Mrs. Dalloway

I spent a great deal of Mrs. Dalloway trying to figure out exactly who Clarissa Dalloway is. It was difficult for me because the point of view of the story jumps around a lot but also because Clarissa is a complex character. She lives in a world she does not necessarily agree with. I first thought she was a typical, upper class, English housewife due to the fact that she is obsessing about her party in the beginning of the novel. This is not the case although her name suggests it as well. She is referred to as Mrs. Dalloway which represents the status of a respected lady and represents the dominance of her husband, of who she belongs to in a sense. It was really great to discover how different Clarissa's image was from who she actually was on the inside.

I first saw a glimpse of who Clarissa really was when she flashbacked to her time with Sally Seton. Her encounter with Sally showed the kind of passion Clarissa looks for in life. Woolf states, "Then came the most exquisite moment of her whole life passing a stone urn with flowers in it. Sally stopped; picked a flower; kissed her on the lips." Clarissa said she felt most alive when Sally kissed her. Of course, any kind of romantic relationship with Sally would have never been accepted in society during that time. She was forced to dismiss the relationship if she ever wanted to be accepted. It seems as if Clarissa wants to rebel against the norms of society while also searching for acceptance within it. This conflict is also seen within her relationship between Peter and Richard.

Clarissa loved Peter when she was young and felt passion for him whether it was directed in a positive or negative way. But she rejects him when he proposes. Instead, Clarissa decides to marry Richard who is a nice, respectable man but for whom she feels no passion for. I wonder why she abandons the passion that she desires for in life to marry a man who can not even tell her he loves her. I believe she marrys Richard only for stability and also so she will be accepted into English society. In my opinion, the person who is married to Richard is different from the person who kissed Sally. I also wonder why Clarissa does not marry Peter who is obviously still in love with her even after so many years. Ultimately, it seems that if one is not accepted into English society, they are unable to live any kind of happy life. The pressures of society to conform are so strong that Clarissa is forced to marry Richard instead of doing what would really make her happy. Clarissa is able to endure her day to day life because she has her own room and her own individual time to do what brings her relief. The character of Septimus is not as lucky. He is unable to communicate his issues and unable to find a way to function in the conforming English society. Instead, he removes himself from society by committing suicide. The character of Mrs. Dalloway is much deeper than what her image represents. Clarissa is a rebellious woman searching for a way to function in a strict and conforming society.