Parallel images: A study of Joyce's 'Ulysses' (James Joyce, Ireland)

This essay explores how James Joyce purposefully weaves the contradictions inherent in the myth of the Virgin Mary into the stories of Gerty MacDowell and Molly Bloom in the novel Ulysses in order to tie the two characters together and to provide an anti-patriarchal subtext. The first section of the essay considers specific textual allusions that connect Gerty and Molly to the Virgin Mary. The second section sets theological interpretations of Mary next to critical interpretations of Gerty and Molly to demonstrate how much of what has been written about Mary through the ages can be applied to both characters with very few changes. The concluding section provides analysis of how the Mary connection serves as a powerful link between Gerty and Molly and assists in clarifying that the characters are agents of their own power rather than submissive instruments of the male characters in the novel.