Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, Essay Example

A Literary Reading Analysis

In the story Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, a distinct presentation of the theme regarding the meaning and value of life is given attention to. Utilizing the character of a woman at her mid-years provide a seemingly evident picture that discusses more than just the person being presented in the story, but the kind of being that is represented by such an individual. To support the discussion that is presented herein, the focal point of the overall context of this writing would be based on the following quote from the story itself:

“She felt somehow very like him—the young man who had killed himself. She felt glad that he had done it; thrown it away. The clock was striking. The leaden circles dissolved in the air. He made her feel the beauty; made her feel the fun. But she must go back. She must assemble. (Mrs. Dalloway) “

What constitutes life? What gives it worth and how does one recognize such personal worth that life specifically provides him with? To many, life and the way it is lived is defined by their own decisions. Many say that nobody can dictate anyone of how he should live his life. However, is the case for everyone? The truth is that most individuals, then and now, allow particular elements in the society to define them, to direct them into becoming the individuals they hope to become and not necessarily the ones they want to become. In the line presented earlier, Mrs. Dalloway’s dilemma is presented. Relatively, the narration of the story goes on to involve several other characters that surround Mrs. Dalloway’s life; however, each of these characters specifically illuminate a particular thought about the actual situation of the lady as she deals with them one by one. The complications in her life are presented one at a time as she tries to mingle with her guests in the party that she has prepared. The revealing facts about her past and her disappointments in life tells so much about how she and another character in the being of Septimus are two very different individuals and yet are considered the same in many aspects of their lives.

The story is presented in a 1920’s London setting. During this time, ‘status quo’ was a very important element that identifies a person. The reputation that one creates for himself is somewhat relatively connected to who he mingles with, what he does for life and to what group in the society he could actually be identified with. The rich people mingle with the rich people; and somehow, those who earn a lower grade of income may not be fully accepted within such circles. Mrs. Dalloway knew this fact all along and at some point, it is also basing on this particular idealism that she decided to marry her husband Richard. To be accepted within a circle, especially that of the elite ones, a person needs to adjust completely, to transform the way she looks, the way she behaves and the way she does things.

At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Dalloway was presented to be preparing for a party that was going to happen in the evening. She was all stressed and panicky about the occasion, but she managed to get all the things ready for her invited guests. While she was preparing for the party, the storyline notes her excitement of the occasion as it reads:

For Heaven only knows why one loves it so, how one sees it so, making it up, building it round one, tumbling it, creating it every moment afresh; but the veriest frumps, the most dejected of miseries sitting on doorsteps (drink their downfall) do the same; can’t be dealt with, she felt positive, by Acts of Parliament for that very reason: they love life.

Considerably, it could be noted from this line that Mrs. Dalloway was indeed thoughtful about the event. It defines how distinctly Mrs. Dalloway thinks about the personal importance of the occasion was for her. The story continues in describing the people who were invited to the occasion. Most of them were considered to belong to an equally defined social group. Mrs. Dalloway was careful enough to make sure that she has the most important people she considers prominent in their community to come and appreciate her party. Among the list of the guests to come is her past romance Peter. He was neglected by Mrs. Dalloway when he proposed to her years ago. The decision, for Peter, was rather baseless; he did not see the reason why he was rejected when it seemed like everything was okay. At this point, a question arises: what is it that made Mrs. Dalloway turn down the offer? Again, it was the status quo.

Women, during the early 1920s in London, were simply considered as a man’s companion, someone they can present to their friends, someone they ought to support with financial and emotional provisions and someone that has no choice but to support their husbands and be the model women they ought to be. Women were not considered to have the right to work for themselves; those who do so are considered to be doing the tasks ought of desperation because of poverty. This is why it is simply wrong for a woman such as that of Mrs. Dalloway’s stature to be found working apart from her husband. All she needed to do was to be a good wife and be a good hostess to her guests whenever she throws a party like the one she is preparing for. Besides all these, she need not worry about anything.

Mrs. Dollaway’s character was more reserved, on the contrary, the character of Septimus says otherwise on how a person decides. Like Mrs. Dalloway, Septimus is also stuck in the past through a belief that he wants to strongly depend on. He was once a poet, an artist of his words; however, when the war years began, he did not think twice of leaving his passion behind, because he knows that he would be going out of his way to help others. In a way, this points out that he is also passionate about the cause of his journey towards fighting for the sake of his countrymen and his nation. After being in the war, the young veteran had the chance to see what he fought for, and he despised the vision of it. This was the primary reason why he became depressed. He felt that his efforts were worthless as he saved a decaying society that is full of hypocrisy, hatred a distinct distaste for truth. Before Mrs. Dalloway’s party began, the report of Septimus killing himself echoed in the room. This affected Mrs. Dalloway deeply. She did not know the man personally, nor did she see him, not even once.

However, she knew about his story, she heard it from friends within the circle. She knew how the people surrounding her distaste the companionship of such a ‘crazy’ man. Being labeled as insane, the people knew that they needed to step away from him, to keep a distance. Mrs. Dalloway, however, saw something different on the man and she interpreted his death as somewhat appealing to her own desires of becoming free.

As mentioned in the line quoted earlier, it mentioned how happy Mrs. Dalloway was for Septimus and that she envies his courage to die. Basing on her past, she knew there were several mistakes she has made; she did not marry Peter. In a way, she did not go for what she wants, she went for what she think was right. She did not think of anything else but the desire to be secure, and at present, she needs to pay the consequences of her decision. As the story notes one of her thoughts that could be quoted as follows:

This late age of the world’s experience had bred in them all, all men and women, a well of tears. Tears and sorrows; courage and endurance; a perfectly upright and stoical bearing.

The bearing of a past wrong decision was evident, and Mrs. Dalloway knew she had no choice but to live with it. One of these consequences includes a distinct sense of disappointment between her and the relationship she shares with her husband. The story mentions how she detests the fact that her husband does not know her as much as he did other people. It was as if their marriage is already rotting, but they are able to manage a façade that they can present to their friends within the circle that they are engaging in.

Everything seems to be a mere sort of pretention. Knowing about the death of the young veteran made her think of how envious she was of those who were courageous enough to do what they want; to not be afraid of life as life itself will serve the value of how one chooses the path he takes into account. For her, death would seemingly her sweet release from all the commotions and the disappointments she is feeling. However, the line further reads… “but she must go back, she must assemble”; this prompts her need to go back to reality, to manage another pretentious act that would cover all her doubts about the life she is living and strive to survive further. She continues to live a lie, consistently convincing herself that she is better off with her life at present rather than in a kind of life that would be hard enough to deal with because of not having the necessities within her reach. She basically accepts what she chose in life and unlike Septimus, she will wait for death to take her off from such dismaying situation.

Often times, especially when people are faced with the need to break down their personal defenses to break free from social constraints, they have to gather all the courage they could get to accept whatever reaction the society may have on the changes that they are making. At times, the society may not fully incur to what humans want to present about themselves; not everything is acceptable; in moments like this, there are instances when particular individuals tend to succumb to what the society insists. Afraid of being judged, some chose to hide in veils of pretention and remain comfortable in what is accepted rather than risking everything for that something they really like or to be that someone they really want to become. Others who choose to be courageous and ‘follow their heart’ end up being judged by the society; either way, no one wins. The cliché of the society being the main element that determines a human’s identity has already been used through time, and up to now, its value is continuously being proven true.

Like Mrs. Dalloway, people today take different paths towards changing their future. Most of the time, people tend to chose the right path instead of the one that they desire the most. The cliché of being happy through choosing the right decision instead of the more interesting one has lead many people to living life just for the sake of living it. Pretending that they are okay with their decisions, these individuals often end up disappointed and stressful about their situations. They often find life a struggle, a dreading journey that places them in a relative desire of simply cutting themselves off from the world. For some, giving up seems to be a glorious choice to take, however for many, keeping things going on the way they are would be less impractical. True, when people make decisions, they take into account several matters that such final thoughts might impact them and their life in the future. There are instances when the choices are neither right nor wrong, they would simply define who the person is. In Mrs. Dalloway’s case, her decision of marrying Richard defined what was most important to her, her comfort. This decision has also changed the way she behaved and how she lived her life. Relatively, basing from the story, not every right decision brings about the satisfaction that one desires; as the old saying goes ‘one lives only once’ hence, a person must be careful enough to be sure to seek the decision that would give him the future he wants to have and not the one that he would be dreadful of.