Ulysse

Ulysse Merou is the main character and narrator of the novel “Planet of the Apes” by Pierre Boulle. The name “Ulysse” is taken from “Ulysses”, a Greek hero and king known for brilliance and cunning. Ulysse’s exact age is never given, though it can be assumed he is in his twenties or thirties due to the fact that his journalism career is just getting going in France. Ulysse is taken on by Professor Antelle and Levain to accompany and document an expedition to the solar system of Betelgeuse. Ulysse appears to have no family or loved ones, for the trip – two years in relative time, seven centuries in Earth time – does not faze him at all.

Upon landing on the planet they come to call “Soror”, Ulysse and the others are stunned to find naked human beings living like animals in the wild. Ulysse is instantly attracted...