The yeses of Molly Bloom and Mrs. Ramsay

Abstract

This article examines the use of the adverb “yes” by the characters Molly Bloom, in Ulysses (1922), and Mrs. Ramsay, in To the Lighthouse (1927). Molly’s use of “yes” in her interior monologue is tied to a subjective time that contracts and expands according to her drives, overriding the objective time of Dublin’s clocks. On the other hand, Mrs. Ramsay’s use of “yes” highlights a thematic circularity, blending subjective and objective time while reaffirming the social roles she occupies as a wife, mother, and hostess, in contrast to Molly’s bodily self-assertion. Moreover, while Molly is absorbed in her interior monologue, Woolf’s characters share a social temporality, which prevents the experience of a maximized timelessness such as Molly’s. Finally, despite stylistic differences, the article concludes that both Joyce and Woolf use “yes” to unveil temporal complexities that challenge the traditional time of the novel, as well as aspects of their characters’ interiority that are not immediately apparent.