Mrs. Dalloway, written by Virginia Woolf, is a modernist novel that captures the everyday lives of people in 1920s London. The novel follows society party hostess Clarissa Dalloway, who is beginning to question the superficial values of society.
The novel begins with Clarissa on a morning errand in London. She is preparing for her big society get-together in the evening, while considering what is most important in life. The novel follows Clarissa throughout the day as she physically moves through London, while her mind moves through time as she remembers her past.
We also follow Clarissa’s relationship with other characters in the novel, such as her friend Sally Seton and Peter Walsh, a former suitor. The characters’ stories interweave and develop as the novel progresses, resonating with Clarissa’s sense of displacement and displacement of her individual identity within a larger society.
The narrative shifts to other characters such as Septimus Warren Smith, a shell-shocked World War I veteran who escapes from his forced hospitalization. He highlights the commonplace world of Mrs. Dalloway by introducing the horrors of war. Through his story, Virginia Woolf emphasizes the inhumanity of war and societal systems as well as the fragility of life.
Mrs. Dalloway is also an exploration of Clarissa’s self-awareness and affirmation of her existence. Through a series of reflective moments, Clarissa remembers her own past in order to learn the true value of living in the present. By the end of the novel, Clarissa discovers a new way of life and accepts the ceaseless complexities of existence.
As a whole, Mrs. Dalloway is a social commentary on the lives of upper-crust and middle-class British citizens during the 1920s. By weaving together the stories of Clarissa, Peter, Sally, and Septimus, Virginia Woolf shows the reader the wide array of perspectives of the time period.
By exploring the struggles and successes of this world without judgement, Mrs. Dalloway captures the complexity and beauty of human life in its natural state. The novel is a thoughtful exploration of how we measure our days, how we reflect on our life choices, and how we ultimately define ourselves.
