Perception is Reality in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway

Although the entire novel tells of only one day, Virginia Woolf covers a lifetime in her enlightening novel of the mystery of the human personality. The delicate Clarissa Dalloway, a disciplined English lady, provides the perfect contrast to Septimus Warren Smith, an insane ex-soldier living in chaos. Even though the two never meet, these two correspond in that they strive to maintain possession of themselves, of their souls. On this Wednesday in June of 1923, as Clarissa prepares for her party that night, events during the day trigger memories and recollections of her past, and Woolf offers these bits to the reader, who must then form the psychological and emotional make-up of Mrs. Dalloway in his/her own mind. The reader also learns of†¦show more content†¦However, the personality of Richard alters when Woolf presents his relationship with Clarissa. Suddenly, he appears much less inhibited. True, Richards insecure nature emerges here, too, when he chooses mere flowers as a gift for Clarissa instead of a more personal token of his love. Even though he planned to tell his wife, I love you, he offers the flowers without a word, afraid to be natural and impetuous because of the hesitancy about daring to love one another that he and Clarissa share. Still, Richard seems a different person in his relationship with his wife than with Peter. Now, he appears more of the strong, silent type as opposed to just the silent type. This is because the reader respects him more as the man Clarissa preferred over Peter Walsh. Even in Clarissas thoughts, Richard seems more secure because although he dearly loves her, both he and Clarissa realize that she chose him over Peter Walsh, and thus he seems more confident. Virginia Woolf illustrates the different aspects of Richards nature by comparing and contrasting his relationship with both Peter Walsh and his wife, Clarissa Dalloway. The next character, Peter Walsh, is more complex than Richard because Woolf shows his different sides by comparing and contrasting how he appears to three other characters: Sally, Richard, and Clarissa. Sally Seton, Clarissas friend, knows the fearing and apprehensive side of Peter as he vies for the hand of Clarissa. Sally sees thatShow MoreRelatedParallels Between Mrs Dalloway and The Hours1059 Words   |  5 PagesThe ongoing relationship between the literary movements of modernism and post-modernism is encompassed by the intertextual relationships between Stephen Daldry’s â€Å"The Hours† and Virginia Woolf’s â€Å"Mrs Dalloway†. These relationships communicate the inadequacy of previous writings to convey trauma, cultural crisis and the deep fragmentation within their respective societies. 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