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Ulysses · Character

Malachi Mulligan

Buck Mulligan: a plump, blaspheming medical student whose mockery of Stephen's faith and guilt makes him both irresistible and unbearable.

supporting

Also known as Malachi Mulligan, Mulligan, Malachi, Mercurial Malachi, Mr Mulligan, Mr Malachi Mulligan

First appearance: i

As a supporting figure in Ulysses, Malachi Mulligan is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

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Mulligan opens the novel shaving on the tower roof, intoning a mock mass and teasing Stephen with the nickname Kinch. He is brilliant, generous, and casually cruel, a friend whose wit cuts as often as it entertains, and…

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The fuller portrait of Malachi Mulligan sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Malachi Mulligan in i

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

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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