James Joyce's Ulysses is unlike any other novel. With a variety of characters, stream-of-consciousness narration, parodies, innuendo, and obscenities, Joyce's eighteen-episode novel illustrates just a single day in Dublin. While the first thirteen episodes feature a considerable amount of questions, confusion, and comic relief, the remaining five experiment with alternative narrative techniques. From the form of a screenplay 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"), tells the novel from Molly Bloom's female point of view. Molly Bloom, Leopold Bloom's sexually flirtatious wife, recounts her female perspective on assorted events and her relationship with Bloom in a 37-page collection of eight sentences and 37 pages 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. Furthermore, Molly Bloom's female expressiveness illustrates Joyce's perception of women and fully encompasses their role within the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't 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 drastically different from all the others. First of all, without the presence of periods, commas or punctuation marks in general, this stream of consciousness impact is unparalleled. It's almost inaccurate to even describe Molly's soliloquy as her stream of consciousness; a more precise explanation might label this eight-sentence episode as Molly's exhaustive collection of various words and opinions. For example, a short segment of Molly's first sentence, in which she talks about Mrs. Riordan, demonstrates her opinionated thoughts and way of pronouncing words: "she had too much old talk in her about politics and earthquakes and the end of the world let us have a bit of fun first of all God help the world if all women were like her, obviously no one wanted her to wear them, I guess she was pious because no man would look at her twice” (608). Joyce's punctuation throughout this episode mimics an actual stream of thoughts, 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 or interruptions in the monologue, Joyce produces a sense of exhaustion, parallel to Molly's tired state. Therefore, the absence of punctuation amplifies the stream of consciousness technique, while also defining the tone of the episode as equivalent to Molly's emotional and physical condition. Molly. In addition to the erratic 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 shows a liberated approach to the English language and grammar. Because Joyce chooses to use Molly as the narrator for this episode, she is deliberately demonstrating her independence from the expectations of confined society. For example, over the course of the novel preceding this episode, Molly has gained a promiscuous reputation, which we discover is not necessarily true. Although Bloom complains about 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 fearing a man's judgment. He refuses to be confined by social norms, just as Joyce chooses to create his own literary techniques outside of established academic methods. In addition to Molly's sexual freedom, she also takes a liberating approach within her marriage. At the beginning of this chapter, Bloom asked Molly to serve him breakfast in bed, attempting to re-establish his dominant male role within the family and their marriage. Molly is annoyed and intrigued by this request, and is therefore convinced that her husband took part in unfaithful activities earlier in the day. While this curiosity implies that Molly is not the only adulterer within their marriage, it also demonstrates Molly's independence. Unlike most women of the early 1900s, Molly is not subservient to her husband's desires and demands. He lives his life the way he wants, respectably or not. Molly is a strong character, as described through her actions and shown through her appearance. While Joyce uses an empowered woman to exercise his modern and unconventional techniques, the parallels drawn between Molly's personality and Joyce's writing style are undeniable. Furthermore, Joyce makes a conscious decision to end the novel with Molly, a female voice - the only chapter in the series. novel with a female narrator. While this may seem to attach a considerable amount of meaning to Molly's point of view and opinions, as with the rest of the novel, Joyce implies the fallibility of the characters regarding their perception and judgment of other characters and events within of 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 such a man... he'd be so clean compared to those pigs of men I suppose I never dream of washing..." (638). While Molly's view of Stephen is highly inaccurate, as he is often portrayed as less than clean, Joyce is demonstrating 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 the consistent making of judgments. Therefore, while Joyce uses a female narrator to conclude the novel, he is further exploring an atypical technique, rather than giving Molly the authority to close the novel with her final opinions and judgments as the ultimate truth. -of consciousness and the implications of a female narrative, episode eighteen is the only instance in which 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 ongoing marital problems have led to a challenging and somewhat unconventional marriage. He describes his early days courting Bloom, detailing how he once found her appearance quite attractive. Even though the spark in their relationship has faded and the initial feelings have faded, Molly will always be affectionate towards Bloom. Even her extramarital affair with Boylan and her suspicions regarding Bloom's unfaithful activities could not permanently end their marriage. Finally, in this chapter, Joyce attempts to imitate a woman's thought process and female perspective, often leading to stereotypical generalizations and exaggerations. To..