Tuesday, September 30, 2014
9/30 Reoccuring Interuption
In Mrs. Dalloway, characters have had intimate encounters that are constantly interrupted by a third party. The first example that springs to mind is when Clarissa kisses her friend Sally Seton when they were teenagers. Sally Seton is a young rebellious girl who's behavior is very abnormal for a woman, especially for woman of the time period of this novel (18th century). Clarissa is drawn to Sally perhaps because of this quality. This attraction leads to the two girls to kiss one night when they are together. Clarissa says this is possibly the best experience she's ever had. Before their intimate moment can continue or escalate, Peter Walsh interrupts them. The other example of an intimate moment being interrupted is when Clarissa and Peter are interrupted by Elizabeth, Clarissa's daughter. This occurs after Clarissa begins to comfort Peter when he breaks down in front of her. Similar to the intimate moment between Clarissa and Sally, this moment is interrupted before it can continue or escalate, which could be likely because of their past feelings for each other. This theme of constant interruptions causes the reader to think of "what if" situations similar to what Dr. Spiegel talked about last week in class. Be this coincidence or a writing style Woolf uses on purpose, I found this very interesting.
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I think this is a very thought-provoking aspect of the book. I agree with you, Ian. The scheme of the book and the interactions between the characters is relative, though. Because of the use of free indirect discourse, the novel allows for more interpretations than the usual book (this puts "Mrs. Dalloway" in the great book category). The reader must infer what is happening rather than be told plainly as through a third person omnicient narrator. The "what if" moments you refer to are part of the book. Woolf writes about Clarissa's life and the choices she makes. Of course, regret plays a role in each of our lives, which was a prominent aspect in "The Things they Carried" by Tim O'Brien as well. As we all grow older, we have more and more regrets. in this way we can sympathize with Clarissa in a way that she was not clearly exposed to the world prior to making life-changing decisions.
ReplyDeleteInsightful post, friend. The theme if regret is alive and well in Mrs. Dallaway. A moment interrupted is a moment lost, and a moment lost is the basis for all regret. Just like it was so many years ago at Burton, Clarissa and Peter are left without a resolution. They both still have feelings for the other, and both regret something about the way it ended between them. Just like society's affect on Clarissa stopped her from being with Peter then, Elizabeth interrupts their moment now. The reason regret plays such a role in Mrs. Dallaway is the stream of consciousness style. Often we do not vocalize all the situations running through our heads, many of which are regarding what could have been in our own lives. But with this style, any thought need not be vocalized. Anytime the narrator has regrets, they are vocalized. For this reason, regret plays a strong role in Mrs. Dallaway.
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