Ulysses Content Analysis

1) In Ulysses (1922) by James Joyce, women are portrayed in a misogynistic manner. In the world of protagonist Stephen Dedalus, the roles and perceptions of these women deserve a brief analysis. In his habitation within the city of Dublin in 1904, Stephen encounters numerous female figures, five of which will be named and briefly characterized. The first woman, Georgina Johnson, is a prostitute. Stephen holds little meaningful regard for her and does not quite seem to know how to treat her. Perhaps, this could simply represent a symptom of his youth, this naïve appreciation of female offerings and sensibilities. When he hears news that Johnson is finally married off to a Mr. Lambe from London who whisked her away, Stephen responds with insipient Biblical cynicism, "Georgina . . . is dead and married . . . Lamb of London, who takest away the sins of the world" (Joyce 477). Secondly, we find Stephen viscerally encountered by the specter of his mother. He sees her as merely a passing flame from one world to the next, describing how she passed him from infancy to adulthood within her sixty-seven years of life (171). Certainly, Stephen views women through a small lens.

The protagonist continues to encounter other women in his wanderings, especially in the symbolic realm. Stephen defines Ann Hathaway, Xanthippe, and Myrto within the same breath in the context of their role as both a nuisance and detractors of the masculine personification. His use of the Latin "absit nomen!" in reference to Myrto solidifies the cynical viewpoint, especially when joined with the comment of Ann Hathaway as a forgettable woman (172). Stephen also recalls the virgin at Hodges Figgis' window looking for an alphabet book (44). The image combines with memories of cockle pickers and dogs to drive him to compose poetry. Finally, Stephen encounters some nuns, regarding them almost impishly "The little nuns! Nice little things! O, sure they wouldn’t do anything! O, sure they wouldn’t really! Is it little sister Monica!" (217). The commentary leads the reader to view them in an almost piteous subhuman light.

2) Molly Bloom accounts for the single visceral female character in the book. Dynamic, composed, and beautiful albeit uneducated, Joyce bestows upon her the only extended commentary related by a woman in the book in Episode Eighteen: "Penelope." Joyce shapes his character to engage in suggestive dialogue in the form of eight enormous sentences. Molly mostly reminisces of past sexual encounters with her variety of lovers, slightly frustrated by the sexual ineptitude of her husband, Leopold, ever since their son, Rudy, died eleven years ago. Molly is no ignoramus and recognizes that her husband has cheated with other women. This does not, however, detract her from engaging in fantastic recollections of their times together.

One notable memory comes in the form of remembering Leopold's kinky penchant for Molly's extra breast milk. After the birth of their child, Milly, Molly recalls having enough milk for two, at which Leopold suggested that they could fetch an extra fee of one pound per week as a wet nurse (637). Molly goes on to remember soliciting Leopold to suck her breasts because they were so hard, recalling that the agreeable husband commented that they were "sweeter and thicker than cows" (637). Ultimately, he felt that the excess milk should be used in tea for them (637). No matter who she is with, it is clear that Molly views relations between men and women in the physical realm with all matters of correspondence ultimately finding their common denominator in sex and passion. With endless run-on sentences, the effect is jarring and erotic.

Work Cited

Joyce, James. "Ulysses by James Joyce." Geoff Wilkins. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. <http://www.geoffwilkins.net/wiki/Ulysses.pdf>.