James Joyce's Ulysses is unlike any other novel. With a variety of characters, a stream-of-consciousness narrative, parodies, allusions, and obscenities, Joyce's eighteen-episode novel depicts just one day in Dublin. While the first thirteen episodes feature a significant amount of questions, confusion, and comic relief, the remaining five experiment with alternative narrative techniques. From the form of a game scenario in episode fifteen to the question-and-answer narrative in episode seventeen, Joyce explores various methods, challenging conventional modes of storytelling. The final episode, episode eighteen (also known as "Penelope"), presents the novel from the female perspective of Molly Bloom. Molly Bloom, the sexually flirtatious wife of Leopold Bloom, recounts her feminine perspective on various events and her relationship with Bloom in an eight-sentence, 37-page collection of lethargic, unpunctuated words, thoughts, and opinions. Through this episode, Joyce displays an eccentric form of literature, creating an epic climax to his legendary masterpiece. Additionally, Molly Bloom's feminine expressiveness illustrates Joyce's perception of women and fully encompasses their role in the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay While the vast majority of Ulysses is documented through a stream-of-consciousness technique from the perspective of primarily Stephen or Leopold Bloom, Molly Bloom's Episode Eighteen is radically different from all others . First, without the presence of periods, commas, or punctuation marks in general, this incidence of stream of consciousness is unprecedented. It is almost inaccurate to describe Molly's monologue as her stream of consciousness; a more precise explanation might characterize this eight-sentence episode as Molly's exhausted compilation of various words and opinions. For example, a brief excerpt from Molly's first sentence, discussing Mrs. Riordan, demonstrates her opinionated thoughts and words: "She had too many old conversations in her about politics and earthquakes and the end of the world, let's talk -a little. funny first, God help the world if all women were her type in swimsuits and cleavage, of course no one wanted her to wear them, I guess she was pious because no man would would look twice” (608). Joyce's lack of punctuation throughout this episode mimics a real stream of thoughts, while further exaggerating the familiar stream-of-consciousness technique. Although this method makes for frustrating reading, Joyce forces the reader to visualize Molly's constant ramblings and contemplations. Without periods or pauses in the monologue, Joyce produces a feeling of exhaustion, paralleling Molly's tired state. Therefore, the lack of punctuation amplifies the stream-of-consciousness technique, while also setting the tone of the episode as equivalent to Molly's own emotional and physical condition. In addition to the irregular style and methods that Joyce uses throughout episode eighteen, the choice to employ this technique from the perspective of a female character is significant. While the lack of punctuation creates an unstoppable flow of words and thoughts, it also demonstrates a liberated approach to English language and grammar. While Joyce chooses to use Molly as the narrator for this episode, he deliberately demonstrates her independence from the expectations of a confined society. For example, throughout the novel that preceded this episode, Molly acquired a reputation for promiscuity – a reputation that welet's discover that it is not necessarily true. Although Bloom lashes out at her various suitors, Molly claims that Boylan was her first and only infidelity, after ten years without sex with Bloom. Regardless, Molly chooses to express her sexuality and femininity without fear of a man's judgment. She refuses to be confined by social norms, just as Joyce chooses to create her own literary techniques outside of established scholarly methods. In addition to Molly's sexual freedom, she also takes a liberating approach within her marriage. At the beginning of this chapter, Bloom has asked Molly to serve him breakfast in bed, attempting to reestablish his dominant masculine role within the household and their marriage. Molly is annoyed and curious about this request, thus convinced that her husband participated in unfaithful activities earlier in the day. Although this curiosity implies that Molly is not the only adulterer within their marriage, it also demonstrates Molly's independence. Unlike the majority of women in the early 1900s, Molly does not submit to her husband's wishes and demands. She lives her life as she sees fit, whether respectable or not. Molly is a strong character, as portrayed through her actions and displayed through her appearance. As Joyce uses a liberated woman to exercise his unconventional modern techniques, the parallels drawn between Molly's character and Joyce's writing style are undeniable. Additionally, Joyce makes a conscious decision to conclude the novel with Molly, a female voice - the only chapter in the novel. novel with a narrator. Although this may seem to place considerable importance on Molly's point of view and opinions, as with the rest of the novel, Joyce implies the fallibility of the characters when it comes to their perception and judgment of other characters and events in the novel. For example, Molly fantasizes about Stephen, creating an exaggerated and incorrect perception of his character. She imagines: "I'm sure he's very distinguished, I'd like to meet a man like that... he'd be so clean compared to those pigs of men that I suppose never dream of washing..." (638). Although Molly's view of Stephen is highly inaccurate, as he is often portrayed as anything but clean, Joyce demonstrates a character's personal opinion rather than a factual identification. There is no true, honest narrator in Ulysses, only a wide range of opinions and consistent judgments. Therefore, while Joyce implements a female narrator to conclude the novel, he explores more of an atypical technique, rather than giving Molly the power to close the novel with her final opinions and judgments as the ultimate truth. In addition to its unusual stream-of-consciousness form and the implications of a female narrative, episode eighteen is the only instance where Molly expresses her feelings and opinions regarding her marriage to Bloom, as well as her other relationships. Although Molly admits that she was initially attracted to Bloom because he understands how a woman thinks, his unfaithful actions and their continued marital problems resulted in a difficult and rather unconventional marriage. She describes the early days of courting Bloom, explaining how she once found his appearance rather attractive. Even though the spark in their relationship has waned and the initial feelings have weakened, Molly will always be affectionate towards Bloom. Even her extramarital affair with Boylan and her suspicions about Bloom's unfaithful activities could not permanently end their marriage. Finally, throughout this chapter, Joyce attempts to imitate the female thought process and perspective, often leading to generalizations and..