4.Calypso

This section is by far the most corporeal that we have read so far. It is a vivid stream of consciousness that reveals temperatures, and senses in a far more humanizing way than Stephen. When we are in Stephen’s head he is focusing on everything around him, even as far as his peripheral, whereas Bloom seems to have a child-like quality about him. He is fully interested and occupied with his surroundings. When “a cloud began to cover the sun…” (61) the following description is disturbing to say the least. I got the feeling that it was important, because it deals with the theme of infertility- of barren land, and also the “dead sea in a dead land, grey and old.” (61) Molly is more objectified in the few pages she is present than anything else in the text. When she is described it is the most real moment- the fold of her knee in the bed, as well as ‘her full lips.’ This objectification is tied into sexualizing her since she is flaunting her affair. She is a very interesting choice on Joyce's part. She makes me wonder why she is presented so early in the book? I assume that she is supposed to be analogous to Penelope, since Bloom is like Odysseus. Though this presents an interesting twist- in the Odyssey Penelope is chaste and faithful while Odysseus is away, while Molly is anything but chaste and goes so far as to flaunt her indiscretions. I actually found it difficult to see that she was flaunting it, perhaps because Bloom’s reaction, or the lack there of an obvious reaction lulls the reader into an odd position since we are in his head. I find it hard to write much more since I feel that this was even more difficult to fully grasp this than even the ‘sandtrap’