008 3 Omphalos The Center Of It All

From the Episode 1 · Telemachus thread on Swerve of Shore, by Brandon Nicklaus.

The term “omphalos” appears twice in the first episode of Ulysses, each time adding layers to the novel’s themes of history, identity, and intellectual rebellion.

The first mention comes from Stephen Dedalus as he broods over his strained relationship with Buck Mulligan:

The second occurs when Buck, ever the showman, grandly refers to their Martello tower as the omphalos, as if elevating it above the many others scattered along the coast. But what makes this tower the omphalos? And what does the word even mean?

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