Penelope: In Search of the Feminist in James Joyce's Ulysses

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Penelope: In Search of the Feminist in James Joyce

Ulysses is an oeuvre in rebellion against society’s standards of race, class, and religion, against traditional images of sexuality and gender. Its final book, “Penelope,” is a reflection of this rebellion, however its true feminist character has been an issue of contention among critics. A more grounded vision of Joyce’s feminism can be found through an understanding of the two main cultural influences that shaped him: Irish-Catholic views on the feminine and Victorian morality. Joyce rebelled against their repressive attitudes toward sexuality and social relationships as evidenced in his unconventional relationship with Nora, his reshaping of the idea of “woman,” the female artists and intellectuals that formed his inner circle, and his support of their movement.

This break from tradition is a central quality in Ulysses. Molly Bloom is not the two-dimensional caricature many have suggested. She is so much more than that. Molly rebels against her traditional domestic role, is a voice for female emancipation, an example for feminine power, and the embodiment of unified sensuality and spirituality. These untraditional qualities have led some critics to accuse Molly of being a mere projection of the male psyche, without a real voice of her own. These criticisms ignore the powerful way in which Molly challenges commonly held beliefs about female sexuality. Despite the hint of the creator’s voice in his creation, Molly is presence unto herself, Joyce’s definitive statement of women as powerful, sexual beings.

When James Joyce wrote Ulysses, it was a rebellion against everything Christian Europe held as moral and true. He questioned tr...

... middle of paper ...

...7Ellman. James Joyce., p. 41.

18Ellman. Letters., p. 61.

19Ellman, Letters., p. 165.

20Ellman, Letters., p. 169.

21Ellman. Letters., p. 181.

22Staley, p. 18.

23Ellman. Letters, p. 285.

24Brown, p. 99.

25Brown, p. 99.

26Kime Scott, Pp. 16-18.

27Ellman. Letters., p. 259.

28Kime. p. 16-18.

29Power, p. 35.

30Staley, p. 140.

31Staley, p. 103.

32(Letter from George Bernard Shaw) Ellman, Richard. James Joyce., p. 507.

33(Paul Claudel) Ellman. James Joyce. P. 530.

34Ellman, Letters. Pp. 66-67.

35Brown, p. 112.

36Staley, P. 139.

37Adams, p. 169.

38Friedman., p. 210

39Henke., p. 234.

40Ellman. Letters, p. 278.

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