“The Hand That Rules … ”: Palmistry and Reading the Hand in the “Circe” Episode of James Joyce’s Ulysses

Abstract

ABSTRACTPrevious scholarship has highlighted Joyce’s knowledge of palmistry (or cheiromancy, as it was then known) and indicated some of the sources he consulted. But, for a text that has attracted so much attention and criticism, it is unusual that this scene has been left largely under-discussed and unexplained. The “mystical” hand which is apparent in “Circe” and the cheiromancy session, held by the whores, places society’s (and Joyce’s) interest in this pseudo-scientific practice to the fore. Addressing the idea raised in “Circe” of a “universal language of gesture”, this investigation into the depiction of hands explores not only gender roles but also the interplay between men and women, in terms of sexual desirability, economic factors and power, and illustrates how “Circe” problematises traditional gender roles. By examining the representation of the hand, this article aims to offer an understanding of why, how and to what end Joyce employed this popular pastime as part of the action and entertainment offered at Bella Cohen’s whorehouse, and expand further to consider the hand as a signifier of gendered power, offering a wider interpretation of the hand in the modernist imagination.