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Woolf writes, "Every time she gave a party she had this feeling of being something not herself, and that every one was unreal in one way; much more real in another" (Woolf 171). She knows she has a gift for bringing people together, and it is this gift that makes her life worthwhile. It is odd, because the entire reason for her being (at least to her) is superficial and another jab at English society by Woolf. The parties are the grounds for the wealthy to socialize and show off, while they are attended by the low-paid servants, the poor who form the backbone of English society. Ultimately, the novel condemns this society, and Clarissa Dalloway's simple character is at the forefront of this condemnation. Her simplicity and reliance on pleasing others represents all that is wrong with English society in Woolf's mind, and she makes it quite clear in this novel.
The passage indicates that Clarissa is simple, complex, and yet unable to settle on one tropic for long. She is like a bird who cannot sit still too long. Woolf writes, "She looked at Peter Walsh;...
Comparing her to a bird is a perfect assessment, because Clarissa flits from one topic to another, never concentrating on one for long.
In conclusion, this passage is a look inside the character of Mrs. Dalloway, and her simplicity. It portrays her simplicity, her reliance on the opinions of others, and her inability to concentrate on any topic for more than a few minutes. She is a simple character who sometimes can have moments of great intuitiveness and understanding, but mostly flits from one topic to another, only hoping for the approval of those around her. She is interesting, sometimes complex, and often exasperating, which seems to be part of her charm. For there is something charming about her, even if the reader cannot take her seriously.
References
Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. New York: Harvest Books, 1990.
He talks to his dead war buddy Evans, and fears he cannot feel anything at all (Woolf 86). In comparison, Clarissa is extremely interested in what people feel, and she is not afraid to show her own feelings toward her friends and guests, even if they are "effusive" and overly enthusiastic (Woolf 167). Septimus enters Clarissa's life in many ways, even though she never meets him. He is in the
" Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics (2007): 68+. A background of Woolf's early life and her continued social and historical consciousness throughout her life. Eide, Marian. "The Stigma of Nation': Feminist Just War, Privilege, and Responsibility." Hypatia; Spring, 2008, Vol. 23 Issue 2. 48-60. Author draws her thesis from the title of one of Woolf's works, and discusses the feminist position on war, exclusion, and "just war." Froula, Christine. Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury
Virginia Woolf and Her Works as Mediums of Feminism Virginia Woolf was among the rare writers who have put their talents and ideologies into writings, particularly as a patron of equality to women. Considered as one of the founders of feminism, there were quite a number of literary works that show Woolf's passion for promoting feminism. Some of this includes the following literary masterpieces. To the Lighthouse A Room on One's Own (1929) Three
Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway contains many of the hallmarks of the author’s style and thematic concerns, including a critique of gender roles and concepts of mental illness. Protagonist Clarissa, the eponymous Mrs. Dalloway, reflects on the trajectory of her life. Self-reflection is a lens through which she develops a cogent critique of the entire social system in which she lives. Clarissa’s reflections, catalyzed by her observations of men and
And yes -- so she breathed in the earthy garden sweet smell as she stood talking to Miss Pym who owed her help, and thought her kind, for kind she had been years ago; very kind, but she looked older, this year, turning her head from side to side among the irises and roses and nodding tufts of lilac with her eyes half closed, snuffing in, after the street
When conducting an ideological critique, the researcher must be concerned with the way ideology is evidenced (or repressed) in the artifact, and a useful concept for identifying these "traces of ideology" is the notion of the ideograph, or the "political language which manifests ideology," which, according to Michael McGee, is "characterized by slogans" (Foss 248, McGee 5). McGee argues "that ideology in practice is a political language, preserved in