What I’m Reading – Mrs. Dalloway

*Major Spoilers*

I recently finished reading Mrs. Dalloway, written by Virginia Woolf in 1925. This is the first time I have read anything by Virginia Woolf, and her stream-of-consciousness style was a little challenging to get used to. There are no chapters, and it has a lot of semicolons, very few periods, and not a lot of paragraphs, which helps to keep the fluid feel. However, once I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed the book.

The story is about an affluent woman named Clarissa Dalloway who is getting ready to host a party that night. The story centers around London, mainly in Westminster, where the Dalloways live. The whole book takes place in one day and jumps from one person’s thoughts to another, often within a single paragraph. This style introduces us to the other characters in the book. However, it focuses mainly on Clarissa Dalloway, Peter Walsh, and Septimus Smith.

We first meet Clarissa while she is out getting flowers for her party. Her thoughts throughout the book vacillate between superficial and light to introspective and sometimes dark.

The book deals with the aftermath of WWI and how the citizens of England are trying to carry on. The suicide of Septimus, a WWI veteran suffering from PTSD, is shown as an almost positive thing. He is worried about preserving his soul, and after Clarissa finds out about the suicide, she has the exact same thoughts that suicide preserved his soul.

Clarissa, who is rich and a little snobby, is obviously deeply depressed but trying to keep up a happy facade. She thinks about her party and flowers and dresses but also about getting older, dying, lost opportunities in her life, and the oppression she constantly feels from society. At one point, Clarissa remembers when she was younger and met Sally Seton. Sally was bold and brash, while Clarissa was timid and sheltered. The two women formed a strong friendship that developed into love. Sally helped Clarissa broaden her perspectives on society, and the girls wanted to rebel against what was expected of them. They shared a kiss that Clarissa described as the “most exquisite moment of her whole life.” As both women got older, they lost touch, got married, and had children, effectively ending their attempts to challenge expectations.

Septimus Smith was a gentle soul who loved poetry. He enlisted in the war with romanticized opinions and ended up permanently damaged by the horrors of war. He has hallucinations and talks to himself. After the war, out of necessity, he turned off his emotions. He got married and tried to carry on with his life like he was expected to. However, that only lasted so long; when he started to let himself feel and remember again, his PTSD symptoms presented themselves.

Peter Walsh was an old suitor of Clarissa’s. He visited her on the day of her party after many years away in India. Like many characters in the book, he has lots of regrets. He knows he is getting older but denies it. He wants to get over Clarissa but is still obsessed with her even though he thinks he is in love with someone else. Peter wants to fit in but also wants to reject English society. He feels things strongly, even when he tries to convince himself he doesn’t.

Clarissa’s husband, Richard, is very different from Peter. He is very stable and proper and has a lot of difficulty showing emotion. He is unable to tell Clarissa he loves her when he comes home with flowers after hearing that Peter has visited her. Richard appeals to Clarissa, who grew up sheltered, because he is able to offer her stability and an upper-class lifestyle, unlike Peter.

Throughout the book, we hear the clock, Big Ben, keeping time. Each of the characters hears it at some point and makes a note of it. It pulls all the seemingly disparate people together. They all feel like they are running out of time in one way or another. Peter and Clarissa are getting older, and Septimus, who feels like he is about to lose his soul, throws himself out a window.

Clarissa’s daughter, Elizabeth, is used as a glimpse into the future. She says she wants to be farmer or a doctor. It is unclear whether or not she will be able to make her own choices or be pulled into submission by British society like her parents.

I enjoyed the book. The writing style is unique, and I liked getting tossed around in each character’s stream of consciousness. The themes are relatable even today. The characters worry about death and try to rebel against conforming to society but end up bowing to it, some with more success than others.

I would recommend this book.

Rating 8/10