In Homer's epic, Odysseus is reunited with Penelope after he has slain the numerous suitors. At first, however, Penelope does not recognize her husband; she is convinced that he is indeed Odysseus, her husband, only after he is able to describe to her the construction of their bed, a fact known only to the two of them. In Joyce, the scene for "Penelope" is the Blooms' bed, whose jingling sound has been heard, vocally foreshadowed, and developed through several motifs in Ulysses throughout this single day of June 16th, 1904.
Joyce's technique in "Penelope" is illustrated not so much by stream-of-consciousness narrative as it is developed by word association — that is, Molly's thoughts do not "flow" in a consecutive, narrative pattern; instead, in "Penelope," Joyce reproduces the seemingly random ideas of a sleepy woman in the wee hours of the morning. This technique suggests that Molly is infinity, whose symbol is a horizontal 8. Molly (Marion Tweedy) was born on September 8, 1870, and on her birthday, Molly recalls, Bloom once bought her eight poppies. Recumbent as she is in this episode, Molly's physical position suggests mathematical infinity — the "infinite variety" of womanhood. Countering this amorphous non-structure is Joyce's use of only eight sentences to compose and impose some measure of order on the episode. Also, "Penelope" both begins and ends with Molly's thoughts about Bloom. Beyond this, however, little can be said about any more stringent pattern. Joyce has said that "Penelope" revolves around "four cardinal points . . . the female breasts, arse, womb and . . . ." Later, however, he contradicted himself, implying that in "Penelope," he was trying to portray the untamed torrent of womanhood.
It seems more profitable, ultimately, to examine the character of Molly herself, for she is one of the most intriguing characters in all of fiction. She resembles, first of all, Chaucer's Wife of Bath. The key to Molly's character is perhaps best contained in her statement, her cry, really, to: "let us have a bit of fun. . . ." Also, as with the Wife of Bath, a current of melancholy runs through Molly's personality. She doesn't want to be used by Boylan; she wants to be loved, in a tender way. Molly wishes that some man, any man, would give her a long kiss while holding her lovingly in his arms. Molly Bloom is lonely, and she writes letters to herself; she has been rejected by her quirkish and often cold husband, who also writes letters to a chimera figure (Martha Clifford). But, basically, Molly is not a defeated woman — despite her disappointments in finding a man who is able to love her; like Chaucer's heroine, Molly is a survivor, and Molly knows all the feminine tricks. Today, for example, Molly's technique of wooing might be similar to "faking an orgasm": "I gave my eyes that look with my hair a bit loose from the tumbling . . . ." And her method of lovemaking has always been mingled with a touch of teasing fantasy. When she was very young, Molly told Lieutenant Mulvey that she was engaged to a Spanish nobleman, Don Miguel de la Flora — and, as it turned out, she did indeed marry a "flower," in the figure of Bloom (his pseudonym), and he is another person who fantasizes about his love life with his pen pal, Martha.
