Ulysses: Pineapple rock, lemon platt, butter scotch

Here's another example of masterful writing from Ulysses:

"Pineapple rock, lemon platt, butter scotch. A sugarsticky girl shovelling scoopfuls of creams for a christian brother. Some school treat. Bad for their tummies. Lozenge and comfit manufacturer to His Majesty the King. God. Save. Our. Sitting on his throne sucking red jujubes white."

In this passage, Leopold Bloom, the novel's protagonist, is going about an ordinary day in Dublin. His thoughts, however, show that he, like all of us, is constantly living in two different worlds - an internal world and an external. Externally, Bloom sees children with ice cream, but this simple sensory information sends a wave of disjointed ripples through his mind.

Every human being has a fragmented mind. As a result, we often have difficulty concentrating on a single object or idea for more than a few seconds. We are often given to irrational breaks in our thoughts. This natural psychological tension in reality and in fiction, however, opens up a plethora of possibilities for writers. Let's take another look at the passage above. Against the unremarkable foreground of a girl scooping ice cream, Joyce appeals to at least three of the reader's senses; reveals Bloom’s demeanor, his opinions, and his satirical wit; and also provides a glimpse into the protagonist's past - all in only a few lines.

As a writer, are you in tune with what your characters are personally experiencing?