Richard Dalloway and his marriage with Clarissa

In Mrs. Dalloway, the title character has a very odd relationship with her husband, Richard. This is most obviously shown in the scene in which Richard and Hugh are having lunch at Lady Bruton's house and what happens afterwards. Richard decided he must go home and and buy flowers for his wife and tell her how much he loves her "in so many words". He buys her red and white roses, comes into her room, and is about to tell her how much he loves her, but he just can't bring himself to do so. It's not because he doesn't love her, because her certainly does, and it seems like more of a shyness that is keeping him from showing his affection than anything else. Clarissa completely understands and takes him by the hand before he leaves for a meeting and putting Clarissa down for a nap. This understanding mentality that Clarissa uses when interacting with Richard suggests that this has happened before. Richards actions suggest that he and Clarissa don't have a very strong connection, and were never really close, as Richard was probably preoccupied with his occupation for a majority of his marriage. Although his actions seem quite wimpy, his demeanor is quite cute. From the time he decides to go tell Clarissa he loves her to when he can't bring himself to do it, he acts like a giddy, lovesick teenaged girl. He really, really wants to tell her he loves her, but he just doesn't feel comfortable enough around her to do so. This shouldn't be the case in marriage. This makes me think that Clarissa and Richard have mutual love and respect, yet are very distant from each other on an emotional level. This could affect Clarissa's thoughts on life and how her life turned out. Would she have had a better, more conventional married life had she married the equally dorky Peter?

Comparisons Between Mrs. Dalloway and its Author

Virginia Woolf may well have thought of herself when she described different aspects of Mrs. Dalloway. Clarissa, although well put together and a seemingly good model for a first class 1920s woman, has many contemplative and deep thoughts that we get insight to in the novel. Woolf was a first-class woman, but was very mentally unstable, was an active feminist, and nonreligious. Similarities to these aspects of her life are prominently displayed in Mrs. Dalloway. We get an initial sense of mental illness with the character of Septimus, whom is first introduced in the novel as a bystander to the motorcade. Septimus is a WWI veteran and has an extreme case of PTSD. Throughout the novel, we find out that multiple doctors are trying to help Septimus, one of whom is one of the most famous in the area. However, at the end of the book, we find out that none of the treatment suggested will ever help because Septimus commits suicide. Similarly, Virginia Woolf had a history of mental illness, having frequent panic attacks and eventually, when she was only 59, drowning herself. The second aspect of Mrs. Dalloway that relates to Woolf's life was the sheltered, fairly "housewife" like life of Clarissa, and how she doesn't think like a housewife traditionally is supposed to think. In Mrs. Dalloway, this is exemplified especially when, at the end of the book, during her party, Clarissa goes into a back room to contemplate death. Virginia Woolf was also a first-class citizen, but also acted in erratic ways, much like how Clarissa thinks. Woolf was an avid feminist, as well as being nonreligious. Although the correlations between Mrs. Dalloway and Virginia Woolf's life aren't extremely evident, I don't think that they are coincidental and this book may in fact be a look into the thoughts and life of Woolf herself.