Woolf's feminism in Mrs. Dalloway
	Abstract
This thesis analyses Woolf 's feminism which is reflected from the novel Mrs. Dalloway. Mrs. Dalloway described Clarissa’s one day activities; the story began with her buying flowers in the morning, also described her meeting with former lover Peter. Clarissa learned of Septimus 's death on the banquet, the completion of clue of novel through the whole article. Through the description of different roles in the novel, the author focused on many years’ experience, including simple dialogues and description of sceneries and remembrance, in this thesis I will analyze the relationship between male and female, and construct the different independent characters, in order to make reader feel the sense of identification of the female characters. At the same time, due to the roles’ distinct contrast, especially between Mrs. Dalloway and female characters, the novel reflects author’s feminism.  On the other hand, through the analysis of the relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and her husband, Mrs. Dalloway and her lover Peter, female’s positive and important role in society is affirmed. The novel also highlights what roles women have played and how women find sense of identification in society.
	Keywords:
		Stream of consciousness novel, Feminism, Woolf
	关键词：
		意识流小说 女性主义思想 伍尔夫

 

 

Outline

1.  Introduction to the novel and feminism

1.1. Introduction to Mrs. Dalloway

1.2. Introduction to the feminism

2. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and male characters in this novel

2.1. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Septimus

2.2. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Peter Walsh

2.3. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Richard Dalloway

3. The relationship of female characters in this novel

3.1. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Lady Bruton,

3.2. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Sally

3.3. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Miss Kilman

4. Conclusion

 

 

 

            Woolf's Feminism in Mrs. Dalloway

1.  Introduction to the novel and feminism

1.1. Introduction to Mrs. Dalloway

Virginia Woolf's outstanding representative of stream of consciousness English novelist in 20th century. She has written a lot of works with the use of the stream of consciousness technique, and in those the most representative product should be Mrs. Dalloway. It also can be counted as British masterpiece of modernist fictions. As a stream of consciousness novel, it advocates that Woolf emphasize stream of consciousness novels aimed at expressing life between "changing, indescribable, it is difficult for the definition of the inner spirit." In her works, every mental activity, even every tiny detail description, she perform these rather than on the reality of time and space, but through fiction unfold the character's inner monologue. Readers can see the characteristics of the times and social landscape, which the character was in, along with the novel character's inner monologue, but we can also to feel life itself has a poetic mood. At the same time people rich inner world and emotional tangle it makes reading a novel for readers constantly being deeply shocked to experience a unique enjoy.

1.2. Introduction to the feminism

Western feminist development divided into three stages. The period of early 20 th century was the most important of western feminist development, which called the modern feminist, because of the female social status hadn’t changed fundamentally, which was a result of the last stage feminist development of last century, now some feminist start vertical thinking, searching for further development.

This thesis focused on the research of feminism of famous stream of consciousness writer Virginia Woolf, as a great writer of early twentieth century, Virginia Woolf surveys women’s economic, political, literary status, criticizes the inequality between men and women in the patriarchal society and initiates feminist criticism. Her feminist ideas almost cover all of women’s concerns.

In the middle of 80^th of the 20 century, analyst Alex Zwerdling pointed out that the core of Woolf’s sentiment and thinking was feminism, sexual discrimination couldn’t completely cover the social problem Woolf’s works reflected, there were strong sociality in Woolf’s feminism novels. (Zhou, 2009, page 36) There is no doubt that the abundant content about the sociality property exist in feminism novel, and at the same time it is inevitable. Part of the content is narration, another part is freedom association.

By Henry Lee James 's words, it is said " novelist’s position in the novel building is to stand at the window watching it . " Therefore, he advocated : As writers, they should put themselves out of the novel , should give way to the characters in the book. As a reader of feminism novel, you should understand author’s intention, Woolf use the emotion and soul of herself as novel’s framework, with her consciousness antenna to feel the world and then fill in the novel content. (Lodge, 1983)

 

2. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and male characters in this novel

2.1. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Septimus

＂And as she began to go with Miss Pym from jar to jar, choosing, oh! a pistol shot in the street outside!＂ When she was buying flowers in Mullberry’ the florists, a motor car exploded outside, about who were in the car, rumours were “like a cloud swift veil like upon hills , falling indeed with something of a cloud’s sudden sobriety and stillness upon faces which a second before had been utterly disorderly”. Septimus Smith muttered himself now he is not far from the car, he was a veteran returned from the world war and victim of shell-shock. His doctors’ ‘proportion’ treatment led to his eventual death fate.

The author showed her heart through Septimus psychological description, then the writer wrote his wife was an Italian woman, like the Roman coast where author often went. Guess whether the man sitting in the car is a big man, the car drove with unfathomable mystery, prominent dignitaries or British monarch, are both possible, “Clarissa guessed, she had seen something white magical circular in the foot man’s hand, to blaze among candelabras, glittering stars, breasts stiff with oak leaves Hugh Whitbread and all his colleagues, the gentlemen of England, that night in Buckingham Palace” we can easily envisage author’s narcissistic exquisiteness. So in Woolf’s novel, it is common that Mrs Dalloway and Septimus have a consistent psychological reaction to fear.

An aeroplane rushed out of the clouds and sound boring into the ears of all people in the Mall, syddenly, as a train comes out of a tunnel. I can see afterwar humans were deeply affected by the war at the same time how  could they insist inner beliefs? How could they continue to live with hope?

Septimus felt the great beautiful nature, shed joy excited tears.

With an introduction and notes by Merry M Pawlowski:”Virginia Woolf’s singular technique in Mrs Dalloway heralds a break with the traditional novel form and reflects a genuine humanity and concern with the experiences that both enrich and stultify existence. Society hostess, Clarissa Dalloway is giving a party. Her thoughts and sensations on that one day, and the interior monologues of others whose lives are interwoven with hers gradually reveal the characters of the central protagonists. Clarissa’s life is touched by tragedy as the events in her day run parallel to those of Septimus Warren Smith, whose madness escalates as his life draws toward inevitable suicide”(Woolf, 1996)

Septimus was the victim of the patriarchy, first of all male were the main sponsor and participator of the world war, under the doctor’s treatment with the sense of proportion, in the patriarchy society doctors relentlessly oppressed on patients.    

Mrs. Dalloway spent time by reading memoirs, the cockles of her heart was inanity. In order to pursue the reality of ease and affluence, Mrs. Dalloway candidated to choose a soulless love life , abandoned her spiritual support . Hold a party , and spent the lonely day with uproar, which can only made life more boring. Material life and social norms that she couldn’t give up was extruding her normal humanity. Crumbling spirit couldn’t be filled by material life, death became endless charm. (Li, 2005)

Woolf’s skillful writing sublimated subjective authenticity, diluted the plot , highlighted the inner monologue and free association. Novel was her mental illness reappear, Mrs. Dalloway and Septimus were combined image of author’s spirit.

He was always feeling the call of nature, listening to and watching everything of the nature around all the time , to see the sun flashing randomly became determined to go to meet death, before dying, he was still admiring the ​​hat made by his wife. News of his death reached the banquet, shocked doctors , caused Clarissa contemplation

 “Septimus’ wife took exception to Septimus’ feeling, she put her hand with a tremendous weight on his knee so that he was weighted down, transfixed.” Her husband’s illness brought lots of persecution to her, She couldn’t stand it any longer, she could tell nobody, she was alone, when Septimus suicided, she became a widow.

 “A small crowd had gathered at the gates of Buckingham Palace, and then little Mr Bowley, who had rooms in the Albany and was sealed with wax over the deeper sources of life but could be unsealed suddenly, inappropriately, sentimentally, by this sort of thing.”(Woolf , 1996 )

To Mrs Dempster, she had a nephew, a missionary, so she looked up into the sky, wagered there is a fine young feller aboard of it. Away and away the aeroplane shot, till it was nothing but a bright spark, an aspiration , a concentration, a symbol of man’s soul. Then you can guess if Mrs Dempster wanted to let her soul got closer to her nephew, she must overcame so many hardships, persevered in human’s fundamental.

The genius of the author’s stream of consciousness psychology is that she saw the unity and separation between Clarissa and Septimus, and finally end with Clarissa’s personality of this kind as sublimation. Clarissa was not acquainted with Septimus, even if she knew him, she still could not deter Septimus from suiciding. I can see female are the buffering between the different powers in the patriarchy society.

2.2. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Peter Walsh

Mrs Dalloway’s former lover was Peter, his appearance before the dinner added a little spiritual nourishment to her, she remembered that time during their fall in love, after returned from India, he reviewed the new face of the British, and all of these had shown people of that era morbid mental. Though Peter was a failure, he was still the spiritual support of Clarissa.

“When Clarissa took up her needle, she recalled her husband and her Elizabeth, feel herself like a Queen whose guard have fallen asleep and left her unprotected.”(Woolf 1996)While stayed with Peter, she continued to image in her head , when she touched her own soul, she imaged she had lived with Peter and run away from home with him. I can see that Clarissa had forgave Peter, forgave all the unhappy experience when she loved Peter in the past.  

On the street Peter saw two fashionably dressed young woman, followed some distance away , but he was also benefited in feeling , “I have had my fun, I have had it” Doctor Guan Shuhong said in his thesis: “Peter does not like the idea of being faithful to women. Therefore, he is always falling in love with women. Peter’s self-assessment verifies Clarissa’s appreciation of Peter’s love: selfish love and possessive love.”Peter’s love was transparent and not finical, love’s substantial was just like this.

And now he returned, he was nearly fifty years old, he was well experienced, but he was not wealthy and famed from the overseas, perhaps from the beginning his origin determined Peter wouldn’t marry Clarissa, they were destined to do each other’s soul mates at a young age, and Peter chose to leave England after failure in love. Now he was still unable to give former lover a little expensive gift, just before banquet came to visit her. When Richard intended to buy jewelry for Clarissa in the store, at the same time remembered she did not like precious ornaments, which might have a reason due to Peter.

When heard a youth to commit suicide , Clarissa went on, into the little room, Peter talked about Clarissa with Sally that Clarissa was a snob, he and Clarissa’s relationship was not simple , ruined his life. Maybe he just wanted to know what Clarissa was doing, he was concerned with her.

Peter and Clarissa, they were only suitable to be each other’s lover during their youngth, but not suitable to got marriage , because Clarissa needed a more reliable person , Peter was not a reliable man, only to supply her emotional support, Clarissa became a true Mrs. Dalloway, she must threw off this dependence on Peter.

Peter was very interested in Clarissa when they were young, Peter predicted Clarissa would become a ‘Minister Wife’, Clarissa only wanted Peter to ratify her, she had some properties that Peter did not acclaim. They had argued for some times, Peter separated with Clarissa when she met with Richard. Because there was no Iove between them, she couldn’t find comfort and safety. (Guan, 2009)

2.3. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Richard Dalloway

Clarissa was busy with chores , took good care of their families, make effort to be Richard’s ideal wife, daughter’s good mother, she was capable of hosting banquets, associated with the British upper class, provided opportunities for exchanges between upper class communities. Except inner emptiness, she also felt the oppression of humanity living in capitalist society, only from the female around her she got positive energy to made herself out of this trouble. She followed up dreams in her youth , but Victorian specification requirements for women and secular ideas , she gave up Peter who understood how to love and live, but married congressman Richard Dalloway. After the marriage because she completely understood various middle-class social norms, lived this kind of life with ease. Mrs. Dalloway had no economic independence. She did not live in the attitude of restraint and compromised to fight for freedom, independence and dignity of spirit, she lost herself.

Richard could gave Clarissa freedom and individual space, Clarissa’s lover returned, he should repay her painstaking by sending her present, he was faced with jealousy and was motivated to express his love to her. (Guan,  2009)

Richard and Hugh went further and further from Lady Bruton, being attached to her by a thin thread which would stretch and stretch, get thinner and thinner as they walked across London. Richard decided to buy flowers for Clarissa, red and white roses, he wanted to say straight out in so many words, holding out his flowers, ‘I love you ’why not? He repeated that it was a miracle, that he should have married Clarissa, a miracle- his life had been a miracle. In fact, he had not said I love you, but he held her hand, only thought happiness was this. Clarissa claimed “why should I ask all the dull women in London to my parties?”(Woolf , 1996)

According to the style of stream of consciousness, you may think, if Richard married some one else, he might have been more successful. Meanwhile Richard and Clarissa always had the same point of view, and they understood each other exactly, Richard had special feeling towards Clarissa, and placed her in his heart’s unusual position, they gave enough freedom to each other.  After the description above, I prefer to comprehend Richard’s complaisant action from this aspect: he had the right to defend himself as he was her husband, Dalloway’s family devoted the resource to hold this party, he had affinity with Clarissa. And this was almost a successful love demonstration. (Zwerdling, 1986)

 

3 The relationship of female characters in this novel

According to Adrienne Rich’s definition “ refers to a family patriarchy – social, awareness organic forms and political system, in this system, men pass too strong and direct oppression, or through ritual, tradition, law, language, customs, etiquette, education, and the division of labor to decide what women’s role should be, while the women were placed under men govern ⋯ ⋯ “In this patriarchal domination. Politics, economic, social, and cultural education by male tyranny, thoughts and feelings was suppressed. Woolf in her work explored women domination and oppression by the man in this situation, from economic and psychological point to explore for the reasons.

Due to the explanation of War and peace discourse, about the feminism. War and peace discourse hidden ‘women’, women’s suffering and role have been ‘forgotten’. (Li, 2005) “And feminism peace studies emphasize the harm of the war and other acts of violence against women. Woolf tried to show that the harm to the women in war was not lighter than the men directly involved in the war. In the novel two kinds of women related to the soldier became the scapegoat for the war. One was the mother of the soldier died in the war, sacrificed his son and now Mrs Bakers Burrow was holding a telegram, presided over the opening ceremony of the bazaar, in Septimus’s dream, there appeared a mother looking forward son’s return. Septimus’s wife lost her husband, became uprooted widow. In Peter’s delusion there also appeared a mother, crossed the desert to look for her son joined the war.

Towards the world and living, author of the stream of consciousness novel had a clear perception of personal preference, with a certain degree of subjectivity and randomness characteristics, which could not be complete and accurate reflection of real life. Mrs. Dalloway, it rendered the social scene had limitations, but not the whole picture of social reproduction. And just one novel depicted upper class women’s worry, fear, loneliness and sense of loss. Woolf in the novel often use Bergson’s “psychological time” to perform a continuous flowing and changing process of subjective awareness. According to the psychological intention, human consciousness flows with jumps and randomness. Space and time often intermingle, Consciousness transfers from one person’s present time to the past, and transfers to a future, flows between different roles, and then transfers to the next role.

3.1. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Lady Bruton

Lady Bruton, the General’s great-grand-daughter, should have been a general of dragoons herself, and Richard would have served under her, cheerfully, and he had the greatest respect for her. Lady Bruton herself preferred Richard, as he was made of finer material. But she wouldn’t let them run down her poor dear Hugh, who she had known these twenty years, he would never lunch with Lady without bringing her in his outstretched hand a bunch of carnations. In the patriarchal society, Lady Bruton had definite prestige in politics. Bruton was very proud of her family, and Richard planed whenever he had a moment of leisure, to write a history of  Lady Bruton’s family.

“That essential part of her without which Millicent Bruton would not have been Millicent Bruton, that project for emigrating young people of both sexes born of respectable parents and setting them up with a fair prospect of doing well in Canada”. (Woolf, 1996) She would turn gratefully to the thought of Hugu Whitbread who possessed- no one could doubt it- the art of writing letters to The Times. Lady Bruton was not good at writing letters to express her political thought, so it was still very hard for her to cast off patriarchal control.

Clarissa was a lady, who had ingrained vanity and the instinct to cater for the upper classes. She was very secular, and she could not and did not want to break the force of habit. For the short thinking of Lady Bruton’s asking Richard to lunch without her, no vulgar jealousy could separate her from Richard. Millicent Bruton had not asked her to the extraordinarily amusing lunch parties, she thought it due to jealousy. But now she feared time itself, How little the margin that remained was capable any longer of stretching, of absorbing, as in the youthful years, the colors, salts, tones of existence, so that she filled the room she entered. Lovely in girlhood. She could see what she lacked. It was not beauty, it was not mind it was something central which permeated, something warm which broke up surfaces and rippled the cold contact of man and woman, or of women altogether. For that she could dimly perceive. She resented it, had a scruple picked up Heaven knows where or as she felt sent by Nature.

Lady Bruton didn’t like Clarissa, because Clarissa was too sentimental, dissected human nature, and then combined to acknowledge of human. She was passionate about immigration program , interested in politics , weak humanity , and she had to intervene several conspiracies , at a critical moment for the British troops advancing up with ideas. She greeted Clarissa , feeling between herself and other women have sisterly friendship. She attended Clarissa’s party, would like to have Peter Walsh’s opinion, and she would get Sir Sampson to meet him.

Peter had returned from India, Lady Bruton were interested to listen to his opinion, called him old friend, she should admire Peter’s encourage to live abroad in India, explored in English colonial land, which was familiar with her plan to immigrant. While Richard attended Lady Bruton’s party, she asked about Clarissa, very little times’ greeting she sent to others. Clarissa’s dinner banquet would entertain many upper class people, such as Minister and Lady Bruton.

At the same time this kind of activities might bring honor to Richard. So Clarissa prepared the whole day to make an all out effort to hold the party, adjusted herself to the best status. On the party, Peter evaluated Richard “the best, the most disinterested”. Mr. Dalloway and Mrs. Dalloway were really the perfect match.

Woolf described her unsuccessful aspect from this side, Lady Bruton took the opportunity of Clarissa’s banquet to socialize with the upper class friends, and in this occasion she also needed female to make up her loneliness and vacancy in her heart.

3.2. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Sally

In her house, Mrs. Dalloway, was thinking about her love with Sally Seton. The strange thing, on looking back, was the purity, the integrity, of her feeling for Sally. It was completely disinterested. One night, when suddenly she said, ‘what a shame to sit indoors!’ and they all went out on to the terrace and walked up and down, then came the most exquisite moment of her whole life passing a stone urn with flowers in it. Because Sally stoped and kissed a picked flower on the lips. Sally revealed her beauty and characteristic of female before Clarissa, and now when Clarissa suspected her husband’s love, she remembered Sally.

Clarissa had optimistic attitude to life, aspired rich and colorful times, she had special affection to Sally, with this kind of remembrance, she still could not suspense the query, or we can call it the sentiment in love, which perfect female’s character and enrich female’s feeling.

Clarissa had distinct recollection of the first impression she met with Sally, described her as extraordinary beauty on her appearance, with that quality, a sort of abandonment, as if she could say anything, do anything. “Sally’s power was amazing, her gift, her personality. She came to Clarissa unexpectedly without a penny in her pocket one night.”(Woolf, 1996)

Due to the stream of thoughts, I think this is Woolf’s “strange thing on looking back”, the feeling exist between women “it was protective, spang from a sense of being in league together, a presentiment of something that was bound to part them”. Gave Clarissa a surprise, Sally emerged on the dinner party, she talked with Peter, about these years’ life of each other, she married a miner’s son, had five sons, she asked Clarissa to visit her home time after time, but Clarissa would not come. But now Sally came here to meet old friend again. Clarissa was a sentimental woman, in that time women were still vulnerable groups in society, so I can understand Woolf’s feminism on this point, Woolf expected extremely strength women’s power. Just as Clarissa hated Kilman, but she could not oppose Richard that let Kilman teach Elizabeth, so Kilman still emerged in their family.

3.3. The relationship between Mrs. Dalloway and Miss Kilman

Kilman was so characteristic, ugly poor and strong desire to control, she was a religionist, she wanted to indoctrinate her belief to others, such as Elizabeth, she had abundant historical knowledge, and she thought she can convince Elizabeth, despite she was apathetic. And in fact she could make Clarissa painly appreciate her own weakness that she always doubt herself. In one day, Clarissa remembered her feeling towards Kilman for many times, but according to Richard’s view, Clarissa’s this kind of feeling was so isolated, it was only generated during her lonely time or flash, when Minister went down stairs and he passed the wall hanging a girl’s picture.

All these feelings were just a lady’s sentiment and inner emotional changes, just expressed Woolf’s feminism so appropriately. This ideology was from Woolf’s heart, not intentionally constructed.

She thought Clarissa “should have been in a factory, behind a counter.” “Simpleton! You who have known neither sorrow nor pleasure , who have trifled your life away! And there rose in her an overmastering desire to overcome her.” (Woolf, 1996)

Kilman lived in cellar, disgusting environment and difficult life. Her attitude towards life was numb and insensitive. She was fat and wearing shabby clothes.

Kilman was a lower self-sufficiency woman, she was the only person able to defeat Dalloway too self- superiority and to promote her self-doubt arising. Kilman was extremely offensive, took compassion on Mrs. Dalloway and despised her.

This frustration was due to this kind of drop height that her wholehearted pursuit of material life and realities rubbed against her spirit.

4. Conclusion

All through the novel, the characters’ dialogues, psychology and action contain strong emotions, as a feminist, Woolf uses numerous image and constructs, and the ups and downs of emotion, all of these protrude the feature of this kind of novels. Woolf describes the love between female characters, expresses her affection of the female characters, I prefer to understand Woolf’s description and perception of society in this novel from the point of female, and then to understand the male characters.  Through distinct contrast between female characters, they can find sense of identification  in society and what females can do to contribute to the society. Female, as the sentimental role in the society, but they are very important and have important task to reform the irrationality of the society. Feminism expresses in the novel, has representativeness and historical meaning. Woolf accuses war, satirizes social system in England. The novel is over with the ending of the banquet, the persons who attend the banquet refresh the power of courage to face life.

Virginia Woolf is one of the most important writers in the beginning of the 20 th century, she advocates the equality between male and female, using this spirit as her feminism incipiency. She emphasizes the difference in history, experience and value between opposite sex, and calls on female to make use of this kind of difference, in order to establish their society position.

 

 

References

 

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