Mrs. Dalloway

PAGES 1-59

Reading Check

1. The flowers (Page 1)

2. To “see the doctors” (Page 3)

3. “[K]nowing people almost by instinct” (Page 6)

4. Letters (Page 17)

4. When her husband “stared so and did not see her and made everything terrible” (Page 19)

5. Lady Bruton’s lunch party (Page 26)

Short Answer

1. While on her walk, Clarissa begins to think about the differences between Peter and Richard. She recalls how Peter did not view the world in the same way as her, as he was more concerned with “the state of the world,” as opposed to the natural beauty of the world, and that he required everything to be shared. This is unlike Richard, the man she decided to marry, as they both have “a little independence” in their marriage. (Pages 5-6)

2. As a part of her reflections on marriage and daily life, she begins to consider her own trajectory, one with which she is considerably unhappy. She would have been more “dignified” with masculine elements, as opposed to her “narrow” physique that was not even related to her birth name of Clarissa, as she was a married woman now. (Page 8)

3. While Clarissa selects the flowers, a loud sound is heard from a motor car outside. Woolf’s narration then briefly leaves Clarissa and switches to Septimus, a war veteran who is triggered by the sound of the car, and his Italian wife, Lucrezia. As a whole, the passersby are convinced for a brief moment that the car belongs to a person of importance. (Page 12)

4. After returning home and learning she was not invited to a luncheon with her husband, she reflects upon her relationship with Richard and the nature of love. This leads her to consider her relationship with Sally, a girl with whom she had an intimate and intellectual relationship with when she was younger, including a kiss. She considers whether or not her relationship with Sally constituted love. (Pages 29-31)

5. After her inner monologue concerning Sally, Clarissa is visited by Peter, the suitor that she rejected. Woolf conveys how both parties feel guarded by switching the narration between each character’s inner monologue. Although he says he is here for another woman that he loves, Peter breaks down crying, and they both privately acknowledge their love for one another. (Pages 36-43)

6. After leaving Clarissa’s house, Peter walks through the streets of London, reflecting on his past experiences with love and Clarissa. After a brief nap in the park, he spends the majority of his time thinking about the summer in Bourton when Clarissa met Richard and finally rejected his advances. (Pages 44-59)

PAGES 59-92

Reading Check

1. “Every one has friends who were killed in the War. Every one gives up something when they marry.” (Page 60)

2. Free (Page 62)

3. The hat (Page 81)

4. As a “case of extreme gravity” (Page 88)

Short Answer

1. After observing the difficulties that Lucrezia and Septimus are experiencing, Peter reflects on Clarissa’s past friends and determines that Sally, who has married into wealth and is living near Manchester, was “probably the best.” His reflections on Sally once again lead to his thoughts about the nature of marriage as well as his summer with Clarissa at Bourton. (Pages 67-73)

2. Septimus believed that he was not too affected by the war; he witnessed his friend’s death, as well as the destruction of life around him, yet he did not show any emotion. After proposing to Lucrezia, he realizes that he struggles with feeling emotion, a concept which culminates after several years when Lucrezia says she would like to have a son like Septimus, and he determines, “[o]ne cannot bring children into a world like this.” (Pages 77-83)

3. After examining Septimus, Dr. Holmes concludes that there is nothing wrong with Septimus (despite his talk of suicide), and that he should not make his wife worry. Septimus is overall suspicious of and dislikes Dr. Holmes, wishing he would leave him be, while Lucrezia does not understand Septimus’s dislike as Dr. Holmes has invited her to tea. (Pages 84-86)

PAGES 92-130

Reading Check

1. Emigration (Page 99)

2. That he loves her (Page 107)

3. “What she liked was simply life.” (Page 113)

4. Because Miss Kilman and her mother hated each other (Page 116)

5. She raises her hands “in a tent before her face” (Page 125)

Short Answer

1. After Septimus leaves, Dr. Bradshaw reflects in the importance of “proportion” as it relates to health diagnosis, such as prescribing rest and weight gain for agitated and suicidal patients. Woolf personifies Proportion and Conversion as “sisters.” In regard to the latter, Woolf says, “she feasts on the wills of the weakly, loving to impress, to impose, adoring her own features stamped on the face of the populace.” Overall, this passage is a critique of the quality of mental health care that doctors offered in her era. (Pages 92-95)

2. At her luncheon, Lady Bruton mentions that Peter is back in London; this reference immediately unites herself, Hugh, and Richard in a memory from the past where he had loved Clarissa. All three of them consider how much they like Peter, but they also agree on how difficult it will be to help him find work back in London, a task that they presume will happen and none of them look forward to. (Pages 99-101)

3. Miss Kilman is a stark contrast to the other characters in that she is working class. As a teacher to Clarissa’s daughter Elizabeth, Miss Kilman is a serious, educated, and anti-wealth woman who looks down on people like Clarissa as frivolous. She is occupied with the concept of “the flesh” and is deeply attracted to Elizabeth, which even Clarissa has noted as an odd relationship, and takes no pleasure in life other than Elizabeth and eating. Her stream-of-consciousness narrative ends with her praying about Elizabeth in church. (Pages 115-125)

4. Elizabeth is eager to leave Miss Kilman and be free in the fresh air. She ponders Miss Kilman’s words about how she might take any form of employment if she chooses, as well as how her mother thinks she is immature, before returning to Westminster. (Pages 125-130)

PAGES 130-182

Reading Check

1. “[A] young hawk” (Page 137)

2. An ambulance (Page 140)

3. That it is a “failure” (Page 157)

4. The prime minister (Page 161)

Short Answer

1. In the evening with his wife. Septimus hears Dr. Holmes coming up the stairs. He dreads seeing the man, and jumps off the balcony onto the railings below. In response, Dr. Holmes and Mrs. Filmer tries to alleviate the situation, including keeping Lucrezia from seeing her husband’s body. (Pages 130-141)

2. On his walk to the hotel (after passing by the ambulance with Septimus’s body), he reflects on civilization as well as the effect Clarissa has had on his life. He receives a note from her which ultimately angers him, and he begins to weigh the difficulties of his relationship with Clarissa, along with the ease of his relationship with Daisy. Ultimately, he decides to attend Clarissa’s party. (Pages 141-153)

3. Clarissa is referred to as a perfect hostess throughout the novel, and this really comes to pass at the final scene, when as the guests enter she becomes alive with the power of mingling and presentation required of good parties, including introducing different party guests to one another. In particular, the presence of several of the characters from her past bring light to her overall mood. (Pages 160-168)

4. Clarissa is particularly surprised, and not necessarily happy to see Sally at her party. Although she is initially interrupted by the prime minister’s arrival, she returns to Sally and Peter later, to find out about Sally’s married life; however, her talks with Sally continue to be interrupted throughout the course of the party. Most of the conversation with Sally takes place with Peter as he once again considers his past with Clarissa and his lingering feelings for Clarissa. (Pages 175-182)