-than-life, likened to mythical giants. References to trees like "bluegum" and "Wellingtonia Sequoia" emphasise his vastness, connecting him to nature and permanence.
• "Secondtonone myther rector" could allude to biblical patriarchs or leaders, reinforcing the mythic aspect of HCE.

126.13-126.14: "...went nudiboots with trouters into a liffeyette when she was barely in her tricklies;"

• This evokes a primal or Edenic scene, with HCE entering the River Liffey ("liffeyette") in its early, playful form. It anthropomorphises the river as feminine, echoing Anna Livia Plurabelle.

126.14-126.16: "...well known to claud a conciliation cap onto the esker of his hooth;"

• The "conciliation cap" suggests an act of reconciliation or peace-making, perhaps an allusion to Irish political history or HCE’s role as a unifier and transgressor.

126.16-126.17: "...sports a chainganger's albert solemenly over his hullender's epulence;"

• The phrase combines images of labour ("chainganger") with grandeur ("hullender's epulence"), again presenting HCE as a figure of contradictions.

126.17-126.18: "...thought he weighed a new ton when there felled his first lapapple;"

• This line combines biblical imagery (the fall of man with the apple) and humorous exaggeration. "Lapapple" evokes temptation and innocence lost, linking HCE to Adam and original sin.

126.18-126.19: "...gave the heinousness of choice to everyknight betwixt yesterdicks and twomaries;"

• The play on "yesterdicks" and "twomaries" (yesterday and tomorrow) combines bawdy humour and religious imagery. It suggests moral or temporal dilemmas, perhaps referencing the cycles of history.

126.20-126.21: "...sevenal successivecoloured serebanmaids on the same big white drawringroam horthrug;"

• The "sevenal" maids evoke Snow White or mythological figures like the seven muses. The "drawringroam horthrug" suggests decadence and playful domestic imagery.

126.21-126.23: "...pumped the catholick wartrey and shocked the prodestung boyne;"

• This juxtaposition of Catholicism and Protestantism references Irish religious tensions, particularly the Battle of the Boyne, where Protestant forces triumphed over Catholic ones.
• HCE is portrayed as straddling or disrupting these religious divides.

126.23-126.24: "...killed his own hungery self in anger as a young man;"

• This paradoxical line suggests self-destruction and renewal, possibly hinting at the cycles of guilt and redemption central to HCE's character.

126.24: "...found fodder for five when allmarken rose goflooded;"

• This could reference biblical imagery of sustenance, such as the feeding of the five thousand. It also hints at Irish famine and survival.

Key Themes and Techniques

Hiberno-English:

• The use of phrases like "liffeyette" and "hooth" showcases Joyce’s playful engagement with Irish vernacular, grounding the text in Irish linguistic identity.

Mythological Allusions:

• References to biblical figures, giants, and rivers situate HCE within a mythic framework, making him a universal archetype.

Irish History and Culture:

• The text references the River Liffey, the Boyne, and Irish political history, tying HCE’s story to Ireland’s cultural and historical identity.

Sexual Innuendo:

• Phrases like "yesterdicks and twomaries" use bawdy humour to explore themes of time, choice, and morality.

Humour and Absurdity:

• Joyce uses playful exaggerations, paradoxes, and linguistic acrobatics to create a humorous and engaging narrative.

Page 126 exemplifies Joyce’s ability to weave myth, history, and humour into a dense and multilayered text. Through linguistic innovation and cultural references, Joyce transforms HCE into a universal figure, embodying the contradictions and complexities of human existence.