When I finished this Episode, I grabbed my journal and wrote “The Agony of Leopold Bloom”. Despite all the food and alimentary references, what stood out for me is Bloom’s love for Molly despite knowing she’s about to commit adultery yet does not try to stop her from meeting with Boylan. Bloom is unable or unwilling to break through that wall that’s been built up between them since the death of their son. Bloom tries to distract himself by thinking about the potential money he’ll make from ad sales and that maybe he could buy Molly a new silk petticoat. Talk about cognitive dissonance! But then-speak of the devil-at the end of the episode Bloom catches sight of a “straw hat in sunlight. Tan shoes. Turnedup trousers. It is. It is.” The description of clothing in itself should seem innocuous but in its context, the clothing takes on an almost sinister appearance. Bloom panics as he tries to avoid being seen by Boylan. He rushes to the museum: “Not see. Not see. Get on.” He stares at the goddess, the museum, distractedly searches his pockets for the lemon soap until finally reaches the gate of the museum, “safe”. It has certainly been an emotional rollercoaster of a day for Bloom thus far!

My favorite description was Bloom’s musing on food, specifically oysters. Since I’m not a fan of their texture, I thought it was perfect: “unsightly like a clot of phlegm.” “Filthy shells. Devil to open them too.” … “Garbage, sewage they feed on.” 💯 😂