Mrs. Dalloway

Jack Breene

             In Mrs. Dalloway, there really isn’t much in terms of plot. Within the first 20 pages, I realized that the events happening during the present don’t serve the reader’s understanding of the book.  Instead, Woolf chooses to tell the story in the form of stream of consciousness, a style that follows the characters throughout their lives and their thoughts tell the story. This is very interesting style but also makes it very difficult to read because if one were to not pay attention, it would simply tell the story of a day in the life of a high society housewife and a former solider. Woolf’s style works because of her subtle and accurate descriptions of the characters and the world around them.

 The most important aspect of this novel has been the characters and how their past has come to define who they are today. And two characters that stand out are Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith. While both characters seems to have very little in common with one another, they both have fair skin and beak noses, their personal trials and tribulations make them mirrors of each other as the story continues.

            Clarissa’s problems in this story are born out of her regret. Years ago she has a choice between the adventurous Peter and the safe Richard. While she doesn’t suffer externally to the degree while Septimus does, her poor decisions have made her a cold and impassionate person. When Peter Walsh returns, we learn about the night when Clarissa ended things with her old flame and how the choice continues to haunt her. Septimus on the other hand, has been damaged in a more violent way. Coming home from World War I, he has lost both himself and his belief in the good in humanity. He too is haunted by his past which come in the form of many visits from the spirit of Evans, a fallen commander.

            In both cases, the characters are both deeply unhappy and the prospect of suicide is never far off. In Septimus’ case, his depression gets to the point where he knows he will never be able to recover mentally from the atrocities that he has seen and decides to kill himself. While these two characters never actually interact, Septimus’ decision comes to deeply effect Clarissa’s actions. When feeling depressed and lost while contemplating upstairs, alone, at her party, Clarissa remembers the rumored version of Septimus’ tale and decides that her decisions are worth living with.