Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway Essay, Research Paper
comparison to Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus warren smith.
These citizens grow up under the same social institutions and
although classes are drawn up on wealth; it can be conceived that
two people may have very similar opinions of the society that
created them. The English society which Virginia Woolf presents
individuals that are uncannily similar. These two individuals
carry the names of Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith.
Clarissa and Septimus, share the quality of communicating through
actions, not words, and perceiving death as “defiance.” Through
these basic beliefs and mannerisms, Clarissa and Septimus,
although never meeting, portray each other in their thoughts and
actions.
feels death and sorrow all around her. She consistently sees
routine and habit around her but seems
discontented Clarissa, she was
now, “…Mrs. Dalloway; not even Clarissa any
inside Mrs. Dalloway’s soul, lies her
belief character, the side that she never
reveals. Clarissa expresses
her belief in reincarnation. That her inner-communicating self,
if not revealed in this body, may be revealed in the next. The
belief that her?
that everything will work out, eventually. Mrs. Dalloway before
the party remarks that, ‘If it were now to die, ’twere now be
most happy.’”(p. 184) Clarissa portrays her sense of happiness as
something not monstrumental or grandiose, but rather quite
simple. She can be happy in
throwing a party. Clarissa has friends. Her parties are to unite the people, who would
otherwise never speak to each other. Clarissa communicates
ycan, “say things you couldn’t say anyhow else.” She can
her…” Clarissa Dalloway has a sense of optimism mixed with
despair, in this she defines her character.
sorrow in living within his society. Septimus sees beauty in
small inanimate things that surround him. Beauty can be seen as
a plane that writes in the sky,
deciphered but which signifies beauty.
Subconsciously, Septimus
reveals his need to be nurtured, “..signalling their intention to
Frankenstein, Septimus pulls away from society when he falls ill
and has trouble dealing with reality. Septimus and Clarissa in
this manner are very similar. Septimus feels frightened from
the reality around him, “He began to open his eyes, to see
whether a gramophone was really there. But real things
were too exciting. He must be cautious. He would not go
mad.”(p. 142) Clarissa pulls away from individuality when she
marries Richard and becomes ? He knew everything!”(p. 140) Septimus’ truth was that,
goodness of humanity under the cold, hard shell that society,
portrays. Septimus believes in nature, love and goodness; but
these are not the qualities of reality, they are the antithesis.
For Septimus knows of war, death and destruction; he knows that
society will not change and that he cannot live in a world that
can be so constricting. Septimus takes a leap of faith and ends
all his suffering in this unforgiving world;
individuality, Septimus and Clarissa recede into the depths of
normality. Clarissa accepts this recession, from having a dream
to being merely Mrs. Dalloway. However, Septimus does not, this
constriction and uniformity propels Septimus out of his bedroom
window. Althought they differ in their response to this
uniformity, the truth remains that they are both dissatisfied.
Their dissatisfaction emanates from society closing the doors to