Mrs. Dalloway Book Review

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf is an inspring and colorful novel based on a single day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway. With focus and pristine clarity, Mrs. Dalloway chronicles a sunny day in June 1923. Woolf is notable for her manner to completely indulge into the consciousness of her subjects, making her writing powerful and genuine. Mrs. Dalloway is a modernist novel, meaning that it overturns the traditional styles of writing at its time. Similar to other Modernist novels, its plot is simple. Woolf’s artistic style of writing is evident in Mrs. Dalloway, as she enters the consciousness of Clarissa and the other characters she comes across. This style enables readers to learn more about how each character perceives themselves and how they perceive each other. Clarissa Dalloway is an inquisitive character and questions her purpose and meaning in life. Although she is a woman of the upper class, her fine fashion and fancy parties leave her discontent. She ponders on the idea of happiness and if it is truly attainable. She is rather vain and self-centered, nevertheless, she is still likable. Clarissa lives in the moment and has a tendency to act on impulse without regards to the consequences. As Clarissa moves forward with her day she encounters other characters. In making preparations for a party she was hosting that night, she runs into Peter Walsh, a man who was once in love with Clarissa, proposed to her, and was rejected. He then moved to India and had recently returned to London after five years. He is very emotional and feels as if he accomplished nothing in his life. Similar to Peter is Sally Seton, a target for missed opportunities. Sally only comes into the novel as a figure of Clarissa’s memory, where she reminisces on Sally’s rebellious nature and their secret attraction to one another. Richard Dalloway, Clarissa’s husband, is seen through the eyes of Peter, and is characterized as shallow and superficial. Their daughter, Elizabeth Dalloway, is