Ulysses · Character

Molly Bloom

A warm, shrewd soprano and Bloom's wife, Molly hovers over the day as memory, rumor, and desire—her voice and her choices pulling every thread of the story taut.

major

Also known as Mrs Marion Bloom, Mrs Marion, Marion, Marion Softly, Mrs Bloom, Madam Marion Tweedy, Marion Tweedy, Miss Marion Tweedy, Miss Tweedy

First appearance: ii

As a major figure in Ulysses, Molly Bloom is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Molly is in bed, receives breakfast and the letter from Milly, and discusses reincarnation with Bloom.

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Molly is a professional singer with a Belfast engagement and a reputation that travels faster than she does. Her affair with the flashy Boylan shadows Bloom's whole day, while her half-sleeping thoughts drift through lovers, losses, and the Gibraltar of her girlhood. She matters because the novel's heart beats in her: everything Bloom does is measured against her, and her final word belongs to her alone.

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The fuller portrait of Molly Bloom sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Molly Bloom in ii

Character Web

65 connections

A slice of how Molly Bloom sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Psychological
Family
Other

Character groups

Dublin social network
Protagonist

+60 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it reveals the protagonist’s psychological breaking point: his…

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Relationships

Stephen Dedalus
psychological · ambivalent
Molly is intrigued by Stephen as a young intellectual, and her thoughts about him mix… How this plays out →
Leopold Bloom
family · ambivalent
Gerty MacDowell
psychological · positive
Leopold Bloom
family · ambivalent
Leopold Bloom
family · ambivalent
Stephen Dedalus
psychological · ambivalent
Molly is intrigued by Stephen as a young intellectual, and her thoughts about him mix… How this plays out →
Stephen Dedalus
psychological · ambivalent
Molly is intrigued by Stephen as a young intellectual, and her thoughts about him mix… How this plays out →

Stephen Dedalus
Molly is intrigued by Stephen as a young intellectual, and her thoughts about him mix maternal curiosity with romantic fantasy.
Leopold Bloom
Bloom and Molly are married, but their relationship is strained by emotional distance and Molly's affair with Blazes Boylan.
Gerty MacDowell
Gerty is a young woman who fantasizes about romance and marriage, and her thoughts parallel Molly's own sensual and domestic desires.
Leopold Bloom
Bloom and Molly are married, but their relationship is strained by emotional distance and Molly's affair with Blazes Boylan.
Leopold Bloom
Bloom and Molly are married, but their relationship is strained by emotional distance and Molly's affair with Blazes Boylan.
Stephen Dedalus
Molly is intrigued by Stephen as a young intellectual, and her thoughts about him mix maternal curiosity with romantic fantasy.
Stephen Dedalus
Molly is intrigued by Stephen as a young intellectual, and her thoughts about him mix maternal curiosity with romantic fantasy.

Relationship notes

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See Molly Bloom in ii

In the story

Molly Bloom appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Calypso
Molly is in bed, receives breakfast and the letter from Milly, and discusses reincarnation with Bloom.
V
Referenced in Bloom's thoughts about her perfume and her singing at a past mass.
Lestrygonians
Recalled by Bloom in memories of their early marriage and intimate moments.
XVII
Mentioned as Miss Marion Tweedy, with whom Bloom discussed subjects in 1888.
Penelope
Protagonist of the episode; her uninterrupted stream of consciousness.

Chapter companion notes

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See Molly Bloom in ii

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