Mrs.

Dalloway Virginia Woolf Context Virginia Woolf, the English novelist, critic, and essayist, was born on January 2 , !""2, to #eslie $te%hen, a literary critic, and Julia Duc&worth $te%hen. Woolf grew u% in an u%%er' (iddle'class, socially active, literary fa(ily in Victorian #ondon. $he had three full siblings, two half'brothers, and two half'sisters. $he was educated at ho(e, beco(ing a voracious reader of the boo&s in her father)s extensive library. *ragedy first afflicted the fa(ily when Woolf)s (other died in !"+ , then hit again two years later, when her half'sister, $tella, the caregiver in the $te%hen fa(ily, died. Woolf ex%erienced her first bout of (ental illness after her (other)s death, and she suffered fro( (ania and severe de%ression for the rest of her life. ,atriarchal, re%ressive Victorian society did not encourage wo(en to attend universities or to %artici%ate in intellectual debate. -onetheless, Woolf began %ublishing her first essays and reviews after !+./, the year her father died and she and her siblings (oved to the 0loo(sbury area of #ondon. 1oung students and artists, drawn to the vitality and intellectual curiosity of the $te%hen clan, congregated on *hursday evenings to share their views about the world. *he 0loo(sbury grou%, as Woolf and her friends ca(e to be called, disregarded the constricting taboos of the Victorian era, and such to%ics as religion, sex, and art fueled the tal& at their wee&ly salons. *hey even discussed ho(osexuality, a sub2ect that shoc&ed (any of the grou%)s conte(%oraries. 3or Woolf, the grou% served as the undergraduate education that society had denied her. The Voyage Out, Woolf)s first novel, was %ublished in !+! , three years after her (arriage to #eonard Woolf, a (e(ber of the 0loo(sbury grou%. *heir %artnershi% furthered the grou%)s intellectual ideals. With #eonard, Woolf founded 4ogarth ,ress, which %ublished $ig(und 3reud, 5atherine Mansfield, *. $. Eliot, and other notable authors. $he deter(inedly %ursued her own writing as well6 During the next few years, Woolf &e%t a diary and wrote several novels, a collection of short stories, and nu(erous essays. $he struggled, as she wrote, to both deal with her bouts of bi%olarity and to find her true voice as a writer. 0efore World War 7, Woolf viewed the realistic Victorian novel, with its neat and linear %lots, as an inade8uate for( of ex%ression. 4er o%inion intensified after the war, and in the !+2.s she began searching for the for( that would reflect the violent contrasts and dis2ointed i(%ressions of the world around her. 7n Mrs. Dalloway, %ublished in !+2 , Woolf discovered a new literary for( ca%able of ex%ressing the new realities of %ostwar England. *he novel de%icts the sub2ective ex%eriences and (e(ories of its central characters over a single day in %ost9World War 7 #ondon. Divided into %arts, rather than cha%ters, the novel:s structure highlights the finely interwoven texture of the characters: thoughts. Critics tend to agree that Woolf found her writer)s voice with this novel. ;t forty'three, she &new her ex%eri(ental style was unli&ely to be a %o%ular success but no longer felt co(%elled to see& critical %raise. *he novel did, however, gain a (easure of co((ercial and critical success. *his boo&, which focuses on co((on%lace tas&s, such as

sho%%ing, throwing a %arty, and eating dinner, showed that no act was too s(all or too ordinary for a writer)s attention. <lti(ately, Mrs. Dalloway transfor(ed the novel as an art for(. Woolf develo%s the boo&)s %rotagonist, Clarissa Dalloway, and (yriad other characters by chronicling their interior thoughts with little %ause or ex%lanation, a style referred to as stream of consciousness. $everal central characters and (ore than one hundred (inor characters a%%ear in the text, and their thoughts spin out like spider webs . Sometimes the threads of thought crossand people succeed in communicating. More often, however, the threads do not cross, leaving the characters isolated and alone . Woolf believed that behind the =cotton wool> of life, as she ter(s it in her autobiogra%hical collection of essays Moments of Being ?!+/!@, and under the down%our of i(%ressions saturating a (ind during each (o(ent, a %attern exists. Characters in Mrs. Dalloway occasionally %erceive life)s %attern through a sudden shoc&, or what Woolf called a =(o(ent of being.> $uddenly the cotton wool %arts, and a %erson sees reality, and his or her %lace in it, clearly. =7n the vast catastro%he of the Euro%ean war,> wrote Woolf, =our e(otions had to be bro&en u% for us, and %ut at an angle fro( us, before we could allow ourselves to feel the( in %oetry or fiction.> *hese words a%%ear in her essay collection, The Common Reader, which was %ublished 2ust one (onth before Mrs. Dalloway. 4er novel atte(%ts to uncover frag(ented e(otions, such as des%eration or love, in order to find, through =(o(ents of being,> a way to endure.

While writing Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf reread the Greek classics along with two new modernist writers, Marcel Proust and ames oyce. Woolf shared these writers! interest in time and psychology, and she incorporated these issues into her novel . $he wanted to show characters in flux, rather than static, characters who thin& and e(ote as they (ove through s%ace, who react to their surroundings in ways that (irrored actual hu(an ex%erience. "apid political and social change marked the period between the two world wars# the $ritish %mpire, for which so many people had sacrificed their lives to protect and preserve, was in decline. &ountries like 'ndia were beginning to (uestion $ritain)s colonial rule. *t home, the +abour Party, with its plans for economic reform, was beginning to challenge the &onservative Party, with its emphasis on imperial business interests. Women, who had flooded the workforce to replace the men who had gone to war, were demanding e(ual rights. Men, who had seen unspeakable atrocities in the first modern war, were (uestioning the usefulness of class,based sociopolitical institutions. Woolf lent her su%%ort to the feminist movement in her nonfiction boo& A Room of Ones Own ?!+2+@, as well as in nu(erous essays, and she was briefly involved in the women)s suffrage movement . ;lthough Mrs. Dalloway %ortrays the shifting political atmosphere through the characters ,eter Walsh, Aichard Dalloway, and 4ugh Whitbread, it focuses (ore dee%ly on the charged social mood through the characters $e%ti(us Warren $(ith and Clarissa Dalloway. Woolf delves into the consciousness of &larissa, a wo(an who exists largely in the do(estic s%here, to ensure that readers ta&e her character seriously, rather than si(%ly dis(iss her as a vain and uneducated u%%er'class wife. 7n s%ite of her heroic and i(%erfect effort in life, Clarissa, li&e every hu(an being and even the old social order itself, (ust face death.

Woolf)s struggles with (ental illness gave her an o%%ortunity to witness firsthand how insensitive medical professionals could be, and she criti(ues their tactlessness in Mrs. Dalloway. Bne of Woolf)s doctors suggested that %lenty of rest and rich food would lead to a full recovery, a cure %rescribed in the novel, and another re(oved several of her teeth. 'n the early twentieth century, mental health problems were too often considered imaginary, an embarrassment, or the product of moral weakness . During one bout of illness, Woolf heard birds sing li&e Cree& choruses and 5ing Edward use foul language a(ong so(e aDaleas. 7n !+/!, as England entered a second world war, and at the onset of another brea&down she feared would be %er(anent, Woolf %laced a large stone in her %oc&et to weigh herself down and drowned herself in the Aiver Buse. ,lot Bverview M rs. Dalloway covers one day fro( (orning to night in one wo(an)s life. Clarissa Dalloway, an u%%er'class housewife, wal&s through her #ondon neighborhood to %re%are for the %arty she will host that evening. When she returns fro( flower sho%%ing, an old suitor and friend, ,eter Walsh, dro%s by her house unex%ectedly. *he two have always 2udged each other harshly, and their (eeting in the %resent intertwines with their thoughts of the %ast. 1ears earlier, Clarissa refused ,eter)s (arriage %ro%osal, and ,eter has never 8uite gotten over it. ,eter as&s Clarissa if she is ha%%y with her husband, Aichard, but before she can answer, her daughter, EliDabeth, enters the roo(. ,eter leaves and goes to Aegent)s ,ar&. 4e thin&s about Clarissa)s refusal, which still obsesses hi(. *he %oint of view then shifts to $e%ti(us, a veteran of World War 7 who was in2ured in trench warfare and now suffers fro( shell shoc&. $e%ti(us and his 7talian wife, #ucreDia, %ass ti(e in Aegent)s ,ar&. *hey are waiting for $e%ti(us)s a%%oint(ent with $ir Willia( 0radshaw, a celebrated %sychiatrist. 0efore the war, $e%ti(us was a budding young %oet and lover of $ha&es%eareE when the war bro&e out, he enlisted i((ediately for ro(antic %atriotic reasons. 4e beca(e nu(b to the horrors of war and its after(ath6 when his friend Evans died, he felt little sadness. -ow $e%ti(us sees nothing of worth in the England he fought for, and he has lost the desire to %reserve either his society or hi(self. $uicidal, he believes his lac& of feeling is a cri(e. Clearly $e%ti(us)s ex%eriences in the war have %er(anently scarred hi(, and he has serious (ental %roble(s. 4owever, $ir Willia( does not listen to what $e%ti(us says and diagnoses =a lac& of %ro%ortion.> $ir Willia( %lans to se%arate $e%ti(us fro( #ucreDia and send hi( to a (ental institution in the country. Aichard Dalloway eats lunch with 4ugh Whitbread and #ady 0ruton, (e(bers of high society. *he (en hel% #ady 0ruton write a letter to the Times, #ondon:s largest news%a%er. ;fter lunch, Aichard returns ho(e to Clarissa with a large bunch of roses. 4e intends to tell her that he loves her but finds that he cannot, because it has been so long since he last said it. Clarissa considers the void that exists between %eo%le, even between husband and wife. Even though she values the %rivacy she is able to (aintain in her (arriage, considering it vital to the success of the relationshi%, at the sa(e ti(e she finds slightly disturbing the fact that Aichard doesn)t &now everything about her. Clarissa sees off EliDabeth and her history teacher, Miss 5il(an, who are going sho%%ing. *he two older wo(en des%ise one another %assionately, each believing the other to be an o%%ressive force over EliDabeth. Meanwhile, $e%ti(us and #ucreDia are in their

a%art(ent, en2oying a (o(ent of ha%%iness together before the (en co(e to ta&e $e%ti(us to the asylu(. Bne of $e%ti(us)s doctors, Dr. 4ol(es, arrives, and $e%ti(us fears the doctor will destroy his soul. 7n order to avoid this fate, he 2u(%s fro( a window to his death. ,eter hears the a(bulance go by to %ic& u% $e%ti(us)s body and (arvels ironically at the level of #ondon)s civiliDation. 4e goes to Clarissa)s %arty, where (ost of the novel)s (a2or characters are asse(bled. Clarissa wor&s hard to (a&e her %arty a success but feels dissatisfied by her own role and acutely conscious of ,eter)s critical eye. ;ll the %artygoers, but es%ecially ,eter and $ally $eton, have, to so(e degree, failed to acco(%lish the drea(s of their youth. *hough the social order is undoubtedly changing, EliDabeth and the (e(bers of her generation will %robably re%eat the errors of Clarissa)s generation. $ir Willia( 0radshaw arrives late, and his wife ex%lains that one of his %atients, the young veteran ?$e%ti(us@, has co((itted suicide. Clarissa retreats to the %rivacy of a s(all roo( to consider $e%ti(us)s death. $he understands that he was overwhel(ed by life and that (en li&e $ir Willia( (a&e life intolerable. $he identifies with $e%ti(us, ad(iring hi( for having ta&en the %lunge and for not co(%ro(ising his soul. $he feels, with her co(fortable %osition as a society hostess, res%onsible for his death. *he %arty nears its close as guests begin to leave. Clarissa enters the roo(, and her %resence fills ,eter with a great excite(ent. Character #ist &larissa -alloway ' *he e%ony(ous %rotagonist. *he novel begins with Clarissa)s %oint of view and follows her %ers%ective (ore closely than that of any other character. ;s Clarissa %re%ares for the %arty she will give that evening, we are %rivy to her (eandering thoughts. Clarissa is vivacious and cares a great deal about what %eo%le thin& of her, but she is also self' reflective. $he often 8uestions life)s true (eaning, wondering whether ha%%iness is truly %ossible. $he feels both a great 2oy and a great dread about her life, both of which (anifest in her struggles to stri&e a balance between her desire for %rivacy and her need to co((unicate with others. *hroughout the day Clarissa reflects on the crucial su((er when she chose to (arry her husband, Aichard, instead of her friend ,eter Walsh. *hough she is ha%%y with Aichard, she is not entirely certain she (ade the wrong choice about ,eter, and she also thin&s fre8uently about her friend $ally $eton, who( she also once loved. Aead an in'de%th analysis of Clarissa Dalloway. Septimus Warren Smith ' ; World War 7 veteran suffering fro( shell shoc&, (arried to an 7talian wo(an na(ed #ucreDia. *hough he is insane, $e%ti(us views English society in (uch the sa(e way as Clarissa does, and he struggles, as she does, to both (aintain his %rivacy and fulfill his need to co((unicate with others. 4e shares so (any traits with Clarissa that he could be her double. $e%ti(us is %ale, has a haw&li&e %osture, and wears a shabby overcoat. 0efore the war he was a young, idealistic, as%iring %oet. ;fter the war he regards hu(an nature as evil and believes he is guilty of not being able to feel. Aather than succu(b to the society he abhors, he co((its suicide. Aead an in'de%th analysis of $e%ti(us Warren $(ith.

Peter Walsh ' ; close friend of Clarissa)s, once des%erately in love with her. Clarissa re2ected ,eter:s (arriage %ro%osal when she was eighteen, and he (oved to 7ndia. 4e has not been to #ondon for five years. 4e is highly critical of others, is conflicted about nearly everything in his life, and has a habit of %laying with his %oc&et&nife. Bften overco(e with e(otion, he cries easily. 4e fre8uently has ro(antic %roble(s with wo(en and is currently in love with Daisy, a (arried wo(an in 7ndia. 4e wears horn'ri((ed glasses and a bow tie and used to be a $ocialist. Aead an in'de%th analysis of ,eter Walsh. Sally Seton ' ; close friend of Clarissa and ,eter in their youth. $ally was a wild, handso(e raga(uffin who s(o&ed cigars and would say anything. $he and Clarissa were sexually attracted to one another as teenagers. -ow $ally lives in Manchester and is (arried with five boys. 4er (arried na(e is #ady Aosseter. Aead an in'de%th analysis of $ally $eton. "ichard -alloway ' Clarissa)s husband. ; (e(ber of ,arlia(ent in the Conservative govern(ent, Aichard %lans to write a history of the great English (ilitary fa(ily, the 0rutons, when the #abour ,arty co(es to %ower. 4e is a s%orts(an and li&es being in the country. 4e is a loving father and husband. While devoted to social refor(, he a%%reciates English tradition. 4e has failed to (a&e it into the Cabinet, or (ain governing body. Aead an in'de%th analysis of Aichard Dalloway. .ugh Whitbread ' Clarissa)s old friend, (arried to Evelyn Whitbread. ;n i(%eccable English(an and u%holder of English tradition, 4ugh writes letters to the Times about various causes. 4e never brushes beneath the surface of any sub2ect and is rather vain. Many are critical of his %o(%ousness and gluttony, but he re(ains oblivious. 4e is, as Clarissa thin&s, al(ost too %erfectly dressed. 4e (a&es Clarissa feel young and insecure. +ucre/ia Smith 0"e/ia1 ' $e%ti(us)s wife, a twenty'four'year'old hat'(a&er fro( Milan. AeDia loves $e%ti(us but is forced to bear the burden of his (ental illness alone. -or(ally a lively and %layful young wo(an, she has grown thin with worry. $he feels isolated and continually wishes to share her unha%%iness with so(ebody. $he tri(s hats for the friends of her neighbor, Mrs. 3il(er. %li/abeth -alloway ' Clarissa and Aichard)s only child. Centle, considerate, and so(ewhat %assive, seventeen'year'old EliDabeth does not have Clarissa)s energy. $he has a dar& beauty that is beginning to attract attention. -ot a fan of %arties or clothes, she li&es being in the country with her father and dogs. $he s%ends a great deal of ti(e %raying with her history teacher, the religious Miss 5il(an, and is considering career o%tions. -oris 2ilman ' EliDabeth)s history teacher, who has Cer(an ancestry. Miss 5il(an has a history degree and was fired fro( a teaching 2ob during the war because of society)s anti' Cer(an %re2udice. $he is over forty and wears an unattractive (ac&intosh coat because she does not dress to %lease. $he beca(e a born'again Christian two years and three (onths ago.

,oor, with a forehead li&e an egg, she is bitter and disli&es Clarissa intensely but adores EliDabeth. Sir William $radshaw ' ; renowned #ondon %sychiatrist. When #ucreDia see&s hel% for her insane husband, $e%ti(us, $e%ti(us)s doctor, Dr. 4ol(es, reco((ends $ir Willia(. $ir Willia( believes that (ost %eo%le who thin& they are (ad suffer instead fro( a =lac& of %ro%ortion.> 4e deter(ines that $e%ti(us has suffered a co(%lete nervous brea&down and reco((ends that $e%ti(us s%end ti(e in the country, a%art fro( #ucreDia. *he hardwor&ing son of a trades(an, $ir Willia( craves %ower and has beco(e res%ected in his field. -r. .olmes ' $e%ti(us)s general %ractitioner. When $e%ti(us begins to suffer the delayed effects of shell shoc&, #ucreDia see&s his hel%. Dr. 4ol(es clai(s nothing is wrong with $e%ti(us, but that #ucreDia should see $ir Willia( if she doesn)t believe hi(. $e%ti(us des%ises Dr. 4ol(es and refers to hi( as =hu(an nature.> Dr. 4ol(es li&es to go to the (usic hall and to %lay golf. +ady 0Millicent1 $ruton ' ; (e(ber of high society and a friend of the Dalloways. ;t sixty' two years old, #ady 0ruton is devoted to %ro(oting e(igration to Canada for English fa(ilies. -or(ally erect and (agisterial, she %anics when she has to write a letter to the editor and see&s hel% fro( Aichard Dalloway and 4ugh Whitbread. $he has an assistant, Milly 0rush, and a chow dog. $he is a descendant of Ceneral $ir *albot Moore. Miss .elena Parry 0*unt .elena1 ' Clarissa)s aunt. ;unt 4elena is a relic of the strict English society Clarissa finds so confining. ; great botanist, she also en2oys tal&ing about orchids and 0ur(a. $he is a for(idable old lady, over eighty, who found $ally $eton)s behavior as a youth shoc&ing. $he has one glass eye. Ellie 4enderson ' Clarissa)s dowdy cousin. Ellie, in her early fifties, has thin hair, a (eager %rofile, and bad eyesight. -ot trained for any career and having only a s(all inco(e, she wears an old blac& dress to Clarissa)s %arty. $he is self'effacing, sub2ect to chills, and close to a wo(an na(ed Edith. Clarissa finds her dull and does not want to invite her to the %arty, and Ellie stands alone nearly the whole ti(e, aware that she does not really belong. %vans ' $e%ti(us)s warti(e officer and close friend. Evans died in 7taly 2ust before the ar(istice, but $e%ti(us, in his deluded state, continues to see and hear hi( behind trees and sitting roo( screens. During the war, Evans and $e%ti(us were inse%arable. Evans was a shy English(an with red hair. Mrs. 3ilmer ' *he $(iths) neighbor. Mrs. 3il(er finds $e%ti(us odd. $he has honest blue eyes and is AeDia)s only friend in #ondon. 4er daughter is Mrs. ,eters, who listens to the $(iths) gra(o%hone when they are not at ho(e. Mrs. 3il(er)s granddaughter delivers the news%a%er to the $(iths) ho(e each evening, and AeDia always (a&es the child)s arrival into a (o(entous, 2oyous event. -aisy Simmons ' ,eter Walsh)s lover in 7ndia, (arried to a (a2or in the 7ndian ar(y. Daisy is twenty'four years old and has two s(all children. ,eter is in #ondon to arrange her divorce. %velyn Whitbread ' 4ugh Whitbread)s wife. Evelyn suffers fro( an uns%ecified internal ail(ent and s%ends (uch of her ti(e in nursing ho(es. We learn about her fro( others. ,eter Walsh describes her as (ousy and al(ost negligible, but he also %oints out that occasionally she says so(ething shar%. Mr. $rewer ' $e%ti(us)s boss at $ibleys and ;rrows(ith. Mr. 0rewer, the (anaging cler&, is %aternal with his e(%loyees and foresees a %ro(ising career for $e%ti(us, but $e%ti(us volunteers for the war before he can reach any degree of success. Mr. 0rewer %ro(otes

$e%ti(us when he returns fro( the war, but $e%ti(us is already losing his (ind. Mr. 0rewer has a waxed (oustache and a coral tie%in. im .utton ' ;n awful %oet at the Dalloways) %arty. Ji( is badly dressed, with red soc&s and unruly hair, and he does not en2oy tal&ing to another guest, ,rofessor 0rierly, who is a %rofessor of Milton. Ji( shares with Clarissa a love of 0ach and thin&s she is =the best of the great ladies who too& an interest in art.> 4e en2oys (i(ic&ing %eo%le. *nalysis of Ma4or &haracters &larissa -alloway Clarissa Dalloway, the heroine of the novel, struggles constantly to balance her internal life with the external world. 4er world consists of glittering surfaces, such as fine fashion, %arties, and high society, but as she (oves through that world she %robes beneath those surfaces in search of dee%er (eaning. 1earning for %rivacy, Clarissa has a tendency toward intros%ection that gives her a %rofound ca%acity for e(otion, which (any other characters lac&. 4owever, she is always concerned with a%%earances and &ee%s herself tightly co(%osed, seldo( sharing her feelings with anyone. $he uses a constant strea( of convivial chatter and activity to &ee% her soul loc&ed safely away, which can (a&e her see( shallow even to those who &now her well. Constantly overlaying the %ast and the %resent, Clarissa strives to reconcile herself to life des%ite her %otent (e(ories. 3or (ost of the novel she considers aging and death with tre%idation, even as she %erfor(s life'affir(ing actions, such as buying flowers. *hough content, Clarissa never lets go of the doubt she feels about the decisions that have sha%ed her life, %articularly her decision to (arry Aichard instead of ,eter Walsh. $he understands that life with ,eter would have been difficult, but at the sa(e ti(e she is uneasily aware that she sacrificed %assion for the security and tran8uility of an u%%er'class life. ;t ti(es she wishes for a chance to live life over again. $he ex%eriences a (o(ent of clarity and %eace when she watches her old neighbor through her window, and by the end of the day she has co(e to ter(s with the %ossibility of death. #i&e $e%ti(us, Clarissa feels &eenly the o%%ressive forces in life, and she acce%ts that the life she has is all she)ll get. 4er will to endure, however, %revails. Septimus Warren Smith $e%ti(us, a veteran of World War 7, suffers fro( shell shoc& and is lost within his own (ind. 4e feels guilty even as he des%ises hi(self for being (ade nu(b by the war. 4is doctor has ordered #ucreDia, $e%ti(us)s wife, to (a&e $e%ti(us notice things outside hi(self, but $e%ti(us has re(oved hi(self fro( the %hysical world. 7nstead, he lives in an internal world, wherein he sees and hears things that aren)t really there and he tal&s to his dead friend Evans. 4e is so(eti(es overco(e with the beauty in the world, but he also fears that the %eo%le in it have no ca%acity for honesty or &indness. Woolf intended for Clarissa to s%ea& the sane truth and $e%ti(us the insane truth, and indeed $e%ti(us)s detach(ent enables hi( to 2udge other %eo%le (ore harshly than Clarissa is ca%able of. *he world outside of $e%ti(us is threatening, and the way $e%ti(us sees that world offers little ho%e. Bn the surface, $e%ti(us see(s 8uite dissi(ilar to Clarissa, but he e(bodies (any characteristics that Clarissa shares and thin&s in (uch the sa(e way she does. 4e could al(ost

be her double in the novel. $e%ti(us and Clarissa both have bea&'noses, love $ha&es%eare, and fear o%%ression. More i(%ortant, as Clarissa)s double, $e%ti(us offers a contrast between the conscious struggle of a wor&ing'class veteran and the blind o%ulence of the u%%er class. 4is troubles call into 8uestion the legiti(acy of the English society he fought to %reserve during the war. 0ecause his thoughts often run %arallel to Clarissa)s and echo hers in (any ways, the thin line between what is considered sanity and insanity gets thinner and thinner. $e%ti(us chooses to esca%e his %roble(s by &illing hi(self, a dra(atic and tragic gesture that ulti(ately hel%s Clarissa to acce%t her own choices, as well as the society in which she lives. Peter Walsh ,eter Walsh)s (ost consistent character trait is a(bivalence6 he is (iddle'aged and fears he has wasted his life, but so(eti(es he also feels he is not yet old. 4e cannot co((it to an identity, or even to a ro(antic %artner. 4e cannot decide what he feels and tries often to tal& hi(self into feeling or not feeling certain things. 3or exa(%le, he s%ends the day telling hi(self that he no longer loves Clarissa, but his grief at losing her rises %ainfully to the surface when he is in her %resence, and his obsession with her suggests that he is still attracted to her and (ay even long for renewed ro(ance. Even when he gathers his anger toward Clarissa and tells her about his new love, he cannot sustain the anger and ends u% wee%ing. ,eter acts as a foil to Aichard, who is stable, generous, and rather si(%le. <nli&e cal( Aichard, ,eter is li&e a stor(, thundering and crashing, un%redictable even to hi(self. ,eter)s unhealed hurt and %ersistent insecurity (a&e hi( severely critical of other characters, es%ecially the Dalloways. 4e detests Clarissa)s bourgeois lifestyle, though he bla(es Aichard for (a&ing her into the &ind of wo(an she is. Clarissa intuits even his (ost veiled criticis(s, such as when he re(ar&s on her green dress, and his 2udg(ents strongly affect her own assess(ents of her life and choices. Des%ite his shar% criti8ues of others, ,eter cannot clearly see his own shortco(ings. 4is self'obsession and neediness would have suffocated Clarissa, which is %artly why she refused his (arriage %ro%osal as a young wo(an. ,eter ac8uiesces to the very English society he criticiDes, en2oying the false sense of order it offers, which he lac&s in his life. Des%ite ,eter)s a(bivalence and tendency toward analysis, he still feels life dee%ly. While Clarissa co(es to ter(s with her own (ortality, ,eter beco(es frantic at the thought of death. 4e follows a young wo(an through the #ondon streets to s(other his thoughts of death with a fantasy of life and adventure. 4is critical nature (ay distance hi( fro( others, but he values his life nonetheless. Sally Seton $ally $eton exists only as a figure in Clarissa)s (e(ory for (ost of the novel, and when she a%%ears at Clarissa)s %arty, she is older but still fa(iliar. *hough the wo(en have not seen each other for years, $ally still %uts Clarissa first when she counts her blessings, even before her husband or five sons. ;s a girl, $ally was without inhibitions, and as an adult at the %arty, she is still effusive and lac&s Clarissa)s restraint. #ong ago, $ally and Clarissa %lotted to refor( the world together. -ow, however, both are (arried, a fate they once considered a =catastro%he.> $ally has changed and cal(ed down a great deal since the 0ourton days, but she is still enough of a loose cannon to (a&e ,eter nervous and to &indle Clarissa)s old war( feelings. 0oth $ally

and Clarissa have yielded to the forces of English society to so(e degree, but $ally &ee%s (ore distance than Clarissa does. $he often ta&es refuge in her garden, as she des%airs over co((unicating with hu(ans. 4owever, she has not lost all ho%e of (eaningful co((unication, and she still thin&s saying what one feels is the (ost i(%ortant contribution one can (a&e to society. Clarissa considers the (o(ent when $ally &issed her on the li%s and offered her a flower at 0ourton the =(ost ex8uisite (o(ent of her whole life.> $ociety would never have allowed that love to flourish, since wo(en of Clarissa)s class were ex%ected to (arry and beco(e society wives. $ally has always been (ore of a free s%irit than Clarissa, and when she arrives at Clarissa)s %arty, she feels rather distant fro( and confused by the life Clarissa has chosen. *he wo(en)s &iss (ar&ed a true (o(ent of %assion that could have %ushed both wo(en outside of the English society they &now, and it stands out in contrast to the confrontation ,eter re(e(bers between $ally and 4ugh regarding wo(en)s rights. Bne (orning at 0ourton, $ally angrily told 4ugh he re%resented the worst of the English (iddle class and that he was to bla(e for the %light of the young girls in ,iccadilly. #ater, 4ugh su%%osedly &issed her in the s(o&ing roo(. 4ugh)s is the forced &iss of traditional English society, while the &iss with Clarissa is a revelation. <lti(ately, the society that s%urs 4ugh)s &iss %revails for both wo(en. "ichard -alloway Aichard)s si(%licity and steadfastness have enabled hi( to build a stable life for Clarissa, but these sa(e 8ualities re%resent the co(%ro(ise that (arrying hi( re8uired. Aichard is a si(%le, hardwor&ing, sensible husband who loves Clarissa and their daughter, EliDabeth. 4owever, he will never share Clarissa)s desire to truly and fully co((unicate, and he cannot a%%reciate the beauty of life in the sa(e way she can. ;t one %oint, Aichard tries to overco(e his habitual stiffness and shyness by %lanning to tell Clarissa that he loves her, but he is ulti(ately too re%ressed to say the words, in %art because it has been so long since he last said the(. Just as he does not understand Clarissa)s desires, he does not recogniDe EliDabeth)s %otential as a wo(an. 7f he had had a son, he would have encouraged hi( to wor&, but he does not offer the sa(e encourage(ent to EliDabeth, even as she conte(%lates 2ob o%tions. 4is reticence on the (atter increases the li&elihood that she will eventually be in the sa(e %redica(ent as Clarissa, unable to su%%ort herself through a career and thus unable to gain the freedo( to follow her %assions. Aichard considers tradition of %ri(e i(%ortance, rather than %assion or o%en co((unication. 4e cha(%ions the traditions England went to war to %reserve, in contrast to $e%ti(us, and does not recogniDe their destructive %ower. Des%ite his occasional (isgivings, Aichard has close associations with (e(bers of English high society. 4e is critical of 4ugh, but they revere (any of the sa(e sy(bols, including the figure of the grand old lady with (oney, who is hel%less when it co(es to surviving in a %atriarchal society. Aichard li&es the fact that wo(en need hi(, but so(eti(es he wrongly assu(es they do. 3or exa(%le, he does not recogniDe that a fe(ale vagrant (ay not want his hel% but (ay instead en2oy living outside the rules of his society. 3or Aichard, this sort of freedo( is uni(aginable.

5hemes, Motifs, and Symbols 5hemes 5hemes are the fundamental and often universal ideas e6plored in a literary work. Communication vs. Privacy *hroughout Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa, $e%ti(us, ,eter, and others struggle to find outlets for co((unication as well as ade8uate %rivacy, and the balance between the two is difficult for all to attain. Clarissa in %articular struggles to o%en the %athway for co((unication and throws %arties in an atte(%t to draw %eo%le together. ;t the sa(e ti(e, she feels shrouded within her own reflective soul and thin&s the ulti(ate hu(an (ystery is how she can exist in one roo( while the old wo(an in the house across fro( hers exists in another. Even as Clarissa celebrates the old wo(an)s inde%endence, she &nows it co(es with an inevitable loneliness. ,eter tries to ex%lain the contradictory hu(an i(%ulses toward %rivacy and co((unication by co(%aring the soul to a fish that swi(s along in (ur&y water, then rises 8uic&ly to the surface to frolic on the waves. *he war has changed %eo%le)s ideas of what English society should be, and understanding is difficult between those who su%%ort traditional English society and those who ho%e for continued change. Meaningful connections in this dis2ointed %ostwar world are not easy to (a&e, no (atter what efforts the characters %ut forth. <lti(ately, Clarissa sees $e%ti(us)s death as a des%erate, but legiti(ate, act of co((unication. Disillusionment with the British Empire *hroughout the nineteenth century, the 0ritish E(%ire see(ed invincible. 7t ex%anded into (any other countries, such as 7ndia, -igeria, and $outh ;frica, beco(ing the largest e(%ire the world had ever seen. World War 7 was a violent reality chec&. 3or the first ti(e in nearly a century, the English were vulnerable on their own land. *he ;llies technically won the war, but the extent of devastation England suffered (ade it a victory in na(e only. Entire co((unities of young (en were in2ured and &illed. 7n !+!F, at the 0attle of the $o((e, England suffered F.,... casualtiesGthe largest slaughter in England)s history. -ot sur%risingly, English citiDens lost (uch of their faith in the e(%ire after the war. -o longer could England clai( to be invulnerable and all'%owerful. CitiDens were less inclined to willingly adhere to the rigid constraints i(%osed by England)s class syste(, which benefited only a s(all (argin of society but which all classes had fought to %reserve. 7n !+2H, when Mrs. Dalloway ta&es %lace, the old establish(ent and its o%%ressive values are nearing their end. English citiDens, including Clarissa, ,eter, and $e%ti(us, feel the failure of the e(%ire as strongly as they feel their own %ersonal failures. *hose citiDens who still cha(%ion English tradition, such as ;unt 4elena and #ady 0ruton, are old. ;unt 4elena, with her glass eye ?%erha%s a sy(bol of her inability or unwillingness to see the e(%ire:s disintegration@, is turning into an artifact. ;ntici%ating the end of the Conservative ,arty)s reign, Aichard %lans to write the history of the great 0ritish (ilitary fa(ily, the 0rutons, who are already %art of the %ast. *he old e(%ire faces an i((inent de(ise, and the loss of the traditional and fa(iliar social order leaves the English at loose ends.

The Fear of Death *houghts of death lur& constantly beneath the surface of everyday life in Mrs. Dalloway, es%ecially for Clarissa, $e%ti(us, and ,eter, and this awareness (a&es even (undane events and interactions (eaningful, so(eti(es even threatening. ;t the very start of her day, when she goes out to buy flowers for her %arty, Clarissa re(e(bers a (o(ent in her youth when she sus%ected a terrible event would occur. 0ig 0en tolls out the hour, and Clarissa re%eats a line fro( $ha&es%eare)s Cymbeline over and over as the day goes on6 =3ear no (ore the heat o) the sun I -or the furious winter)s rages.> *he line is fro( a funeral song that celebrates death as a co(fort after a difficult life. Middle'aged Clarissa has ex%erienced the deaths of her father, (other, and sister and has lived through the cala(ity of war, and she has grown to believe that living even one day is dangerous. Death is very naturally in her thoughts, and the line fro( Cymbeline, along with $e%ti(us)s suicidal e(brace of death, ulti(ately hel%s her to be at %eace with her own (ortality. ,eter Walsh, so insecure in his identity, grows frantic at the idea of death and follows an anony(ous young wo(an through #ondon to forget about it. $e%ti(us faces death (ost directly. *hough he fears it, he finally chooses it over what see(s to hi( a direr alternativeGliving another day. The Threat of Oppression B%%ression is a constant threat for Clarissa and $e%ti(us in Mrs. Dalloway, and $e%ti(us dies in order to esca%e what he %erceives to be an o%%ressive social %ressure to confor(. 7t co(es in (any guises, including religion, science, or social convention. Miss 5il(an and $ir Willia( 0radshaw are two of the (a2or o%%ressors in the novel6 Miss 5il(an drea(s of felling Clarissa in the na(e of religion, and $ir Willia( would li&e to subdue all those who challenge his conce%tion of the world. 0oth wish to convert the world to their belief syste(s in order to gain %ower and do(inate others, and their rigidity o%%resses all who co(e into contact with the(. More subtle o%%ressors, even those who do not intend to, do har( by su%%orting the re%ressive English social syste(. *hough Clarissa herself lives under the weight of that syste( and often feels o%%ressed by it, her acce%tance of %atriarchal English society (a&es her, in %art, res%onsible for $e%ti(us)s death. *hus she too is an o%%ressor of sorts. ;t the end of the novel, she reflects on his suicide6 =$o(ehow it was her disasterGher disgrace.> $he acce%ts res%onsibility, though other characters are e8ually or (ore fully to bla(e, which suggests that everyone is in so(e way co(%licit in the o%%ression of others. Motifs Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the te6t)s ma4or themes. Time *i(e i(%arts order to the fluid thoughts, (e(ories, and encounters that (a&e u% Mrs. Dalloway. 0ig 0en, a sy(bol of England and its (ight, sounds out the hour relentlessly, ensuring that the %assage of ti(e, and the awareness of eventual death, is always %al%able. Clarissa, $e%ti(us, ,eter, and other characters are in the gri% of ti(e, and as they age they evaluate how they have s%ent their lives. Clarissa, in %articular, senses the %assage of ti(e, and

the a%%earance of $ally and ,eter, friends fro( the %ast, e(%hasiDes how (uch ti(e has gone by since Clarissa was young. Bnce the hour chi(es, however, the sound disa%%earsGits =leaden circles dissolved in the air.> *his ex%ression recurs (any ti(es throughout the novel, indicating how e%he(eral ti(e is, des%ite the %o(% of 0ig 0en and des%ite %eo%le)s wary obsession with it. =7t is ti(e,> AeDia says to $e%ti(us as they sit in the %ar& waiting for the doctor:s a%%oint(ent on 4arley $treet. *he ancient wo(an at the Aegent)s ,ar& *ube station suggests that the hu(an condition &nows no boundaries of ti(e, since she continues to sing the sa(e song for what see(s li&e eternity. $he understands that life is circular, not (erely linear, which is the only sort of ti(e that 0ig 0en trac&s. *i(e is so i(%ortant to the the(es, structure, and characters of this novel that Woolf al(ost na(ed her boo& The Hours. Shakespeare *he (any a%%earances of $ha&es%eare s%ecifically and %oetry in general suggest ho%efulness, the %ossibility of finding co(fort in art, and the survival of the soul in Mrs. Dalloway. Clarissa 8uotes $ha&es%eare)s %lays (any ti(es throughout the day. When she sho%s for flowers at the beginning of the novel, she reads a few lines fro( a $ha&es%eare %lay, Cymbeline, in a boo& dis%layed in a sho% window. *he lines co(e fro( a funeral hy(n in the %lay that suggests death should be e(braced as a release fro( the constraints of life. $ince Clarissa fears death for (uch of the novel, these lines suggest that an alternative, ho%eful way of addressing the %ros%ect of death exists. Clarissa also identifies with the title character in Othello, who loves his wife but &ills her out of 2ealousy, then &ills hi(self when he learns his 2ealousy was unwarranted . Clarissa shares with Bthello the sense of having lost a love, es%ecially when she thin&s about $ally $eton. 0efore the war, $e%ti(us a%%reciated $ha&es%eare as well, going so far as as%iring to be a %oet. 4e no longer finds co(fort in %oetry after he returns. *he %resence of an a%%reciation for %oetry reveals (uch about Clarissa and $e%ti(us, 2ust as the absence of such a%%reciation reveals (uch about the characters who differ fro( the(, such as Aichard Dalloway and #ady 0ruton. Aichard finds $ha&es%eare)s sonnets indecent, and he co(%ares reading the( to listening in at a &eyhole. -ot sur%risingly, Aichard hi(self has a difficult ti(e voicing his e(otions. #ady 0ruton never reads %oetry either, and her de(eanor is so rigid and i(%ersonal that she has a re%utation of caring (ore for %olitics than for %eo%le. *raditional English society %ro(otes a su%%ression of visible e(otion, and since $ha&es%eare and %oetry %ro(ote a discussion of feeling and e(otion, they belong to sensitive %eo%le li&e Clarissa, who are in (any ways antiestablish(ent. Trees an Flowers *ree and flower i(ages abound in Mrs. Dalloway. *he color, variety, and beauty of flowers suggest feeling and e(otion, and those characters who are co(fortable with flowers, such as Clarissa, have distinctly different %ersonalities than those characters who are not, such as Aichard and #ady 0ruton. *he first ti(e we see Clarissa, a dee% thin&er, she is on her way to the flower sho%, where she will revel in the flowers she sees. Aichard and 4ugh, (ore e(otionally re%ressed re%resentatives of the English establish(ent, offer traditional roses and carnations to Clarissa and #ady 0ruton, res%ectively. Aichard handles the bou8uet of roses aw&wardly, li&e a wea%on. #ady 0ruton acce%ts the flowers with a =gri( s(ile> and lays the(

stiffly by her %late, also unsure of how to handle the(. When she eventually stuffs the( into her dress, the fe(ininity and grace of the gesture are rare and unex%ected. *rees, with their extensive root syste(s, suggest the vast reach of the hu(an soul, and Clarissa and $e%ti(us, who both struggle to %rotect their souls, revere the(. Clarissa believes souls survive in trees after death, and $e%ti(us, who has turned his bac& on %atriarchal society, feels that cutting down a tree is the e8uivalent of co((itting (urder. !aves an !ater Waves and water regularly wash over events and thoughts in Mrs. Dalloway and nearly always suggest the %ossibility of extinction or death. While Clarissa (ends her %arty dress, she thin&s about the %eaceful cycle of waves collecting and falling on a su((er day, when the world itself see(s to say =that is all.> *i(e so(eti(es ta&es on waterli&e 8ualities for Clarissa, such as when the chi(e fro( 0ig 0en =floodJsK> her roo(, (ar&ing another %assing hour. AeDia, in a rare (o(ent of ha%%iness with $e%ti(us after he has hel%ed her construct a hat, lets her words trail off =li&e a contented ta% left running.> Even then, she &nows that strea( of contentedness will dry u% eventually. *he narrative structure of the novel itself also suggests fluidity. Bne character)s thoughts a%%ear, intensify, then fade into another)s, (uch li&e waves that collect then fall. *raditional English society itself is a &ind of tide, %ulling under those %eo%le not strong enough to stand on their own. #ady 0radshaw, for exa(%le, eventually succu(bs to $ir Willia()s bullying, overbearing %resence. *he narrator says =she had gone under,> that her will beca(e =water'logged> and eventually san& into his. $e%ti(us is also suc&ed under society)s %ressures. Earlier in the day, before he &ills hi(self, he loo&s out the window and sees everything as though it is underwater. *rees drag their branches through the air as though dragging the( through water, the light outside is =watery gold,> and his hand on the sofa re(inds hi( of floating in seawater. While $e%ti(us ulti(ately cannot acce%t or function in society, Clarissa (anages to navigate it successfully. ,eter sees Clarissa in a =silver'green (er(aid)s dress> at her %arty, =JlKollo%ing on the waves.> 0etween her (er(aid)s dress and her ease in bobbing through her %arty guests, Clarissa succeeds in staying afloat. 4owever, she identifies with $e%ti(us)s wish to fight the cycle and go under, even if she will not succu(b to the te(%tation herself. Symbols Symbols are ob4ects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. The Prime Minister *he %ri(e (inister in Mrs. Dalloway e(bodies England)s old values and hierarchical social syste(, which are in decline. When ,eter Walsh wants to insult Clarissa and suggest she will sell out and beco(e a society hostess, he says she will (arry a %ri(e (inister. When #ady 0ruton, a cha(%ion of English tradition, wants to co(%li(ent 4ugh, she calls hi( =My ,ri(e Minister.> *he %ri(e (inister is a figure fro( the old establish(ent, which Clarissa and $e%ti(us are struggling against. Mrs. Dalloway ta&es %lace after World War 7, a ti(e when the

English loo&ed des%erately for (eaning in the old sy(bols but found the sy(bols hollow. When the conservative %ri(e (inister finally arrives at Clarissa)s %arty, his a%%earance is uni(%ressive. *he old %yra(idal social syste( that benefited the very rich before the war is now decaying, and the sy(bols of its greatness have beco(e %athetic. Peter !alsh"s Pocketknife an Other !eapons ,eter Walsh %lays constantly with his %oc&et&nife, and the o%ening, closing, and fiddling with the &nife suggest his flightiness and inability to (a&e decisions. 4e cannot decide what he feels and doesn)t &now whether he abhors English tradition and wants to fight it, or whether he acce%ts English civiliDation 2ust as it is. *he %oc&et&nife reveals ,eter)s defensiveness. 4e is ar(ed with the &nife, in a sense, when he %ays an unex%ected visit to Clarissa, while she herself is ar(ed with her sewing scissors. *heir wea%ons (a&e the( e8ual co(%etitors. 5nives and wea%ons are also %hallic sy(bols, hinting at sexuality and %ower. ,eter cannot define his own identity, and his constant fidgeting with the &nife suggests how unco(fortable he is with his (asculinity. Characters fall into two grou%s6 those who are ar(ed and those who are not. Ellie 4enderson, for exa(%le, is =wea%onless,> because she is %oor and has not been trained for any career. 4er a(biguous relationshi% with her friend Edith also %uts her at a disadvantage in society, leaving her even less able to defend herself. $e%ti(us, %sychologically cri%%led by the literal wea%ons of war, co((its suicide by i(%aling hi(self on a (etal fence, showing the danger lur&ing behind (an'(ade boundaries. The Ol !oman in the !in ow *he old wo(an in the window across fro( Clarissa)s house re%resents the %rivacy of the soul and the loneliness that goes with it, both of which will increase as Clarissa grows older. Clarissa sees the future in the old wo(an6 $he herself will grow old and beco(e (ore and (ore alone, since that is the nature of life. ;s Clarissa grows older, she reflects (ore but co((unicates less. 7nstead, she &ee%s her feelings loc&ed inside the %rivate roo(s of her own soul, 2ust as the old wo(an rattles alone around the roo(s of her house. -evertheless, the old wo(an also re%resents serenity and the %urity of the soul. Clarissa res%ects the wo(an)s %rivate reflections and thin&s beauty lies in this act of %reserving one)s interior life and inde%endence. 0efore $e%ti(us 2u(%s out the window, he sees an old (an descending the staircase outside, and this old (an is a %arallel figure to the old wo(an. *hough Clarissa and $e%ti(us ulti(ately choose to %reserve their %rivate lives in o%%osite ways, their view of loneliness, %rivacy, and co((unication resonates within these si(ilar i(ages. The Ol !oman Sin#in# an $ncient Son# B%%osite the Aegent)s ,ar& *ube station, an old wo(an sings an ancient song that celebrates life, endurance, and continuity. $he is oblivious to everyone around her as she sings, beyond caring what the world thin&s. *he narrator ex%lains that no (atter what ha%%ens in the world, the old wo(an will still be there, even in =ten (illion years,> and that the song has soa&ed =through the &notted roots of infinite ages.> Aoots, intertwined and hidden beneath the earth, suggest the dee%est %arts of %eo%le)s souls, and this wo(an)s song touches everyone who hears it in so(e way. ,eter hears the song first and co(%ares the old wo(an to a rusty %u(%. 4e

doesn)t catch her triu(%hant (essage and feels only %ity for her, giving her a coin before ste%%ing into a taxi. AeDia, however, finds strength in the old wo(an)s words, and the song (a&es her feel as though all will be o&ay in her life. Wo(en in the novel, who have to view %atriarchal English society fro( the outside, are generally (ore attuned to nature and the (essages of voices outside the (ainstrea(. AeDia, therefore, is able to see the old wo(an for the life force she is, instead of si(%ly a nuisance or a tragic figure to be dealt with, ignored, or %itied. 2ey 3acts full title 7 Mrs. -alloway genre 7 Modernist8 formalist8 feminist language 7 %nglish time and place written 7 Woolf began Mrs. -alloway in Susse6 in 9:;; and completed the novel in +ondon in 9:;<. date of first publication 7 May 9<, 9:;= narrator 7 *nonymous. *he o(niscient narrator is a co((enting voice who &nows everything about the characters. *his voice a%%ears occasionally a(ong the sub2ective thoughts of characters. *he criti8ue of $ir Willia( 0radshaw)s reverence of %ro%ortion and conversion is the narrator)s (ost sustained a%%earance. point of view L ,oint of view changes constantly, often shifting fro( one character)s strea( of consciousness ?sub2ective interior thoughts@ to another)s within a single %aragra%h. Woolf (ost often uses free indirect discourse, a literary techni8ue that describes the interior thoughts of characters using third'%erson singular %ronouns ?he and she@. *his techni8ue ensures that transitions between the thoughts of a large nu(ber of characters are subtle and s(ooth. tone L *he narrator is against the o%%ression of the hu(an soul and for the celebration of diversity, as are the boo&)s (a2or characters. $o(eti(es the (ood is hu(orous, but an underlying sadness is always %resent. tense L *hough (ainly in the i((ediate %ast, ,eter)s drea( of the solitary traveler is in the %resent tense. setting 0time1 L ; day in (id'June, !+2H. *here are (any flashbac&s to a su((er at 0ourton in the early !"+.s, when Clarissa was eighteen. setting 0place1 L #ondon, England. *he novel ta&es %lace largely in the affluent neighborhood of West(inster, where the Dalloways live.

protagonist 7 &larissa -alloway ma4or conflict L Clarissa and other characters try to %reserve their souls and co((unicate in an o%%ressive and frag(entary %ost9World War 7 England. rising action L Clarissa s%ends the day organiDing a %arty that will bring %eo%le together, while her double, $e%ti(us Warren $(ith, eventually co((its suicide due to the social %ressures that o%%ress his soul. clima6 L ;t her %arty, Clarissa goes to a s(all roo( to conte(%late $e%ti(us)s suicide. $he identifies with hi( and is glad he did it, believing that he %reserved his soul. falling action L Clarissa returns to her %arty and is viewed fro( the outside. We do not &now whether she will change due to her (o(ent of clarity, but we do &now that she will endure. themes 7 Co((unication vs. %rivacyE disillusion(ent with the 0ritish E(%ireE the fear of deathE the threat of o%%ression motifs 7 *i(eE $ha&es%eareE trees and flowersE waves and water symbols 7 *he %ri(e (inisterE ,eter Walsh)s %oc&et&nife and other wea%onsE the old wo(an in the windowE the old wo(an singing an ancient song foreshadowing L ;t the o%ening of the novel, Clarissa recalls having a %re(onition one June day at 0ourton that =so(ething awful was about to ha%%en.> *his sensation antici%ates $e%ti(us)s suicide. L ,eter thin&s of Clarissa when he wa&es u% fro( his na% in Aegent)s ,ar& and considers how she has the gift of (a&ing the world her own and standing out a(ong a crowd. ,eter states si(%ly, =there she was,> a line he will re%eat as the last line of the novel, when Clarissa a%%ears again at her %arty. $tudy Muestions and Essay *o%ics $tudy Muestions !. =3ear no (ore the heat )o the sun I -or the furious winter)s rages> is a 8uote fro( $ha&es%eare)s %lay Cy(beline. *he words are re%eated or alluded to (any ti(es throughout Mrs. Dalloway, by both Clarissa and $e%ti(us. What do the words (ean, and why do Clarissa and $e%ti(us re%eat the(N ;nswer for $tudy Muestion ! OO Clarissa Dalloway first reads the words fro( Cy(beline in a boo&sho% window when she sets out to buy flowers for her %arty, and their (eaning is %articularly significant in light of World War 7. *he lines are fro( a funeral dirge and suggest that death is not a thing to be feared, but rather it should be seen as a relief fro( the hard struggles of life. World War 7 has wrought devastation throughout England, and tragedy or the %ossibility of it is never far fro( %eo%le)s

thoughts. Clarissa, a (iddle'aged wo(an who is co(ing to ter(s with her own aging and eventual death, (editates on these lines throughout the day. *he words foreshadow the death of Clarissa)s double, the veteran $e%ti(us, who re%eats the( before he co((its suicide. *he lines fro( Cy(beline connect to the strong use of nature i(agery that a%%ears throughout the novel. *he characters who are (ost connected to nature, such as Clarissa and $e%ti(us, are also the (ost res%onsive to %oetry and reflect about death and their %lace in the world (ost fre8uently. 0oth Clarissa and $e%ti(us feel the i(%ortance of fire. *he =heat o) the sun> can a%%ear as so(ething wonderful, li&e %assion. Clarissa describes ro(antic love as =a (atch burning in a crocus.> *he heat can also consu(e, however, and $e%ti(us, (entally wounded by the horrors of war, feels that the world will eru%t in fla(es, in a fire that can no longer be contained. Whether wonderful or deadly, the heat of the sun is constant, and so(ething everyone (ust endure. *he 8uote suggests that death be e(braced as a release fro( the burden of endurance. Close 2. Woolf created $e%ti(us Warren $(ith as a double for Clarissa. 7n what ways are Clarissa and $e%ti(us differentN 7n what ways are they the sa(eN ;nswer for $tudy Muestion 2 OO Woolf originally %lanned to have Clarissa die at the end of Mrs. Dalloway, but she decided instead to create a double for her, $e%ti(us Warren $(ith. $e%ti(us would die in Clarissa)s %lace, while Clarissa continued to endure. Many obvious differences exist between the two characters. $e%ti(us is a (an and twenty years younger who has fought and been da(aged in the war. Clarissa is of the u%%er class, while $e%ti(us is a wor&ing'class cler&. Clarissa still finds (eaning in the sy(bols of English society, such as the %ri(e (inister and ex%ensive cars, while $e%ti(us sees the( as (eaningless. While Clarissa is able to gather her face into a neat dia(ond sha%e so she can (eet the world with %ursed li%s and an unfla%%able de(eanor, $e%ti(us)s li%s are loose and he has lost the ability to focus or distinguish reality fro( his own visions. $e%ti(us)s inner world overflows into the %ublic s%here, whereas Clarissa:s interior re(ains contained. $e%ti(us is considered insane, while Clarissa re(ains sane. Clarissa and $e%ti(us differ, but they also share (any %hysical and e(otional 8ualities. Each has a bea&'nose, en2oys being at ho(e in the do(estic s%here, and 8uotes $ha&es%eare. 0oth have doting s%ouses. *he first ti(e we encounter $e%ti(us, he is observing the car that bac&fires, 2ust as Clarissa is. *heir si(ilarities also go beyond these surface details. 0oth have an instinctive horror of those who crave %ower, such as $ir Willia( and Miss 5il(an. 0oth Clarissa and $e%ti(us believe that %eo%le are connected to trees in a s%iritual way, and nature (atters a great deal to both of the(. ;t the end of the novel, in a very direct lin&, Clarissa =felt so(ehow very li&e hi(Gthe young (an who had &illed hi(self.> $he realiDes that $e%ti(us:s death is, li&e her %arty, an atte(%t to co((unicate. *his (o(ent is an e%i%hany, or (o(ent of being, when Clarissa realiDes that $e%ti(us is in so(e way a %art of herself. Close

H. Conversion is seen as a constant threat in the novel. Which characters wish to convert others, and what are they trying to convert others toN ;re so(e characters (ore susce%tible to conversion than othersN ;nswer for $tudy Muestion H OO *he two characters who try (ost actively to convert others in the novel are the %sychiatrist, $ir Willia( 0radshaw, and EliDabeth)s history teacher, Doris 5il(an. $ir Willia( ostensibly atte(%ts to convert %eo%le to his conce%tion of health and science, while Miss 5il(an introduces %eo%le to her views on religion and Cod. 0oth characters, however, see& do(inion over others and use the conce%t of conversion only to gain %ower. Miss 5il(an ad(its to herself that it is Clarissa)s soul she wishes to =subdue> and =(a&e feel her (astery.> Miss 5il(an see&s %ower in the na(e of Christianity, 2ust as $ir Willia( exiles %eo%le to (ental institutions in the na(e of science. *he very sight of $ir Willia( (a&es Clarissa unco(fortable, and she is highly sensitive to his desire to convert %eo%le to his worldview. 4er awareness and vulnerability to $ir Willia()s and Miss 5il(an)s greed for %ower co(es fro( her ability to thin& dee%ly and e(%athiDe with others) e(otions and (otivations. $e%ti(us also has this acute awareness about the world around hi(, and he is even (ore susce%tible to conversion than Clarissa, due to his low social status. English society is another force that tries to convert %eo%le, but it also, to so(e extent, %rotects the u%%er class fro( the control of so(eone li&e $ir Willia(. While #ady 0radshaw succu(bs to socialGand (aritalG%ressure, #ady 0ruton, in contrast, is safe fro( $ir Willia()s clutches due to her close association with the e(%ire. $he (ay have lost her sense of =%ro%ortion> with her Canada obsession, but other (e(bers of her class will indulge and %rotect her. Characters who are (ore individual, li&e Clarissa and $e%ti(us, are (ore at ris& than those who view the(selves %urely as %art of English society. Close $uggested Essay *o%ics !. Mrs. Dalloway is constructed fro( (any different %oints of view, and %oints of view are so(eti(es lin&ed by an e(otion, a sound, a visual i(age, or a (e(ory. Describe three instances when the %oint of view changes and ex%lain how Woolf acco(%lishes the transitions. 4ow do the transitions corres%ond to the %oints of view being connectedN 2. 3lowers, gardens, and nature are i(%ortant (otifs in the novel. Choose three characters and describe their relationshi%s to the natural world. What do these relationshi%s reveal about the characters or their functions in the novelN H. Characters in the novel co(e fro( a range of social classes. What does ,eter (ean when he feels the =%yra(idal accu(ulation> that weighed on his generation is shiftingN 4ow did the old social order weigh %articularly heavily on wo(enN /. What role does $ally $eton %lay in Clarissa)s life, and what is the significance of her sur%rise a%%earance at the %artyN

. World War 7 affected all the characters in the boo& to so(e degree. 4ow did the war influence at least three of the charactersN F. *he (ultitude of (inor characters in the novel can be co(%ared to the chorus in a classical Cree& dra(a. *hey are often observers in the street. Choose three or four (inor characters and describe their roles. What is their i(%ortance to the novel as a wholeN P. When Clarissa reflects on $e%ti(us)s death at the end of the novel, she ex%eriences a (o(ent of being, or an e%i%hany. What truth beco(es clear to her, and why is it significantN