Throughout the text of James Joyce's Ulysses the reader is primarily presented with a male point of view towards the day's events, whether through Bloom, Stephen, or the myriad of minor characters that make appearances. This viewpoint works to create a singular perspective that goes unchallenged until the last chapter. In "Penelope", Molly's subconscious monologue brings an entirely different perspective to the text and the ideas created within it. More specifically, Molly revises the understanding of the feminine nature, the character of Leopold Bloom (hereafter referred to as 'Bloom'), and the relationship that exists between Mr. and Mrs. Bloom. Molly's account of the day's events and her interpretation of the various situations she thinks of in her half-awake/half-asleep state, although biased, work for the reader to create a balanced perspective of the text. The ambiguity that exists in the rest of the text as to whether Bloom is justly or unjustly persecuted can be resolved by Molly due to her intimate knowledge of Bloom and his personality.
blooming again
English: Ulysses - Leopold Bloom, Szombathely Magy...
Icon for lit-char-stub on en wikipediaIn the end the reader is left with a clear picture as to what should be understood about Bloom and the world he inhabits.
Bloom's day begins in "Calypso", and right away he has premonitions about the infidelity of his wife, due to the arrival of a letter from Boylan. The fact that Boylan will later be paying a visit to Molly leads Bloom to suspect that something is amiss. Bloom is jealous of Boylan and his ability to seduce Molly, which Bloom reveals when he recalls a conversation with his wife, "Is that Boylan well off? He has money. Why? I noticed he had a good smell off his breath dancing" (69). These thoughts of Molly's promiscuity will haunt Bloom throughout the rest of the day, and...