Themes Virginia Woolf Mrs Dalloway

8/12/2019 Themes Virginia Woolf Mrs Dalloway

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Themes, Motifs, and Symbols---- Virginia Woolf:Mrs Dalloway

Themes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

Communication vs. Privacy

Throughout Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa, Septimus, Peter, and others struggle to find

outlets for communication as well as adeuate privacy, and the !alance !etween the twois difficult for all to attain. Clarissa in particular struggles to open the pathway for

communication and throws parties in an attempt to draw people together. "t the same

time, she feels shrouded within her own reflective soul and thinks the ultimate humanmystery is how she can exist in one room while the old woman in the house across from

hers exists in another. #ven as Clarissa cele!rates the old woman$s independence, she

knows it comes with an inevita!le loneliness.

Peter tries to explain the contradictory human impulses toward privacy andcommunication !y comparing the soul to a fish that swims along in murky water, then

rises uickly to the surface to frolic on the waves. The war has changed people$s ideas of

what #nglish society should !e, and understanding is difficult !etween those who support

traditional #nglish society and those who hope for continued change. Meaningfulconnections in this dis%ointed postwar world are not easy to make, no matter what efforts

the characters put forth. &ltimately, Clarissa sees Septimus$s death as a desperate, !utlegitimate, act of communication.

isillusionment !ith the "ritish #m$ire

Throughout the nineteenth century, the 'ritish #mpire seemed invinci!le. (texpanded into many other countries, such as (ndia, )igeria, and South "frica, !ecoming

the largest empire the world had ever seen. *orld *ar ( was a violent reality check. +or

the first time in nearly a century, the #nglish were vulnera!le on their own land. The

"llies technically won the war, !ut the extent of devastation #ngland suffered made it avictory in name only.

#ntire communities of young men were in%ured and killed. (n -, at the 'attleof the Somme, #ngland suffered /,/// casualties0the largest slaughter in #ngland$shistory. )ot surprisingly, #nglish citi1ens lost much of their faith in the empire after the

war. )o longer could #ngland claim to !e invulnera!le and all2powerful. Citi1ens were

less inclined to willingly adhere to the rigid constraints imposed !y #ngland$s classsystem, which !enefited only a small margin of society !ut which all classes had fought

to preserve.

(n -34, when Mrs. Dalloway takes place, the old esta!lishment and its

oppressive values are nearing their end. #nglish citi1ens, including Clarissa, Peter, andSeptimus, feel the failure of the empire as strongly as they feel their own personal

failures. Those citi1ens who still champion #nglish tradition, such as "unt 5elena and

6ady 'ruton, are old. "unt 5elena, with her glass eye 7perhaps a sym!ol of her ina!ilityor unwillingness to see the empire$s disintegration8, is turning into an artifact.

"nticipating the end of the Conservative Party$s reign, 9ichard plans to write the history

of the great 'ritish military family, the 'rutons, who are already part of the past. The oldempire faces an imminent demise, and the loss of the traditional and familiar social order

leaves the #nglish at loose ends.

The %ear of eath

Thoughts of death lurk constantly !eneath the surface of everyday life in Mrs.


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Dalloway, especially for Clarissa, Septimus, and Peter, and this awareness makes even

mundane events and interactions meaningful, sometimes even threatening. "t the very

start of her day, when she goes out to !uy flowers for her party, Clarissa remem!ers amoment in her youth when she suspected a terri!le event would occur. 'ig 'en tolls out

the hour, and Clarissa repeats a line from Shakespeare$s Cym!eline over and over as the

day goes on: ;+ear no more the heat o$ the sun < )or the furious winter$s rages.= The lineis from a funeral song that cele!rates death as a comfort after a difficult life.

Middle2aged Clarissa has experienced the deaths of her father, mother, and sister

and has lived through the calamity of war, and she has grown to !elieve that living evenone day is dangerous. Death is very naturally in her thoughts, and the line from

Cym!eline, along with Septimus$s suicidal em!race of death, ultimately helps her to !e at

peace with her own mortality. Peter *alsh, so insecure in his identity, grows frantic at

the idea of death and follows an anonymous young woman through 6ondon to forgeta!out it. Septimus faces death most directly. Though he fears it, he finally chooses it over

what seems to him a direr alternative0living another day.

The Threat of &$$ression

>ppression is a constant threat for Clarissa and Septimus in Mrs. Dalloway, andSeptimus dies in order to escape what he perceives to !e an oppressive social pressure to

conform. (t comes in many guises, including religion, science, or social convention. Miss?ilman and Sir *illiam 'radshaw are two of the ma%or oppressors in the novel: Miss

?ilman dreams of felling Clarissa in the name of religion, and Sir *illiam would like to

su!due all those who challenge his conception of the world. 'oth wish to convert theworld to their !elief systems in order to gain power and dominate others, and their

rigidity oppresses all who come into contact with them.

More su!tle oppressors, even those who do not intend to, do harm !y

supporting the repressive #nglish social system. Though Clarissa herself lives under theweight of that system and often feels oppressed !y it, her acceptance of patriarchal

#nglish society makes her, in part, responsi!le for Septimus$s death. Thus she too is an

oppressor of sorts. "t the end of the novel, she reflects on his suicide: ;Somehow it washer disaster0her disgrace.= She accepts responsi!ility, though other characters are

eually or more fully to !lame, which suggests that everyone is in some way complicit in

the oppression of others.

Motifs

Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to

develop and inform the text$s ma%or themes.

Time

Time imparts order to the fluid thoughts, memories, and encounters that make up

Mrs. Dalloway. 'ig 'en, a sym!ol of #ngland and its might, sounds out the hourrelentlessly, ensuring that the passage of time, and the awareness of eventual death, is

always palpa!le. Clarissa, Septimus, Peter, and other characters are in the grip of time,

and as they age they evaluate how they have spent their lives. Clarissa, in particular,senses the passage of time, and the appearance of Sally and Peter, friends from the past,

emphasi1es how much time has gone !y since Clarissa was young. >nce the hour chimes,

however, the sound disappears0its ;leaden circles dissolved in the air.=

This expression recurs many times throughout the novel, indicating how


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ephemeral time is, despite the pomp of 'ig 'en and despite people$s wary o!session with

it. ;(t is time,= 9e1ia says to Septimus as they sit in the park waiting for the doctor$s

appointment on 5arley Street. The ancient woman at the 9egent$s Park Tu!e stationsuggests that the human condition knows no !oundaries of time, since she continues to

sing the same song for what seems like eternity. She understands that life is circular, not

merely linear, which is the only sort of time that 'ig 'en tracks. Time is so important tothe themes, structure, and characters of this novel that *oolf almost named her !ook The

5ours.

Sha'es$eare

The many appearances of Shakespeare specifically and poetry in general suggest

hopefulness, the possi!ility of finding comfort in art, and the survival of the soul in Mrs.

Dalloway. Clarissa uotes Shakespeare$s plays many times throughout the day. *hen she

shops for flowers at the !eginning of the novel, she reads a few lines from a Shakespeareplay, Cym!eline, in a !ook displayed in a shop window. The lines come from a funeral

hymn in the play that suggests death should !e em!raced as a release from the constraints

of life. Since Clarissa fears death for much of the novel, these lines suggest that an

alternative, hopeful way of addressing the prospect of death exists. Clarissa also identifieswith the title character in >thello, who loves his wife !ut kills her out of %ealousy, then

kills himself when he learns his %ealousy was unwarranted. Clarissa shares with >thellothe sense of having lost a love, especially when she thinks a!out Sally Seton. 'efore the

war, Septimus appreciated Shakespeare as well, going so far as aspiring to !e a poet. 5e

no longer finds comfort in poetry after he returns. The presence of an appreciation for poetry reveals much a!out Clarissa and

Septimus, %ust as the a!sence of such appreciation reveals much a!out the characters who

differ from them, such as 9ichard Dalloway and 6ady 'ruton. 9ichard finds

Shakespeare$s sonnets indecent, and he compares reading them to listening in at akeyhole. )ot surprisingly, 9ichard himself has a difficult time voicing his emotions.

6ady 'ruton never reads poetry either, and her demeanor is so rigid and impersonal that

she has a reputation of caring more for politics than for people. Traditional #nglishsociety promotes a suppression of visi!le emotion, and since Shakespeare and poetry

promote a discussion of feeling and emotion, they !elong to sensitive people like

Clarissa, who are in many ways antiesta!lishment.

Trees and %lo!ers

Tree and flower images a!ound in Mrs. Dalloway. The color, variety, and !eauty

of flowers suggest feeling and emotion, and those characters who are comforta!le with

flowers, such as Clarissa, have distinctly different personalities than those characters whoare not, such as 9ichard and 6ady 'ruton. The first time we see Clarissa, a deep thinker,

she is on her way to the flower shop, where she will revel in the flowers she sees. 9ichard

and 5ugh, more emotionally repressed representatives of the #nglish esta!lishment, offertraditional roses and carnations to Clarissa and 6ady 'ruton, respectively. 9ichard

handles the !ouuet of roses awkwardly, like a weapon.

6ady 'ruton accepts the flowers with a ;grim smile= and lays them stiffly !y herplate, also unsure of how to handle them. *hen she eventually stuffs them into her dress,

the femininity and grace of the gesture are rare and unexpected. Trees, with their

extensive root systems, suggest the vast reach of the human soul, and Clarissa and

Septimus, who !oth struggle to protect their souls, revere them. Clarissa !elieves souls


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survive in trees after death, and Septimus, who has turned his !ack on patriarchal society,

feels that cutting down a tree is the euivalent of committing murder.

Waves and Water

*aves and water regularly wash over events and thoughts in Mrs. Dalloway and

nearly always suggest the possi!ility of extinction or death. *hile Clarissa mends her

party dress, she thinks a!out the peaceful cycle of waves collecting and falling on asummer day, when the world itself seems to say ;that is all.= Time sometimes takes on

waterlike ualities for Clarissa, such as when the chime from 'ig 'en ;flood@sA= her

room, marking another passing hour. 9e1ia, in a rare moment of happiness with Septimusafter he has helped her construct a hat, lets her words trail off ;like a contented tap left

running.= #ven then, she knows that stream of contentedness will dry up eventually. The

narrative structure of the novel itself also suggests fluidity. >ne character$s thoughts

appear, intensify, then fade into another$s, much like waves that collect then fall.Traditional #nglish society itself is a kind of tide, pulling under those people not

strong enough to stand on their own. 6ady 'radshaw, for example, eventually succum!s

to Sir *illiam$s !ullying, over!earing presence. The narrator says ;she had gone under,=

that her will !ecame ;water2logged= and eventually sank into his. Septimus is also suckedunder society$s pressures. #arlier in the day, !efore he kills himself, he looks out the

window and sees everything as though it is underwater. Trees drag their !ranches throughthe air as though dragging them through water, the light outside is ;watery gold,= and his

hand on the sofa reminds him of floating in seawater.

*hile Septimus ultimately cannot accept or function in society, Clarissa managesto navigate it successfully. Peter sees Clarissa in a ;silver2green mermaid$s dress= at her

party, ;@lAolloping on the waves.= 'etween her mermaid$s dress and her ease in !o!!ing

through her party guests, Clarissa succeeds in staying afloat. 5owever, she identifies with

Septimus$s wish to fight the cycle and go under, even if she will not succum! to thetemptation herself.

Symbols

Sym!ols are o!%ects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent a!stract ideas

or concepts.

The Prime Minister

The prime minister in Mrs. Dalloway em!odies #ngland$s old values and

hierarchical social system, which are in decline. *hen Peter *alsh wants to insult

Clarissa and suggest she will sell out and !ecome a society hostess, he says she will

marry a prime minister. *hen 6ady 'ruton, a champion of #nglish tradition, wants tocompliment 5ugh, she calls him ;My Prime Minister.= The prime minister is a figure

from the old esta!lishment, which Clarissa and Septimus are struggling against. Mrs.

Dalloway takes place after *orld *ar (, a time when the #nglish looked desperately formeaning in the old sym!ols !ut found the sym!ols hollow. *hen the conservative prime

minister finally arrives at Clarissa$s party, his appearance is unimpressive. The old

pyramidal social system that !enefited the very rich !efore the war is now decaying, andthe sym!ols of its greatness have !ecome pathetic.

Peter Walsh(s Poc'et'nife and &ther Wea$ons

Peter *alsh plays constantly with his pocketknife, and the opening, closing, and

fiddling with the knife suggest his flightiness and ina!ility to make decisions. 5e cannot


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decide what he feels and doesn$t know whether he a!hors #nglish tradition and wants to

fight it, or whether he accepts #nglish civili1ation %ust as it is. The pocketknife reveals

Peter$s defensiveness. 5e is armed with the knife, in a sense, when he pays an unexpectedvisit to Clarissa, while she herself is armed with her sewing scissors.

Their weapons make them eual competitors. ?nives and weapons are

also phallic sym!ols, hinting at sexuality and power. Peter cannot define his own identity,and his constant fidgeting with the knife suggests how uncomforta!le he is with his

masculinity. Characters fall into two groups: those who are armed and those who are not.

#llie 5enderson, for example, is ;weaponless,= !ecause she is poor and has not !eentrained for any career. 5er am!iguous relationship with her friend #dith also puts her at a

disadvantage in society, leaving her even less a!le to defend herself. Septimus,

psychologically crippled !y the literal weapons of war, commits suicide !y impaling

himself on a metal fence, showing the danger lurking !ehind man2made !oundaries.

The &ld Woman in the Windo!

The old woman in the window across from Clarissa$s house represents the privacy

of the soul and the loneliness that goes with it, !oth of which will increase as Clarissa

grows older. Clarissa sees the future in the old woman: She herself will grow old and!ecome more and more alone, since that is the nature of life. "s Clarissa grows older, she

reflects more !ut communicates less. (nstead, she keeps her feelings locked inside theprivate rooms of her own soul, %ust as the old woman rattles alone around the rooms of

her house.

)evertheless, the old woman also represents serenity and the purity of the soul.Clarissa respects the woman$s private reflections and thinks !eauty lies in this act of

preserving one$s interior life and independence. 'efore Septimus %umps out the window,

he sees an old man descending the staircase outside, and this old man is a parallel figure

to the old woman. Though Clarissa and Septimus ultimately choose to preserve theirprivate lives in opposite ways, their view of loneliness, privacy, and communication

resonates within these similar images.

The &ld Woman Singing an )ncient Song

>pposite the 9egent$s Park Tu!e station, an old woman sings an ancient song that

cele!rates life, endurance, and continuity. She is o!livious to everyone around her as she

sings, !eyond caring what the world thinks. The narrator explains that no matter whathappens in the world, the old woman will still !e there, even in ;ten million years,= and

that the song has soaked ;through the knotted roots of infinite ages.= 9oots, intertwined

and hidden !eneath the earth, suggest the deepest parts of people$s souls, and this

woman$s song touches everyone who hears it in some way. Peter hears the song first andcompares the old woman to a rusty pump.

5e doesn$t catch her triumphant message and feels only pity for her,

giving her a coin !efore stepping into a taxi. 9e1ia, however, finds strength in the oldwoman$s words, and the song makes her feel as though all will !e okay in her life.

*omen in the novel, who have to view patriarchal #nglish society from the outside, are

generally more attuned to nature and the messages of voices outside the mainstream.9e1ia, therefore, is a!le to see the old woman for the life force she is, instead of simply a

nuisance or a tragic figure to !e dealt with, ignored, or pitied.

Themes Virginia Woolf Mrs Dalloway

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