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Ulysses · Character

Mrs Purefoy

A woman in prolonged labor at the maternity hospital.

minor

Also known as Poor Mrs Purefoy, Mrs Purefoy, the Poor, Mina Purefoy, Mrs Mina Purefoy, Mary

First appearance: xiii

Mrs Purefoy's tie to Leopold Bloom is one of the pressures that moves Ulysses—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

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With Leopold Bloom (social): Bloom visits Mrs. Purefoy in the maternity hospital, showing his compassionate concern for her difficult labor. With Leopold Bloom (social): Bloom visits Mrs. Purefoy in the maternity…

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See Mrs Purefoy in xiii

Character Web

52 connections

A slice of how Mrs Purefoy sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

LBLeopold BloomBDBob DoranJEJohn EglintonLYLynchSDStephen DedalusMPMrs Purefoy

Relationship types

  • Social
  • Other

Character groups

  • Dublin social network
  • Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it reveals the protagonist’s psychological breaking point: his…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

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See Mrs Purefoy in xiii