Flora And Ulysses

Flora wonders if she might be in shock, as she feels slightly dazed and confused. She notices a strange painting on Dr. Meescham’s wall, one of a black sea with a giant squid attacking a boat. Flora sees the squid as villainous, but Dr. Meescham explains that giant squids are extremely lonely, as they sometimes never see another giant squid in their lifetime. She tells Flora that her husband made the painting, and that she keeps it to remind herself that “loneliness makes us do terrible things” (124).

Dr. Meescham brings Flora and Ulysses sandwiches and then sits down to talk to Flora about her father. Flora notices that the couch is particularly slippery, and Dr. Meescham explains that it is a couch made for crying on, since tears roll off of it. She tells Flora that her father has sat on the couch many times and cried over being separated from his daughter. She describes Flora’s father as “capacious of heart […] capable of containing much joy and much sorrow” (129). Dr. Meescham then tells Flora about Pascal’s wager—the idea of believing in things because there is nothing to lose by doing so, but something to potentially lose by disbelieving. She believes in Ulysses in this same fashion, noting that believing makes the world a more beautiful place. Flora asks Dr. Meescham why Ulysses hasn’t saved anyone yet and if he is supposed to be a superhero, and Dr. Meescham tells her that the future cannot be predicted. Flora’s father comes to the door, still smiling. Unfortunately, he is momentarily attacked by the landlord’s cat Mr. Klaus.

A comic strip shows Ulysses embracing his inner hero and flying onto George’s head to protect him from the cat. He picks up the cat and throws it across the hallway. Afterward, Ulysses stands proudly with his chest out, feeling “inordinately pleased with himself” (133).

Flora and her father are on their way back to Flora’s house, and Flora dreads what might happen next. George assures Flora that everything will be fine, but she is uncertain. She promises Ulysses that she will always be with him and feels his heartbeat in his chest. Flora then asks her father if she can feel his heart, and in a tender moment, he opens his arms wide as she puts her hand on his chest. She finds her father’s heart to be “very certain, very strong, and very large” (137), just as Dr. Meescham had described.

The house looks foreboding as Flora and her father pull up. Flora thinks about “The Criminal Element” and one issue in particular which talked about the possibility of inanimate objects harboring the energy of negative events they have been part of. She wonders if this applies to her own house, as her mother lives inside and is the archnemesis of Ulysses. Flora’s father encourages her, and they march toward the house together.

Flora and her father enter, and Flora can hear her mother talking to William in the kitchen. Confused and suspicious, Flora takes Ulysses into the kitchen and finds William helping her mother write a romance novel. She calls his writing “treacle” (“sickly sweet nonsense”) (143), and William turns to look at her, confused.

Flora wants to talk to William about everything she learned from Dr. Meescham, but knows there are more pressing matters. When her mother asks why she still has Ulysses, Flora confronts her request to have Ulysses killed. Flora’s mother sits at her typewriter with her mouth agape, and William sits in silence, watching this exchange unfold.

Flora asks William why he is at her house, and he initially refuses to answer. He talks about novels instead, especially science fiction, and comments that the universe is ever expanding; Ulysses seems amazed. Flora calls her mother an archnemesis and, in a pivotal moment, tells her that she wants to move in with her father instead (who seems pleased to hear this). When Flora’s mother replies that it will “make [her] life easier” (180), Flora feels an immense pang of hurt and loneliness. She thinks about the squid painting, and knows she is capable of something terrible, but resists. Ulysses senses her emotional state and leaps into the air, flying around the kitchen in circles.

As he flies through the air in an attempt to cheer Flora up, Ulysses thinks about the expansion of the universe, and how it means “more of everything” (153) that he loves. He feels immense happiness to be alive.

“The sun was shining into the kitchen, illuminating everything” (154) as silence once again descends on everyone as they watch Ulysses soar above their heads. With his dark glasses, William cannot see what is happening, and Flora’s mother is too shocked to do anything but go upstairs and nap. When William hears what happened, he cites the existence of flying squirrels and finds Ulysses’s flight less shocking. When William hears Ulysses begin to type on the keyboard, he admits this act is stranger. Flora’s father goes upstairs to talk to her mother.

Flora and William are left alone in the kitchen as Ulysses types another poem. The former is upset and believes her mother wants her to leave. William seems intuitively aware that Flora’s mother reacted out of hurt and likely does not want this at all. He explains that his own father died, and his mother is now married to a man who is nothing like his father; William’s stepfather refers to him as “Billy,” which William hates. After several requests by William to be referred to by his full name, and being ignored, “irrevocable acts occurred” (159) and William’s mother banished him from the house. Flora realizes she will miss William should she move in with her father. William suddenly smells smoke.

Flora’s parents enter the kitchen. Flora’s mother is smoking, and Flora’s father has his arm around her shoulder; Flora is uncertain which sight shocks her more. George happily explains that Flora’s mother has agreed to let Flora and Ulysses stay together in the house. Flora’s mother walks over to see what the squirrel is typing on her typewriter, and Flora notices her voice seems “funny still, tinny and far away, as if she were speaking from the bottom of a well” (162).

What Flora’s mother finds in the typewriter is not a poem, but a list of words that Ulysses hopes to turn into a poem. The list contains all of the words and phrases that stood out to him today—including “giant squid,” “capacious,” and “Pascal” (165). Ulysses likes these words, but knows they need to be organized to bring out their meaning. Flora’s mother promises that the three of them will be happy together, and pats Ulysses on the head forcefully. Tootie arrives to take William home for dinner, and notes how Ulysses has inspired her to write poetry. Ulysses is proud to hear this but is also hungry.

Flora is flabbergasted at how strange her mother is acting. She seems robotic and overly kind, not at all like her usual self. She doesn’t comment on how much Flora eats, which is out of character for her. Flora wonders if her mother might be possessed by a demon or alien, or is perhaps having a mental health crisis. She thinks about how differently her father reacted to seeing Ulysses’s powers, reasoning that it was likely due to the memories they awoke in him. Before he left, George told Flora that she needs to be with her mother, but that she can move in with him once they have repaired their relationship. Flora is willing to give her mother a chance, but feels lonely and misses her father. She also misses William, which surprises her.