ClassicNote on Mrs.

Dalloway
*Please note: Woolf did not divide her novel by chapter. For the sake of summary and analysis, I
have used her breaks in text to create my own sections.
Part I Section One Summary (page 1-13, Mrs. Dalloway sai! s"e
woul! #uy...were all "er $ault.%&
larissa !alloway took it upon herself to buy the flowers for the party that evenin". #ucy had so
much other work to do and the mornin" air was fresh and invitin". $ir like this always reminded
her of a mornin" when, at ei"hteen, she had burst open the French windows to the terrace. Peter
Walsh stood within and commented on ve"etables. %e still wrote to larissa, very borin" letters,
and would be returnin" from India someday.
Waitin" on the curb, &crope Purvis noticed her, thinkin" to himself that she was charmin".
larissa thou"ht of the hush that fell over Westminster ri"ht before the rin" of 'i" 'en. $s the
bell ran" out, she looked at the people around her, livin" in the moment, and loved life. It was
(une and the )reat War was over. #ife spran" out all around her with a passion, dancin" "irls and
ponies and shopkeepers in their windows. larissa was a part of it. *nterin" the park, she was
met with a deeper silence. %u"h Whitbread, an old friend, walked toward her. %e assured her that
he would attend the party even thou"h his wife, *velyn, was ill. +he Whitbreads always came to
#ondon to see doctors. +hou"h she adored him, %u"h had a way of makin" larissa feel
underdressed. ,ichard, her husband, could not stand %u"h and Peter had hated him. 'ut Peter
could be like that.
+hinkin" of Peter a"ain, she looked at the scene around her and knew he would have been lovely
to walk with at this moment. &he could not stop such thou"hts and memories from rushin" over
her. Peter would not have cared for the si"hts of the mornin". %e cared for people-s characters
and he often scolded her for her superficiality. &he would be a perfect hostess. larissa found
herself ar"uin" a"ain with Peter about why she could not marry him. &he knew she was ri"ht, he
would not have "iven her any independence, but still it bothered her. #earnin" that he had
married a flimsy Indian woman an"ered her "reatly.
larissa knew now not to define or label anyone because she felt at one with the world, both
youn" and old, and omnipresent. .ot that she was clever, simply knowin". &he knew people very
well. /ost of all, she loved livin" in the moment. 0et, she was not irked by the thou"ht of death.
larissa felt that pieces of herself existed wherever she had ever been. /usin" amon" books,
larissa could not find a suitable one to brin" *velyn. &he wanted *velyn to look pleased when
she walked in. &he reali1ed her baseness, always wantin" to do thin"s that would make people
like her instead of doin" them for their own value, as ,ichard did. If she could do life over a"ain,
she would look like #ady 'exborou"h. &he disliked her own little beaked face and stick body.
&he felt invisible at times.
'ond &treet fascinated her. %er dau"hter *li1abeth was not fascinated by any of the delicate
"loves in the shops. *li1abeth was fascinated with /iss 2ilman, a callous ommunist who made
one feel small because she was privately starvin" and deprivin" herself for the ,ussians. +he hate
that welled up inside of larissa scared her. &he felt that, since her illness, there was perpetually a
monster of hate inside of her waitin" to claw or "naw away at somethin". &he entered /ulberry-s
florist and was "reeted by ea"er /iss Pym. /iss Pym was happy to help because larissa had
been very kind. +his year, however, she looked older. larissa was enraptured by the various
smells and colors of the many flowers. &he knew /iss Pym liked her and tried to surmount the
hatred she had felt when suddenly a pistol shot in the street. /iss Pym looked apolo"etic, as if
the loud motor cars were her fault.
Part One Section One 'nalysis&
Woolf be"ins the novel in her typical fashion, symbolically and methodically. We meet larissa
in the first sentence, in a proclamation of independence. &he will "et the flowers because #ucy
has work to do. +he proclamation is thus tin"ed with a sense of irony because thou"h larissa has
chosen to handle the burden of work herself, the work only consists of buyin" flowers. +he irony
inherent in the entire text will be fleshed out as we continue but, the very first sentences hint at
the underlyin" theme of social commentary which Woolf instilled in order to illustrate the
superficiality of the members of /rs. !alloway-s social circle.
%owever, larissa-s character is not meant solely to represent the vainness of a certain social
"roup. /uch deeper and more intense symbolism exists in the novel and in this central character.
+he novel is one of moments. /oments of time and life are hi"hli"hted and intensely analy1ed.
+he narrative, thou"h in third person, focuses on larissa but moves from character to character,
and often provides insi"ht into the persona of larissa. larissa, unlike her double whom we will
meet shortly, loves life and embraces the present.
+he two exclamations which be"in the third para"raph are symbolic of larissa-s attitude toward
life and the moment to moment structure of the book. +he e3aculations are short, stark, and
positive. +hey "ive the lan"ua"e a burstin" feelin" which will tie into the overarchin" theme of
the sea in the novel. .ote how the second exclamatory sentence ends with the word 4plun"e.4
5ther ima"ery at the be"innin" of this section adds to the feelin" of 3umpin" into a pool of water.
larissa thinks of openin" French doors and burstin" into the fresh, mornin" air. &he is plun"in"
into life, into memory, and into self6evaluation. &he is openin" the windows of life and plun"in"
into it. +he lan"ua"e has a li"ht airy feel supported by the name of larissa herself. +he name
ori"inates from the word clarity and alludes to the 4luminous &aint lara,4 as described by .adia
Fusini.
+he sea ima"ery arises a"ain when larissa nears 'i" 'en. +he bells which 'i" 'en rin" break
the hush that larissa feels before the bells are to rin". +he effect of the bells is described as,
4+he leaden circles dissolve in the air.4 +his ima"e reminds one of water after a body has plun"ed
into it. 5nce water is disturbed, a rin" of circular ripples emanates outward from the central point.
+his idea provides an insi"ht into the very writin" of Woolf. /rs. !alloway-s character, as well as
the character of &eptimus and a few outside occurrences, sends ripples outward into time and life,
affectin" the bein" of those around her. &crope Purvis notices and thinks about larissa, and we
enter those thou"hts. We also enter the thou"hts of /iss Pym, allowin" the reader the knowled"e
that larissa had been very kind, in the past tense. We wonder what is meant but are told no
more. +he reader receives "limpses into the ripples which are effected by day to day livin".
+he writin" reflects the sea and ripplin" wave ima"ery broadcast throu"h the character-s
intuitions. Woolf refused to follow the conventional format for writin" a novel. $ member of the
'loomsbury "roup and a peer of (ames (oyce, she did not feel a need to prescribe to traditional
or"ani1ation, thus allowin" for a much more loose form in terms of syntax, plot, and narrative
voice. $s critic Irene &imon stipulates, 4It is 3ust the purpose of 7ir"inia Woolf to abolish the
distinction between dream and reality8 she effects this by mixin" ima"es with "estures, thou"hts
with impressions, visions with pure sensations, and by presentin" them as mirrored on a
consciousness.4 +hus the lan"ua"e too is moment to moment, short, and dense. &he writes in a
flow of consciousness, floatin" from sensation to sensation and from the mind of one character to
the next.
+hou"h often descriptive, every thou"ht and phrase in Woolf-s writin" has a distinct and
analy1able purpose. We learn that larissa was sick and now feels a deep, intense an"er inside
which never seems to completely disappear. +he eni"matic character of /iss 2ilman brin"s
about the fury inside of larissa thou"h Woolf-s description of why is confusin". $"ain, the text
mirrors the feelin" within it. +he sentences run6on in a rush of an"er, sentences be"in with lower
case letters, and ad3ectives and nouns are chosen such as encumbered, scraped, brute, and hooves
which spark harshness and hurt. Woolf constantly blurs the distinction between dream and reality,
both within the plot and the text itself. larissa enters the flower shop overcome with
embarrassment, tryin" to hush her an"er, but she is soon overcome and distracted by color. &he
opens up her eyes, an allusion to the first metaphor with the open window, and takes in the
flowers. &he is transported back to the moment and we are reminded of how transparent the
present is within Woolf. +he episode also foreshadows the theme of doublin", as larissa 9uickly
rushes between hatred and love, which will surface with the introduction of &eptimus.
Part I Section (wo Summary (p. 1)-*+ ("e ,iolent
e-plosion...writing a (, an O, an ..%&
+he loud noise had come from an important lookin" motorcar. Passers6by claimed to have seen a
distin"uished face in the window. *ven after the car had moved on, the disturbance it created did
not. ,umors that the face had belon"ed to the Prince or :ueen flew about. +he street came to a
stop and &eptimus Warren &mith, an apprehensive lookin" man of thirty, could not "et by.
&eptimus, a veteran who had been mentally and emotionally devastated by his experience in
World War I, pictured that he was the cause of the stop and anticipated horror. %is wife, #ucre1ia
;,e1ia<, hurried him, an"erin" &eptimus. &he could not help but believe that others noticed his
stran"eness, his abruptness. &he was so embarrassed and ima"ined that they all knew that
&eptimus had wanted to kill himself. %e tried to please her, since she knew no one in *n"land,
but his efforts had become half6hearted.
larissa hoped that the face belon"ed to the :ueen. +he car was delayed until the chauffeur
spoke to a policeman, who allowed the car to pass. larissa felt touched by ma"ic. &he ima"ined
%u"h Whitbread at 'uckin"ham Palace and her own upcomin" party. +he people on 'ond &treet
took a few moments to return to daily life. +he car continued throu"h Piccadilly. /eanwhile, a
crowd formed at 'uckin"ham-s "ates. &uddenly, *mily oates, a woman watchin" the events,
noticed an airplane makin" letters out of smoke. +he letters were hard to decipher and everyone
"uessed at the words. Weavin" across #ondon-s sky, the plane-s trail mystified its observers.
In ,e"ent-s Park, ,e1ia tried to show &eptimus the letters since the doctor had su""ested
distractin" him with thin"s outside of himself. &eptimus believed the letters were si"nalin" to
him. +he beauty brou"ht tears to his eyes. +he voice of a nursemaid nearby vibrated in his ears
and brou"ht the trees "loriously to life for him. ,e1ia hated when he stared into nothin"ness.
People must notice him, she thou"ht. &he wished he were dead. &he walked to the fountain and
back to distract herself. &he could tell no one about his state and felt alone. %e was not the same
man she had married. +he doctor, thou"h, said nothin" was wron" with him. &eptimus sat,
hearin" the sparrows sin" in )reek and babblin" aloud. When ,e1ia returned, he 3umped up,
movin" them away from people and i"norin" her.
/aisie (ohnson, a "irl fresh from *dinbur"h, asked the couple directions to the subway. ,e1ia
"estured abruptly, hopin" /aisie would not notice &eptimus- madness. /aisie was unnerved by
both and would remember them for years. &he was horrified by the look in &eptimus- eyes. /rs.
arrie !empster, an older woman in the park, noticed /aisie and was reminded of her youn"er
days. &he ima"ined /aisie "ettin" married, assertin" that she, arrie, would have done thin"s
differently if she had a second chance. &he looked to /aisie for pity. /eanwhile, /r. 'entley, a
man sweepin" around his tree in )reenwich, thou"ht the airplane-s effort represented the
concentration of a man-s soul. In front of &t. Paul-s athedral, a seedy lookin" man was awed by
the thou"ht of the members of society who were invited into its halls. +he plane continued
aimlessly, letters pourin" from its perpetually loopin" motion.
Part One Section (wo 'nalysis&
+he explosive situation with the car allows us two specific insi"hts into the text. 5ne, it a"ain
hi"hli"hts the emphasis of the 'ritish culture on fi"ure heads and symbols. .o one is sure which
"reat fi"ure resides within the important lookin" car, but each onlooker feels touched 4by ma"ic,4
as larissa notes. +raffic slows and onlookers halt and then rush to 'uckin"ham Palace. +he car,
as with many of the ob3ects with which larissa surrounds herself, is an empty symbol. What is
inside does not matter. +he shell of the car, in a postmodern sense, represents the empty
si"nificance that is often placed on social status within the world of /rs. !alloway-s #ondon.
It is at this moment that we also meet &eptimus &mith. $t the same time when larissa is fro1en
in deli"ht, ima"inin" the :ueen and Prince and parties, &eptimus is fro1en by apprehension and
fear. /any critics describe &eptimus as larissa-s doppel"an"er, the alternate persona, the darker,
more internal personality compared to larissa-s very social and sin"ular outlook. %owever, a
few critics hint that to characteri1e &eptimus as larissa-s double is too limitin" for both of their
characters. Perhaps the best way to describe their relationship is to think of it as a means to flesh
out the intensity of the human mind. +he novel takes the reader throu"h only one day in larissa
and &eptimus- lives, and yet we learn so much more about their characters and about humanity in
"eneral. +hese two personas allow the reader to discern how two seemin"ly opposite characters
correspond and interrelate. larissa and &eptimus never meet and yet, their lives are intertwined
from the moment in the street to the news of &eptimus- death at larissa-s party.
We also meet ,e1ia, &eptimus- wife, in this section of the book, as she stru""les throu"h the
embarrassment of havin" a cra1y husband. +he way &eptimus is told that nothin" is wron" with
him alludes to circumstances in Woolf-s life. With her fra"ile mental state, she encountered many
psycholo"ists, most of whom did not know how to treat mentally ill patients. 5ften, they did
more harm than "ood. &eptimus is the victim of this psychosocial establishment in post6War
*n"land. $s a representative of the 4lost "eneration,4 a topic touched on by many of Woolf-s
contemporary-s most noticeably +.&. *liot in +he Wasteland, &eptimus suffers from delusions
and hallucinations. +he husband and wife, as a result, can no lon"er communicate as they once
had.
$nother confused symbol of communication exists in the form of the airplane that spreads
incomprehensible words across the sky, "ainin" much of #ondon-s attention after the excitement
of the important car passes. #etters are strewn about but no character a"rees on the messa"e
delineated. Ironically, however, many people are connected throu"h the inability to communicate
symboli1ed by the plane-s skywritin". In his sickness, &eptimus believes the plane is talkin" to
him. 0et, the other characters who view the plane believe in much the same idea.
Part I Section ("ree Summary (p.*+-)/ 01"at are t"ey loo2ing
at0...,ery $ar away as Peter 1als" s"ut t"e !oor.%&
larissa returned home, wonderin" at what everyone was lookin". &teppin" into her cool house
and hearin" the motion of her servants, she felt as a nun returnin" to her daily habit. &he breathed
in happily while #ucy stood by, hesitant. larissa noticed a note that read that #ady 'ruton had
re9uested ,ichard-s company for lunch. larissa felt snubbed. #ucy knowin"ly helped her with
her parasol and left her alone. +he lunch parties were supposed to be 9uite amusin". larissa felt
alone. &he withdrew upstairs to the solitary attic room that she had occupied ever since her
illness. +here, she liked to read 'aron /arbot-s /emoirs. +he room had a very vir"inal feel, with
the stark white sheet stretched ti"htly across the narrow bed. &he wondered if she had failed
,ichard and thou"ht back to her close connections with women, namely her old best friend, &ally
&eton. &he had known what men feel toward women with &ally.
&he remembered &ally sittin" on the floor, smokin", sayin" she was descended from /arie
$ntoinette, bein" so utterly crude that larissa-s family thou"ht her untidy. &ally tau"ht larissa
about life, sex, men, and politics, thin"s from which she was shielded at 'ourton, her home
before marria"e. %er feelin"s for &ally were protective and pure. &he remembered the excitement
she felt the ni"hts &ally dined with them and the ex9uisite moment they shared when, as they
were walkin", &ally stopped to pick a flower and kissed larissa on the lips. $ moment later,
Peter Walsh and (oseph, an old family friend, had intruded, perhaps purposely, since Peter was
prone to 3ealousy. larissa was horrified at the intrusion.
+urnin" her thou"hts to Peter, she wondered if he would think her older when he returned from
India. &ince her sickness, she had become nearly white. &he thou"ht her face pointed and her
body shaped like a diamond. &he was a "ood woman, she thou"ht, even if #ady 'ruton had not
invited her. larissa found her loveliest "reen dress and took it downstairs to mend. #ucy asked if
she could help mend but larissa declined. &uddenly, the doorbell ran" and she heard the voice of
a man demandin" to see her. $bruptly, her door opened and she turned to hide her dress, as if she
were protectin" her chastity.
Peter Walsh entered, takin" her hands and kissin" them. +hey both trembled. Peter noticed that
she looked older. larissa observed that Peter was very much the same. %e played with his
pocketknife. Peter asked about her family and ima"ined that larissa had been mendin" her dress
and attendin" parties continuously durin" the time he had been "one. larissa asked him if he
remembered 'ourton. %e did but it pained him to remember as it reminded him of her refusal to
marry him. larissa too was cau"ht in the wave of emotion. +he memories brou"ht Peter close to
tears. Peter reali1ed that his new love, !aisy, would pale next to larissa. %e did not want to tell
her about !aisy because larissa would think him a failure. %e felt that larissa had chan"ed for
the worse ever since marryin" ,ichard.
larissa asked about his life. +here was too much to tell her, but he mentioned that he was in love
with a "irl in India who was still married to a /a3or in the Indian $rmy. %e had come to #ondon
to see about a divorce. Peter-s life had been such a folly, thou"ht larissa. &till, she was happy for
him. Peter suddenly be"an to weep. larissa comforted him, kissin" him, and strokin" his hands
before she retained control and sat back. &he felt very much at ease with Peter now and reali1ed
this "aiety would be hers always if she had married him. &he wished he would take her with him.
+he next moment, her passions subsided. larissa 3oined Peter by the window. %e sei1ed her by
the shoulders and asked if she were happy with ,ichard. &uddenly, *li1abeth entered. larissa
said, 4%ere is my *li1abeth.4 Peter "reeted her and rushed out the door. larissa ran after him,
yellin" to not for"et her party.
Part One Section ("ree 'nalysis&
We see many echoes of Woolf within the character of larissa durin" this chapter. +he theme of
the vir"in, symboli1in" seclusion, independence, and sexual aridity, takes over as we move from
larissa, excited with life, to larissa, secluded, reflective, and lonely. %er relief at returnin"
home is compared explicitly by Woolf to a nun returnin" to her habit and yet, ironically, she only
ventures to her vir"inal, narrow attic room when she feels snubbed by society. 'ecause of this
snub, we learn further how much larissa cares about societal issues as she meditates on her
worth as a result of it. onversely, we learn that she en3oys bein" alone to the extent that she has
slept alone in the attic since her illness. !irectly after Woolf describes larissa-s starch white
sheets pulled ti"htly over her narrow attic bed, an overt metaphor for vir"inal sexuality, she
includes that larissa wondered if she had failed ,ichard. &he also states that larissa had loved
&ally as a man loves a woman, implyin" that larissa had never truly loved ,ichard in this
manner, and perhaps had never loved any man in this manner. +he flaws of communication and
intimacy between ,ichard and larissa are foreshadowed. In the eyes of some critics, Woolf
insinuates that larissa was stifled in her homosexual love for &ally by the standards of society
and her own conservatism.
&ally was larissa-s inspiration to think beyond the walls of 'ourton, to read, to philosophi1e, to
fantasi1e. Woolf describes the kiss between &ally and larissa as an epiphany of sorts, an ecstasy,
&ally stopped8 picked a flower8 kissed her on the lips. +he whole world may have turned upside
down= +he others disappeared8 there she was alone with &ally. $nd she felt that she had been
"iven a present, wrapped up, and told 3ust to keep it, not to look at it 6 a diamond, somethin"
infinitely precious, wrapped up, which, as they walked ;up and down, up and down<, she
uncovered, or the radiance burnt throu"h, the revelation, the reli"ious feelin"= ;>?6>@<.
$s larissa-s relative loneliness and lack of intimacy in marria"e is symboli1ed throu"h the
metaphor of a vir"inal nun, the most intense sexual moment in larissa-s life is symboli1ed
throu"h intense reli"ious feelin". +hus, the kiss represents and understates the sexual attraction
and revelation that &ally brou"ht to larissa. +he present "iven to larissa, the diamond, the
flower picked, the 4radiance burnt throu"h,4 all symboli1e this sexual experience. It is not
surprisin", then, that larissa feels so violated when men intrude upon her moment. Peter and old
(oseph-s intrusion symboli1es the dominance of men in society and the conservatism of sexual
relations that would not allow for larissa-s true yearnin"s. Whether Woolf had sexual feelin"s
toward women or not, bio"raphers describe her relationship with her husband as a stron", carin"
friendship without much sexual intimacy. +his sexual component is similarly lackin" in her
proponent-s life.
larissa-s continued lon"in" for Peter also illustrates that her relationship is lackin" with ,ichard.
$t one point in her conversation with Peter, she wishes that he would take her away. +he moment
subsides, but the intensity between the two remains throu"hout the novel. Peter-s tendency to play
with his pocketknife is a phallic metaphor, symboli1in" Peter-s repressed sexual ur"es toward
larissa. %e not only invades larissa-s peace, but her vir"inal sense of self as well. Woolf
describes larissa-s reaction to the moment of Peter-s entrance as, 4&he made to hide her dress,
like a vir"in protectin" her chastity, respectin" privacy.4;AB< 0et, she does feel passion in Peter-s
presence, a fleetin" "aiety and vivacity for life. ,epresentative of the everyman, larissa is prone
to wonder what if. +hese emotions come and "o like waves, synecdochal for the theme of the sea.
+he waves of time are introduced by the bells of 'i" 'en.
Part I Section .our Summary (p.)/ -34 5emem#er my party,
remem#er...$eat"ers o$ sleep, san2, an! was mu$$le! o,er.%&
Peter mimicked larissa as he walked from her house. %e had never en3oyed her parties, parties
such as hers. %e did not blame her, thou"h. %e was in love and happy to be so. +here was so
much he had seen and done of which larissa knew nothin". &he had "rown hard. %e thou"ht the
way she had introduced *li1abeth was insincere and that *li1abeth had thou"ht so. larissa
should have plainly said, 4%ere-s *li1abeth.4 %e had been overly emotional when he had visited
larissa. $s always, he had told her everythin". Peter felt that larissa had refused him.
+he bells of &t. /ar"aret-s echoed across #ondon, and Peter associated &t. /ar"aret-s "raceful
entrance with larissa as the hostess. %e ima"ined her comin" in to a room years a"o and was
swept up in the intimacy of the memory. $s the bells died out, they reminded Peter that larissa-s
heart had been ill, and he ima"ined her fallin" to the floor, dyin". %e shook himself from this
ima"e and reminded himself that he was not old yet. %e had never liked people like the
!alloways and Whitbreads. %e had been a rebel, a pioneer, and civili1ation needed youn" men
like him.
'oys in uniform marched by Peter and, instinctively, he followed them. &oon, he reali1ed he
could not maintain their pace and let them pass. %e could respect the uniformity in boys, as they
did not yet know the troubles of the flesh. $lone in +rafal"ar &9uare, he had not felt so youn" in
years. $ youn" woman passed who enchanted Peter. %e transformed her into the woman he had
always wanted and be"an followin" her throu"h the streets. &he seemed to speak silently to Peter,
to his soul. %e kept up with her until she slowed before a buildin" and disappeared inside. %e had
had his fun.
%e was still too early for his appointment with the lawyer and so walked to ,e"ent-s Park to sit.
+he day was beautiful, and he felt a certain pride for the civility and accomplished air of #ondon.
%is $n"lo6Indian family had administered the affairs of India for years and, thou"h he despised
the empire and army, he still felt proud. +he pomp was absurd, but admirable. +hou"hts of his
past continued to combat him, likely a result of seein" larissa. %e thou"ht of a fi"ht he had had
with her father at 'ourton. Peter looked for a secluded seat in the park but settled for one next to
a nurse and sleepin" baby. Peter a"ain thou"ht of *li1abeth, thinkin" she was peculiar lookin"
and probably did not "et alon" with her mother. &mokin" a ci"ar, he curled the smoke from his
lips and decided to try to speak with *li1abeth alone that ni"ht. %e threw away the ci"ar and fell
into a deep sleep.
Part One Section .our 'nalysis&
+he theme of the intersection of time and timelessness arises as we watch Peter walk throu"h
#ondon and wander throu"h ,e"ent-s Park as larissa had done only a few hours earlier. Cnlike
larissa, however, he does not notice the beauty of the day or feel the effect of the bells on a
cosmic, spiritual level. %e does not appreciate the moment as larissa often does. Instead,
everythin" for Peter relates to his past, present, or fantasy. %is thou"hts are always internali1ed.
In this manner, time blurs with timelessness as Peter-s memories blur with present ima"es,
wishes, and fantasies.
$s soon as Peter leaves larissa-s home, he is overcome with combative thou"hts. %e believes
that larissa said the wron" thin" to *li1abeth, for example. %e hates larissa-s parties. larissa
dominates his thou"hts to the point where external stimuli simply function to remind him of her
in different ways. &t. /ar"aret-s bells remind him of larissa as the hostess. +his reference
alludes to larissa-s thou"hts earlier in the day of Peter and his comment to her that she would be
the perfect hostess. +hus, the bells symboli1e a line of conflict between Peter and larissa.
onse9uently, Peter is soon reminded of larissa-s heart condition and he pictures her dyin".
larissa-s ima"inary death foreshadows the death of her double, &eptimus, later in the novel.
Peter shakes off the bad ima"e because he does not want to think of himself bein" old enou"h to
die. %e thus uses the next ima"es that come his way, the marchin" boys and the beautiful youn"
woman, as symbols of his youth and his coura"e.
%e tells himself that he was a rebel when youn" and that the world needed men like him. Peter is
tryin" to rationali1e the dissociation he feels from the humanity surroundin" him. +he waves of
emotion he experiences touch on the theme of the sea. +he words that describe him followin" the
youn" woman allude to the motions of the sea. +he phrases are short and choppy, yet rhythmic.
+he text states, 4&he moved8 she crossed8 he followed her...'ut other people "ot between them on
the street, obstructin" him, blottin" her out. %e pursued8 she chan"ed4 ;?><. %is mood chan"es
a"ain when he stops to actually look around at the world passin" him by. %e is impressed by the
civility of #ondon as compared to the Indian culture in which he had been livin". #ondon is a
metonym for larissa and the type of society she represents. +hou"h Peter wants to rebel, he
cannot help but yearn for inclusion within the society he tries to despise.
Part I Section .i,e Summary (p. 34-4) ("e grey nurse resume!...6e
ne,er saw "er again.%&
Peter dreamed. +he "ray nurse knittin" beside Peter appeared spectral, blendin" into ima"es of
the sky and the trees. +he narrator reminds the reader that an atheist may still experience
moments of exultation. $s Peter dreams, the narrator reveals the symbolic story of a solitary
traveler. +he visions that enter the mind of the solitary traveler allow Peter to conceive of him.
+he traveler sees a fi"ure at the end of the path. &he is a "iant fi"ure at the end of a "reat ride.
+he solitary traveler rides and reaches the mother6like fi"ure. Peter is offered comfort but does
not know to whom to reply.
&uddenly Peter awoke, exclaimin", 4+he death of the soul.4 In his mind, he had been dreamin" of
a scene at 'ourton, when he had been deeply in love with larissa. +he scene took place years
a"o. +hey had been discussin" the housemaid whom had married the nei"hborin" s9uire. larissa
critici1ed the maid-s impropriety. &ally mentioned that the maid had "iven birth before the
marria"e. larissa was abhorred, her manner prudish. +he coldness she emanated chilled the
whole room and, awkwardly, larissa left the table. larissa talked to her sheepdo" ;but spoke to
Peter<, defendin" her behavior. Peter remained silent and larissa went outside, alone. $s the day
went on, Peter "rew increasin"ly "loomy. $t supper, he arrived late. %e did not look at larissa at
first but when he did, he noticed that she was speakin" to a youn" man. It was ,ichard !alloway
and suddenly, Peter knew ,ichard would marry larissa.
larissa had thou"ht his name was Wickham at first until !alloway abruptly corrected her. &ally
would forever call him, 4/y name is !alloway.4 Peter could not hear of what larissa and
,ichard spoke but he noticed her maternal manner toward him. $fter dinner, they sat in the
drawin" room. larissa approached Peter to introduce him to ,ichard. Peter retorted that she was
the perfect hostess. &he walked away in a huff. #ater, the youn" people decided to "o boatin" in
the moonli"ht and they left Peter standin" in the drawin" room. larissa ran back inside to find
Peter. %e was suddenly happy. +hey walked down to the docks talkin" and, when the boat
reached an island, they sat on the "rass to"ether. 0et, Peter still somehow knew that !alloway
and larissa were fallin" in love.
Followin" that ni"ht, Peter asked ridiculous thin"s of larissa, pushin" her away from him.
Finally, he sent her a note via &ally to meet him near the fountain. %e demanded, repeatedly, that
she tell him the truth. &he was unyieldin". $t last, she cried that her and Peter-s relationship was
over. +hat ni"ht, Peter left 'ourton.
Part One Section .i,e 'nalysis&
/uch of this section takes place in Peter-s memory, allowin" us to relive the past relationship
between larissa and him. %owever, the be"innin" of the section relates the interestin"
appearance of the solitary traveler. +hou"h Woolf-s prose often ed"es on the poetic, this is one of
the only portions of the novel where her writin" becomes extremely abstract. WhyD What does
the solitary traveler add to this section or the novel as a wholeD ritics su""est that the traveler is
Peter Walsh, as both are male, primarily alone ;at least durin" the day on which the novel takes
place<, and over fifty years old. %e travels throu"h the wood until reachin" the "iant fi"ure, who
ironically is one of the least imposin" fi"ures possible, an old matron or nurse. +hus, the
archetype of the eternal feminine is evoked. +his fi"ure will reappear as we continue throu"h the
novel. +he section durin" Peter-s dream introduces the idea to the reader abstractly because of the
lar"er symbolism the feminine fi"ure will hold.
Csin" Peter-s recollection as a vehicle, Woolf provides insi"ht into both larissa and Peter-s
characters. larissa is often referred to throu"hout the novel as bein" cold, as if she was missin"
somethin" that warmed other humans. +he memory that Peter has describes larissa as a prude
because she is utterly dis"usted by the thou"ht of a woman becomin" pre"nant before marria"e.
+his occurrence was not supported by her social circle, but her peers obviously do not react in the
same way as she. Ironically, however, &ally &eton, a fi"ure who loved rebellin" as a youth,
deeply attracted larissa. Perhaps larissa seeks that warmth that other people offer because of
her own lack of warmth.
+his absence in larissa is also su""ested in her manner toward ,ichard. &he is ea"er to bestow a
maternal instinct toward ,ichard, as she would her sheepdo", to compensate for that flaw. It is
possible also that the warmth she lacks could inhabit the sense of awakened sexuality that &ally
evidently provokes but whom the men do not. +hus, larissa can mother a man or a do", but not
feel impassioned by them. larissa 9uickly dismisses the passion of feelin" that Peter does awake
in her for more tran9uil, controllable emotions.
+he recollection also illustrates Peter-s overabundance of emotion as he allows himself to be
ruled by his feelin"s. %e is able to discern future events throu"h his instincts, such as his feelin"
that larissa and ,ichard will marry. +he memory also presents the separation of larissa and
Peter as a couple, a moment that haunts both characters durin" the novel. +he theme of water is
emphasi1ed as the break up takes place at a fountain. +he flow of life is symboli1ed by the flow
of the fountain-s stream, creatin" ima"ery for a chan"e in life that would cause heartbreak,
freedom, and loneliness.
Part II, Section One Summary (p. 4)-+) It was aw$ul, "e crie!...Dr.
6olmes, loo2ing not 7uite so 2in!.%&
Peter felt awful8 the sun was so hot. &till, when the nurse-s little "irl ran into a woman-s le", Peter
lau"hed aloud. +he le" belon"ed to #ucre1ia Warren &mith, who had left &eptimus to talk to
himself and was wonderin" why she should suffer. Why was she no lon"er in /ilan, she asked
herself and be"an to cry. ,e1ia reali1ed that it was time to take &eptimus to see &ir William
'radshaw, who mi"ht be able to help him. &eptimus would probably be talkin" to himself, or to
his friend *vans, who had died in the War. $ friend dyin" was not rare, however, and ,e1ia did
not understand why &eptimus became stran"er and stran"er. +here were times when the couple
was happy but then &eptimus would mention killin" himself, because, he explained, people were
wicked. !r. %olmes said there was nothin" the matter with him. %olmes said that one was
responsible for one-s own health.
,e1ia reached out to &eptimus but her husband backed away, pointin" at her hand. &he explained
that her fin"er had "rown too thin for her weddin" band, but he knew that the rin"-s absence
meant that their marria"e was over. &eptimus felt relieved, until he thou"ht he saw a do" that was
chan"in" into a man. %is nerves were stretched thin and he be"an talkin" to himself a"ain.
5penin" his eyes, however, he reali1ed that beauty was everywhere. ,e1ia told him that it was
time to "o. +he word 4time4 set off a bundle of emotions, climaxin" with *vans- voice tellin"
&eptimus that the dead were comin" from +hessaly, where *vans had been killed. %e saw *vans
approachin". ,e1ia told &eptimus that she was unhappy.
Peter Walsh saw the unhappy couple and attributed the awful scene between them to bein"
youn". #ondon had never been so enchantin". Peter had always been able to chan"e his mood
rapidly. In the five years between EFEG6EFH>, #ondon had chan"ed. ,espectable newspapers
could write about bathrooms. &in"le women could put on make6up in public. %e thou"ht of &ally
&eton, and how she had unexpectedly married a rich man and lived in a bi" house. &till, of all of
larissa-s old friends, he had always liked &ally best. &he could see throu"h the artificiality of the
Whitbreads and !alloways. +he two had bonded over this dislike for artifice, and the fact that
larissa-s father liked neither one of them. $nd, now Peter would have to ask %u"h Whitbread or
!alloway for a 3ob. ,ichard was not really so bad, Peter thou"ht. larissa had probably fallen in
love with him because of his ability to take char"e. &he thou"ht ,ichard independent for not
likin" &hakespeare-s sonnets.
larissa would have never married %u"h, Peter knew. &he knew what she wanted. When she
walked into a room, one remembered her. Peter stru""led to remind himself that he was no lon"er
in love with her. *ven larissa would admit that she cared too much for societal rank. &he cared
about the dukes and duchesses. Peter knew that she threw parties because she felt that ,ichard
should have them. %er opinions, from marria"e, had become subdued by ,ichard. &till, she was
one of the lar"est skeptics Peter knew. &he went throu"h a phase of readin" %uxley after seein"
her sister, &ylvia, killed in an accident. It was larissa-s nature, however, to en3oy, and she did.
&he needed people to brin" out her sense of humor. &he surely adored *li1abeth, who would
think her and her friends, like Peter, borin" and tiresome. Peter-s passions remained stron" but,
bein" older, he could analy1e them more ob3ectively. %e no lon"er really needed people anymore.
Perhaps he truly was in love with !aisy even thou"h he scarcely had thou"ht of her recently.
'ecause !aisy loved him in return, he could relax. (ealousy had caused his rush of emotions at
larissa-s that mornin". $fter all, his comin" to #ondon was not so he could marry !aisy, but to
finali1e her divorce. larissa had affected him because she mi"ht have spared him from these
travails.
$ woman-s incomprehensible son" rose from the subway station that Peter had reached. +he son"
seemed like an ancient son" of love. Peter "ave the woman a coin. ,e1ia &mith also saw the old
woman and pitied her. For some reason, seein" the woman made ,e1ia feel that everythin" was
"oin" to be okay. &ir William 'radshaw, she thou"ht, would help &eptimus. #ookin" at &eptimus,
one likely thou"ht he was a well6educated clerk. &eptimus had left home for #ondon at a youn"
a"e, leavin" a note behind him. In #ondon, he had fallen in love with /iss Isabel Pole, a woman
who fueled the poet in him by lendin" him books and speakin" of &hakespeare. /r. 'rewer was
&eptimus- mana"er at the office of &ibleys and $rrowsmiths. %e knew that &eptimus would be
very successful if he maintained his health. %e advised &eptimus to play sports to stren"then
himself.
&eptimus was one of the first volunteers for the army in World War I. %e went to protect
&hakespeare and Isabel. &eptimus "ained stren"th and was promoted. %e became friends with his
officer, *vans, who died 3ust before the war ended. &eptimus was "lad that he felt no "rief over
the death, until he reali1ed that he had lost the ability to feel. In a panic, he married a youn"
Italian "irl, #ucre1ia. #ucre1ia adored his studiousness. +he couple moved to #ondon and
&eptimus returned to his post. %e wondered if life lacked meanin". %e read &hakespeare a"ain
and understood now that &hakespeare had despised love between man and woman. $fter five
years of marria"e, #ucre1ia wanted to have a baby. &eptimus, however, could not fathom
brin"in" a child into the world. ,e1ia became increasin"ly unhappy. &eptimus unhappily felt
nothin" when she wept. %e wondered if he would "o mad and, pro"ressively, he did surrender to
madness.
!r. %olmes could not help. &eptimus knew nothin" was physically wron" with him, but he
fi"ured, his crimes were still "reat. %e felt nothin"8 he had married without love. +he third time
%olmes came to see him, &eptimus refused him. %olmes pushed in anyway. *ven thou"h
&eptimus had talked of suicide, %olmes told him to shake off his depression. &eptimus felt that
%olmes, representative of human nature, was after him. %e hated %olmes. ,e1ia could not
understand this dislike. Without ,e1ia-s support, &eptimus felt deserted. %e heard the world
tellin" him to kill himself. 5ne moment, he saw *vans, and cried out to him. ,e1ia entered his
room, panicked, and called for %olmes. Cpon seein" %olmes, &eptimus screamed in horror. +he
doctor, annoyed, advised that they see !r. 'radshaw.
Part II Section One 'nalysis&
+he archetype of the feminine maternal is represented by the woman seen by the solitary traveler
and now, the va"rant woman sin"in" in the subway. &he sin"s of eternal love. +he fi"ure serves
as a vehicle to transition the reader from Peter to ,e1ia &mith, two characters lackin"
companionship. +he theme of eternal love is examined within the theories held by the love
interests of Peter and ,e1ia: larissa and &eptimus, respectively. larissa espoused a theory in
earlier chapters when she reflected on the idea that a piece of her remained in every place she has
been. $s /anly (ohnson, critic, notes, 4...Ilarissa-sJ theory IisJ about the affinities between
people and how one must seek out those who complete one: the Kunseen part of us- mi"ht
survive, Kbe recovered somehow attached to this person or that.-4
&eptimus- theory of the beauty in the world does not differ "reatly, and it is throu"h their similar
approaches to the world about them that one be"ins to see the real similarities between &eptimus
and larissa. %e too notices the ever6present beauty of the moment. In fact, &eptimus can be said
to fill the void of feelin"s that larissa lacks. &eptimus first applauds himself for not feelin"
sadness when his friend, *vans, is killed and then punishes himself for not feelin" it afterward.
%owever, as critic, Isabel )amble, asserts, 4+he real truth is, of course, that &eptimus has felt too
deeply, has been shaken and numbed by shell shock and the war, specifically by the death of his
friend, *vans8 his feelin"s have flowed throu"h channels deeper than any so far sounded by
larissa. 'ut he has never "one by the first paraly1in" numbness to see, consciously, the reality
of his emotion.4 &eptimus believes that his initial emotionless reaction to *vans- death is real and
pro"ressively bases his construction of reality on this miscalculation. Instead of facin" his "rief,
he represses it until the remainder of his reality is shattered. %e pictures do"s turnin" into men
;an inversion of the ima"e he created to represent himself and *vans, as do"s, playin" in front of
a fire< because the truth has become demented in his mind to the point of delusion. 5ne must
applaud Woolf-s couplin" of the sane and insane as an advanced social commentary. &he
illustrates the humanity lackin" in a sane person and the depth of feelin" possessed by an insane
character, reversin" the stereotypes that pla"ued them both.
&eptimus represents a Klost "eneration- of men followin" the end of World War I. $s the pomp
and circumstance of 'ritish upper class society continues, a "roup of men return from war
unutterably chan"ed but without a resource to ease their frustration. +he politics of a 'ritain still
tryin" to dominate world politics cannot peacefully absorb a collection of men so altered from the
'ritish civili1ation that had sent them to the war. +he reflection of war, its effect on postwar
society, and the 'ritish infatuation with the memory of it are inseparable from the main plot of
the novel, thou"h many readers try to diminish the postwar circumstances within the book.
%owever, as #ee ,. *dwards, critic, mentions, nothin" necessitated Woolf-s inclusion of
characters- comments on the War, characters involved with the military such as #ady 'ruton and
/iss Parry, Peter-s thou"hts concernin" *mpire and the marchin" boys, or &eptimus- mental
an"uish. +he novel takes place five years after the war but exists within its shadow. &imple
contemplation transforms into social commentary when one reali1es the import of the many
references to the post6war environment. For instance, Peter-s simple musin" of the marchin" boys
has a malicious subtext because of the mechanical manner in which the boys are described.
0oun" and ea"er, the boys lose their individuality as we watch. $s *dwards describes, 4...I+hey
areJ human bein"s who have shifted their alle"iance to some set of monumental abstractions.4
&eptimus, we learn, shifted his alle"iance from &hakespeare and Isabel Pole to the 'ritish cause.
%owever, his "oal in si"nin" up for the army was to protect those very thin"s. %e is persuaded to
3oin the army by his boss because he lacked the manliness that only athletics or war could
provide. 0et, turnin" into a man allows &eptimus to keep neither &hakespeare nor Isabel Pole. %e
loses the ability to appreciate either. %e is stripped of his passions. %is mentality is replaced by a
hardened vision that teaches one not to love and not to care. %e tries so hard not to feel that the
"uilt he does feel incapacitates him. $s *dwards deftly theori1es, 4&urvivin", unfortunately,
killed him8 for &eptimus was finally unable to turn himself into a statue by a simple exercise of
will...%e feels an"uish because of the discrepancy between his feelin" that the natural world is
beautiful, the human world corrupt, and "uilt because, despite the discrepancy, the feelin" for
"oodness and the beauty of life persist.4
Part II, Section (wo Summary (p.+)-118 It was precisely twel,e
o0cloc2...9unc" parties waste t"e entire a$ternoon, "e t"oug"t,
approac"ing "is !oor.%&
$t noon, larissa finished her sewin" and the Warren &miths neared &ir William 'radshaw. ,e1ia
"uessed his home because of the presti"ious "ray motorcar out front. 'radshaw would often have
to travel lon" distances to see rich country patients, while his wife would do worthy work back in
#ondon, attendin" ba1aars or takin" photo"raphs. 'radshaw earned his presti"e throu"h hard
work. $s &eptimus walked in, 'radshaw knew immediately that &eptimus had suffered a mental
breakdown. %e also reco"ni1ed the "reat mistakes !r. %olmes had made. In the short
conversation 'radshaw had with &eptimus, he learned that &eptimus placed "reat importance on
symbols. $ letter from /r. 'rewer had been sent to 'radshaw about &eptimus, detailin" his
financial security and advanced career post.
It did not detail the crimes to humanity that &eptimus pictured he had committed. 'radshaw took
/rs. &mith to a room nearby and asked if &eptimus had spoken of killin" himself. *mbarrassed,
she replied that he had. 'radshaw reassured her that &eptimus needed a lon" rest in a country
house to re"ain a sense of proportion. ,e1ia doubted that &eptimus would a"ree but 'radshaw
responded that it was a case of the law. When they returned to &eptimus, ,e1ia burst out that he
was ill and needed to "o to a home. &eptimus asked if it was a home of !r. %olmes. +hou"h
sli"htly annoyed, 'radshaw assured him that it was a home of his. &eptimus e9uated 'radshaw
with %olmes and with the evil of human nature. &eptimus wondered if he confessed his crimes,
would they let him "o. 'ut, he could not remember his crimes. $s the couple left, 'radshaw told
,e1ia he would take care of everythin".
,e1ia felt an"ry and deserted. 'radshaw had "iven them his three69uarters of an hour and he had
prescribed proportion to strai"hten out &eptimus- delusions as he would for all cases of the sort.
%e would make all of #ondon-s unfit share his proper sense of proportion. 0et, as the narrator
explains, there is another side to proportion, termed conversion. $ "ray line exists between the
two terms. 5ne had to wonder if 'radshaw did not like to impose his will on others weaker than
he. 'radshaw showed his patients that he was in control, and they, often, broke down in his
presence. %e then remade them in his likeness.
+he &miths traveled up %arley &treet around the same time that %u"h Whitbread passed a nearby
clock. +he narrator 3umps to %u"h. %u"h was the type to delve into matters superficially. &till, he
had been an honorable member of hi"h society for years. %e may not have participated in any
"reat movements but he had made an impact on many small, important reforms. %e was always
impeccably dressed and maintained the best manners. 5n this day, as with every visit to #ady
'ruton, he brou"ht carnations for the luncheon. #ady 'ruton preferred ,ichard !alloway to
%u"h. &he had invited both to lunch to ask for their services. %owever, she thou"ht it best to wait
until they had eaten to approach the sub3ect.
+he luncheon was elaborate. ,ichard had a "reat respect for #ady 'ruton, as she was the "reat ;or
"reat6"reat< "randdau"hter of a )eneral. $s they neared the servin" of coffee, #ady 'ruton
abruptly asked about larissa. larissa doubted that the #ady liked her, and it may have been
true. #ady 'ruton cared more for politics than people and thou"ht women caused their husbands
to re3ect military posts. &uddenly, #ady 'ruton mentioned that Peter Walsh was back in town.
&he was interested in seein" ,ichard-s response. ,ichard thou"ht that, when he returned home, he
would tell larissa he loved her.
#ady 'ruton wished everyone were 4broad and simple.4 &he had become very involved with the
idea of emi"ration to anada, especially for youn" people. &he fi"ured that if ,ichard advised her
and %u"h wrote to the +imes for her, as he could do very well, then her plans would be activated.
&he waited until they were smokin" and then asked /illie to brin" the papers. When %u"h
finished writin", #ady 'ruton was so pleased with the letter that she flun" her arms around %u"h
and "raciously thanked them both. $s ,ichard stood to leave, he asked whether he would see
#ady 'ruton at larissa-s party. Possibly, she retorted. #ady 'ruton did not like parties. $fter her
"uests had left, she retired to her room, feelin" proud and powerful.
,ichard and %u"h stood at a street corner, hopin" to part but fro1en in place. Finally, they
decided to enter a shop. ,ichard had not cared about anada and he did not care about the
necklaces %u"h saw in the shop. %e then remembered larissa and Peter and thou"ht of buyin"
larissa a "ift. &oon, however, he was so dis"usted by %u"h-s pomposity that he wished to leave.
%e did want to buy larissa somethin", thou"h. %e bou"ht larissa roses and rushed home to tell
her that he loved her. %e had not said it in years. +ruly, he thou"ht, it was a miracle that he had
married her. larissa had said to him that she was ri"ht refusin" Peter. &he wanted support from
him. %e rushed throu"h parks and past homeless women. %e rushed by 'uckin"ham Palace, full
of presti"e and tradition. ,ichard felt very happy, rushin" home to profess his love.
Part II Section (wo 'nalysis&
+he more the reader has learned about &eptimus, the more he can see that &eptimus is slippin"
from sanity. %e feels so extremely "uilty, confused, and powerless that he has lost the power to
control his emotions. Woolf brin"s to the fore the ineptitude of the day-s psychiatric help with the
characteri1ations of %olmes and 'radshaw. +hese characteri1ations allow her to air her
"rievances, to some extent, a"ainst the evils of the doctors whom she has visited throu"hout her
episodes of mental instability. 'radshaw is capable of noticin" the mistakes made by %olmes in
not reali1in" the severity of &eptimus-s problems, but he too takes a forceful and dominatin"
approach to &eptimus.
Woolf imposes an interestin" section onto the narrative in which the author appears to speak out.
+hou"h 'radshaw has a"reed to help and tells ,e1ia that he will make all the necessary plans,
,e1ia feels deserted and betrayed. WhyD Woolf responds to this 9uestion in her discussion of
proportion versus conversion. In 'radshaw-s attempt to make his patients adhere to his sense of
proper proportion, he converts them into new, unori"inal form mirrorin" the doctor himself. In
effect, he takes the life out of them, the a"ency out of their bein". Woolf felt that many of the
doctors with whom she came into contact were more tryin" to convert her than heal her. $s
(ohnson notes, 4In his compulsion to put people away, Woolf casts &ir William as an a"ent of
death. For insanity, as she describes it, is isolation from people, from thin"s, from all the stuff of
life death, in short.4 It is not a coincidence that the other doctor-s name is %olmes and that
'radshaw wishes to send &eptimus to a home. $s &eptimus asks when told the plan, 4 5ne of
%olmes- homesD4 $fter this reali1ation, &eptimus e9uates 'radshaw to %olmes. &ymbolically,
they both are fi"ures of evil that stifle the life out of an ailin" human bein". 'radshaw-s country
home represents the isolation and the conversion, as well as the psychiatric insensitivity, forced
on the mentally ill of Woolf-s time.
&imilarly, the sterile, stolid character of #ady 'ruton is developed durin" this section of the
novel. &he too has little interest in the personalities behind the people with whom she comes into
contact. &he is not viewed as malicious by the author or the other characters. 0et, larissa senses
that 'ruton dislikes her, a feelin" that is substantiated in the mind of #ady 'ruton durin" the
luncheon she holds with ,ichard and %u"h. &he excludes larissa from the meal, not because she
is mean, but because larissa-s presence would not have served #ady 'ruton-s desired purpose.
+he #ady sou"ht advice, su""estions, and help. &he wanted ,ichard-s opinions and %u"h-s letter6
writin" ability. +hus, in a parallel manner to the doctors, #ady 'ruton uses her "uests as tools to
manipulate a conversion. &he feels that wives, like larissa, distract men from their proper duties
in "overnment and public affairs. #ike %olmes, her name is also symbolic because it refers to the
brute force of title, ac9uisition, and status 9uo. In short, #ady 'ruton represents *n"land as
empire, society as means, and men as dominators. Peter, sensitive to passion and emotion, senses
the chan"es in #ondon much more acutely than #ady 'ruton ever will. ,ichard, thou"h swayed
by #ady 'ruton-s family history, sees beyond the ob3ective world into the happiness of his
marria"e. Ironically, however, he is not motivated to buy flowers for his wife until he is faced
with 3ealousy, caused by the return of Peter Walsh.
Part II, Section ("ree Summary (p.118-133 ("e soun! o$ :ig :en
$loo!e!...#owing "er "ea! ,ery politely, s"e went.%&
larissa was very annoyed. /rs. /arsham had written her about invitin" *llie %enderson to her
party, but larissa had purposely not invited *llie. &he was a bore. &he was also annoyed that
*li1abeth was prayin" with /iss 2ilman. +he clock struck three and ,ichard walked in, holdin"
flowers. %e could not brin" himself to say he loved her, but she understood. larissa thanked him
and filled him in on her list of annoyances. ,ichard told her about %u"h bein" at lunch and bein"
an ass, and larissa mentioned Peter-s visit, and how bi1arre it was that she had almost married
him. ,ichard held her hand. %e then hurried off to some committee meetin", thou"h he was not
sure himself whether it was about the $rmenians or $lbanians. 'efore leavin", ,ichard told
larissa to rest, as he always did, because a doctor once had su""ested that she rest after lunch.
#yin" down, larissa felt selfish that she cared more about roses than sufferin" $lbanians. &he
felt uneasy and reali1ed that it was because of the ne"ative reactions both Peter and ,ichard had
toward her parties. Peter thou"ht her a snob8 ,ichard thou"ht her childish. 0et, she loved her
parties because she loved sharin" in people-s lives. Parties were her offerin" to the world, her "ift.
larissa was ama1ed by the very essence of life, moment to moment, the simple pleasures of
seein" beauty. +he door opened and *li1abeth entered. &tran"ely, *li1abeth did not resemble the
rest of the !alloways, but had an almost $sian look to her. larissa was bothered because she had
become very serious lately. /iss 2ilman stood outside the door, and *li1abeth told her mother
that they were "oin" to the $rmy and .avy surplus stores.
/iss 2ilman despised larissa because, in her eyes, larissa was mean and superficial. &he felt
plain next to larissa and cheated by the world. &he did not mind /r. !alloway8 he had invited
her to teach history to *li1abeth. /iss 2ilman told herself that she pitied women like /rs.
!alloway. Whenever she was filled with sinister thou"hts, she thou"ht of )od. When /rs.
!alloway came out with *li1abeth, /iss 2ilman tried not to hate. &he told herself there would be
a reli"ious victory in the end, and she would triumph. In return, larissa felt victimi1ed. &he felt
that this woman was stealin" her dau"hter. +hey stood awkwardly to"ether for a moment as
*li1abeth ran for her "loves. +hen, /iss 2ilman and *li1abeth left.
!esperate, larissa yelled after *li1abeth to remember her party, but *li1abeth did not hear.
larissa hated how /iss 2ilman wanted to convert everyone, and made others feel small.
larissa simply wanted people to be themselves. larissa pondered love and reli"ion, feelin" that
the combination had the power to destroy. &he thou"ht of Peter, who was filled with knowled"e
of the world, but who loved flimsy women. 'i" 'en struck three6thirty. larissa noticed the old
woman whom she could view in the house ad3acent throu"h her window. It seemed to larissa
that the rin"in" of the bell forced the lady to move away from her window. $ll was connected.
5ne needed neither reli"ion nor love to make the connections. $nother clock, which always ran"
sli"htly after 'i" 'en, reminded larissa to prepare for her party.
/iss 2ilman, filled with an"er, tried to calm herself by rememberin" what reli"ion had tau"ht
her. %owever, she resented her u"ly body and she resented /rs. !alloway. /iss 2ilman lived to
eat food and love *li1abeth. /iss 2ilman and *li1abeth reached the stores. /iss 2ilman wished
to look at petticoats but was so flushed with an"er and frustration that she seemed nearly mad in
her selection. +hen, /iss 2ilman declared that they must have tea. &he ate with intensity, leerin"
at the cakes of others while she demolished the food in front of her. *li1abeth thou"ht of how
peculiar /iss 2ilman was, takin" her to teas with cler"ymen, lendin" her books on different
professions, complainin" of her unhappiness, and "ettin" alon" horribly with her mother.
$s *li1abeth looked for her "loves, /iss 2ilman desperately hoped the "irl would stay with her
lon"er. 'ut, *li1abeth wanted to "o. /iss 2ilman detained her by sayin" that she had not finished
eatin". &he asked *li1abeth if she would "o to her mother-s party. *li1abeth responded that she
would probably have to, thou"h she did not like parties. /iss 2ilman replied that she never went
to parties because she was never invited. &he continued talkin", feelin" sorry for herself and
drivin" a small wed"e between herself and *li1abeth. *li1abeth then paid her bill and left.
Part II Section ("ree 'nalysis&
+he theme of the sea as symbolic of life is invoked as ,ichard returns from the luncheon with
flowers for larissa. +he suspense is properly built for the moment where ,ichard will tell
larissa he loves her. larissa has been visited by Peter that mornin", and her thou"hts
continually stray to him. ,ichard has been provoked to this moment of passion by the very
mention of Peter and finally breaks from %u"h so that he can return to larissa, the happiness of
his life. $s he enters their home, the bell si"nifies the break in time and pro"ression. Woolf
writes, 4$nd the sound of the bell flooded the room with its melancholy wave8 which receded,
and "athered itself to"ether to fall once more, when she heard distractin"ly, somethin" fumblin",
somethin" scratchin" at the door.4 +he sure6handed prose certainly does not introduce the
seemin" moment of passion the reader expects. Instead, Woolf-s verbia"e here reads more like
*d"ar $llen Poe, foreshadowin" a dreaded event throu"h repetition and ima"ery. +he melancholy
waves "ather their force only to stumble and fumble about. 5ne expects some kind of monster to
enter behind this sea rather than a lovin" husband with flowers. Woolf foreshadows the failure of
,ichard to say KI love you- and to properly communicate with his wife by describin" the failed
motion of a wave, havin" to retreat after crashin", only to "ather, and crash once more.
&imilarly, the reader "ets the feelin" that ,ichard has hoped to express his love to larissa at
other times as well, but has also failed. +he failed connection exists between husband and wife,
between fellow humans. larissa-s conversation still returns to Peter. ,ichard holds her hand, but
a "ulf exists between husband and wife that allows little verbal connection to take hold. +he
theme of insanity coupled with sanity appears in this context as /aureen %oward, author of the
introduction to the novel, illuminates. &he writes, 4...7ir"inia Woolf knew from her own illness
how close to endurance and civili1ation lay insanity and mayhem...It is so difficult to endow our
words with meanin". ...larity, like simple sentences KI love you- is hard to come by.4 In a war6
torn world, crumbled and disillusioned followin" World War I, Woolf attempted to illustrate the
difficulty of simply livin". %oward elaborates, 4In /rs. !alloway, she be"an to assemble the bits
and pieces, to find the an"les, the ori"inal voice that would make us feel4 and thus, communicate
successfully a"ain.
In this sense, ,ichard is no more connected to the meetin"s he attends. In fact, he fails to know if
he is meetin" to discuss the $rmenians or $lbanians. +he importance of his societal duties is
undermined by his nonchalance, commentin" on Woolf-s view of the *n"lish upper classes and
the state of all6important *n"lish duty. +he reader is ac9uainted with ,ichard-s many "ood
9ualities, yet his loyalty to the status 9uo and the establishment is mirrored in his leavin" his wife
for a meetin" that he obviously does not care about and in the awe he feels toward #ady 'ruton-s
family history.
Ironically, larissa-s parties are developed by Woolf, in contrast to ,ichard-s work, as entities of
value and si"nificance. 'oth Peter and ,ichard, whose opinions she relies most upon, 3ud"e
larissa-s parties harshly. %owever, in this section of the novel, larissa comes to reali1e why her
parties are so important to her and the reader learns that the parties si"nify larissa-s "ift to the
world around her. Woolf once described insanity as a form of death because its intense loneliness
created a human void for the sufferer. In larissa-s parties, she fi"hts this emptiness, this void.
larissa brin"s people to"ether and thus, creates a human dialo"ue. &he creates life, and thus,
sanity. What at first seems 9uite superficial and vain becomes 9uite substantial and meanin"ful
upon reflection.
/iss 2ilman, however, is one character that cannot be helped by a social offerin" of this type.
+he woman is so embittered by her experiences, beliefs, and station in life, that she refuses to
open herself to anythin" that is offered, especially by one viewed as a socialite, such as larissa.
%er hold on *li1abeth, thou"h, is 9uite stron" and a sexual relationship between the two women
is even hinted at. 0et, their connection breaks down durin" the trip to the store and cafL. /iss
2ilman is extremely self6involved and dependent as shown by her attempts to keep *li1abeth
with her. +he ima"e of /iss 2ilman "obblin" down her cake stands as a metaphor for her
personality. +hou"h !oris 2ilman hun"ers for companionship and acceptance, she is unable to
see beyond the cake in front of her. +he text describes the desperation of /iss 2ilman when
Woolf states, 4If I!oris 2ilmanJ could "rasp I*li1abethJ, if she could clasp her, if she could make
her hers absolutely and forever and then die8 that was all she wanted.4 onsumed with 3ealousy
and ra"e, she loses her "rasp on her youn" friend, becomin" nothin" more than a ridiculous
caricature 4fin"erin" the last two inches of a chocolate Lclair.4
Part II, Section .our Summary (p.133-131 S"e "a! gone...So t"at
was Dr. 6olmes.%&
/iss 2ilman sat alone, despondent. &he had lost her *li1abeth. larissa had won, after all. &he
wandered off, for"ettin" her petticoat until someone ran after her. /iss 2ilman headed for a
sanctuary of reli"ion. &he 3oined others in the $bbey and knelt in prayer. *li1abeth also
wandered. &he en3oyed the niceness of the day and decided to take a bus ride. %er life was
chan"in". $lready men were fallin" in love with her. &he felt that the attention was silly.
*li1abeth wished only to play in the country, with her father. &he sat on the bus and en3oyed the
fresh air. /editatin" on /iss 2ilman, she wondered if /iss 2ilman-s idea about the poor was
correct. &he paid another penny so that she could continue ridin" the bus onto the &trand, a
workin" 9uarter of #ondon. /iss 2ilman had said that all professions were open to women of
*li1abeth-s "eneration and so *li1abeth thou"ht she mi"ht become a doctor, politician, or farmer.
&he was a la1y child, but the ride motivated her. +he people in the &trand rushed about with such
importance. .earin" &t. Paul-s cathedral, she knew it was "ettin" late and she turned for home.
+he sun was settin" in the &trand as &eptimus looked out his window. +o him, nature danced
throu"h the sunli"ht on the walls. ,e1ia dreaded seein" &eptimus smile as he often did.
&ometimes he would demand that she record his thou"hts. &he would write down his words,
lo"ical or not, on &hakespeare, war, and beauty. #ately, he would suddenly cry out about truth
and seein" his old friend, *vans. +he doctors had said he should not "et excited, but he did. %e
would speak of %olmes in terms of the evil of human nature. +o &eptimus, all this was true. +his
day, ,e1ia sat sewin" a hat for /rs. Peters, a woman she did not like but who had been nice to
the &miths. &eptimus watched ,e1ia-s form and found it perfect. %e asked her about /rs. Peters
and her family. %e opened his eyes to observe how real the ob3ects in his home were. %e held a
normal conversation with ,e1ia about the Peters- which made her very happy. +hey 3oked about
the hat that would be too small for bi" /rs. Peters and &eptimus desi"ned the pattern to decorate
the top of the hat. ,e1ia happily sewed his pattern on and &eptimus was very pleased. ,e1ia
would always love the hat they created.
&eptimus made ,e1ia try the hat on. +he "irl with the evenin" paper arrived. ,e1ia danced
around with her, lau"hin", as &eptimus read aloud from the paper. &eptimus fell asleep, slowly
slippin" from reality. When he awoke, ,e1ia had "one to take the "irl home. %e looked for his
visions but they were not there. ,e1ia burst in, still happy. &he felt that thin"s had returned to
normal. &he thou"ht back to when she had first met him, and how he had understood the thin"s
that she said. &he asked if he liked the hat, but &eptimus 3ust sat, lookin" at her. %e believed that
he could feel her mind, but he also remembered that 'radshaw had said that he would need to
separate himself. It bothered him that 'radshaw had seemed so demandin". ,e1ia told him it was
because he had wanted to kill himself. %e in9uired where his writin"s were and she brou"ht them
to him. %e wanted them burned but she promised to keep them from the doctors. &he also
promised that the doctors would not separate her from him.
&eptimus ima"ined his wife as a flowerin" tree, triumphin" over the doctors. ,e1ia heard the
voice of !r. %olmes and ran to stop him from seein" &eptimus. %olmes pushed by her. ,e1ia,
&eptimus knew, was on his side. %olmes continued up the stairs toward &eptimus. &eptimus tried
to think of ways to escape. +he window was the only option he could fathom. %e waited to the
last minute, en3oyin" the sun, and then threw himself onto the fence below. %olmes ran in,
shoutin" that &eptimus was a coward. /rs. Filmer ran to ,e1ia, makin" her sit down. %olmes
"ave ,e1ia a drink that made her fall asleep. &he thou"ht of happy memories. &lowly, she
reali1ed that &eptimus was dead. People outside carried the body away.
Part II Section .our 'nalysis&
*li1abeth !alloway is compared often to a bloomin" flower, the metonym for sprin" and "rowth,
as she is a youn" "irl comin" into womanhood. $"ainst her will, *li1abeth is bein" drawn into
adult life. Woolf writes, 4People were be"innin" to compare her to poplar trees, early dawn,
hyacinths, fawns, runnin" water, and "arden lilies, and it made her life a burden to her, for she so
much preferred bein" left alone...4 +his list of ima"es creates in the reader a sense of renewal and
vitality that is essential to *li1abeth-s character. /iss 2ilman employs Woolf-s metonyms for
*li1abeth when she substitutes, 4*li1abeth had "one. 'eauty had "one, youth had "one.4 $s
*li1abeth breaks from /iss 2ilman, *li1abeth renews and revitali1es her sense of self. &he
en3oys the feel of bein" alone and outdoors and revels in the noise of the crowds and in life
rushin" around her. $s she rides the bus throu"h #ondon, she is inspired to think of future
professions and aspirations. ritic, /anly (ohnson, relates, 4+here is a !ickensian deli"ht in
movement and sounds in the description of *li1abeth-s recommitment to life on her own...4 +he
ride throu"h #ondon symboli1es a rite of passa"e for *li1abeth who be"ins explorin" the path
from adolescence to vital adulthood.
Woolf also fre9uently compares ,e1ia &mith to a tree or flower of life. (ohnson explains,
4rippled within, I&eptimusJ seeks out #ucre1ia to marry her, with the instinctive knowled"e that
her health is what his sickness needs. &he appears to him as the tree of life...4 $s Woolf develops
the theme of the sane alon" side the insane, she a"ain describes ,e1ia, throu"h &eptimus, as a
flower attemptin" to protect her battered husband with her maternal petals. Woolf illustrates,
4...she did up the papers...as if all her petals were about her. &he was a flowerin" tree...4 ,e1ia too
represents vitality and life, and as such, she is incapable of protectin" or understandin" her
husband. %er attention to detail and the love she "ives to her hat makin" depicts the care she
"ives to the world around her. ,e1ia-s declaration that she and &eptimus will not be separated is
used to explore the necessity of to"etherness in sanity. When she leaves to take the youn" "irl
home, &eptimus be"ins to lose his "rasp on reality. %e falls asleep and when he wakes up, he has
clearly returned to the separate world of his own delusions. %is desperation is reflected in the
text: 4+hat was it: to be alone forever. +hat was the doom pronounced in /ilan...4 +he
devastation caused by the war and his reali1ation that he can no lon"er feel illustrates the lack of
emotional connection &eptimus retains to those around him.
+he period that ,e1ia and &eptimus spend to"ether before he falls asleep displays a healthiness
and happiness rarely felt in the novel. +he hat that the husband and wife create to"ether stands as
a metaphor for life and sanity. +he hat allows the two to communicate, playfully and warmly.
+hey discuss people they know and cooperate in the hat-s desi"n and construction. +he pattern
that &eptimus pieces to"ether for the hat symboli1es the novel itself. +he novel, as a truly modern
novel of the post6World War I era, is also constructed of fra"ments pieced to"ether. %ow does
one learn about larissa-s character, for instanceD We learn from larissa herself, but also from
comments and thou"hts made by others, by memories discovered, and by symbolic reference.
+he postmodern novel is a pastiche of reflections, alternatin" narration, poetic allusion, direct
prose, metaphor, dialo"ue, and character development. #ike the hat, several layers of emotion,
sentiment, lo"ic, character, and motive create the desi"n. +he moment of creation is thus a
culmination of life and si"nificance in the novel.
!r. %olmes, seen as the symbol of the evil of human nature by &eptimus, drives the life out of
man. %e and 'radshaw represent the fi"ures of conversion and proportion detailed earlier by
Woolf. In their attempts to smooth over &eptimus- very real problems and ultimately, to separate
him from the life connection he still holds, the physicians force &eptimus to his death. Insanity, in
Woolf-s eyes, was very near to death. (ohnson explains, 4In his compulsion to put people away,
Woolf casts &ir William as an a"ent of death.4 $s &eptimus awakes from his nap, his thou"hts
flow directly to 'radshaw-s words of separation. ,e1ia tries to alleviate &eptimus- fears, but the
arrival of a forceful !r. %olmes makes the fears very real to &eptimus. %e feels that he must
escape the "rasp of %olmes and 'radshaw. 0et, &eptimus does not want to die. 'efore 3umpin",
he states, 4'ut he would wait till the very last moment. %e did not want to die. #ife was "ood.
+he sun hot.4 $s he 3umps, he screams that he will 4"ive it to I%olmesJ.4&eptimus feels pushed
into a position where he must save himself from the smotherin" hold of conversion and
proportion. Woolf writes, 4I,e1iaJ saw the lar"e outline of his body standin" dark a"ainst the
window. &o that was !r. %olmes.4 %olmes is a fi"ure, a symbol, of darkness and destruction
whereas &eptimus, last alive in the hot sun, reflects ruined innocence and "oodness. %is moment
in the sun foreshadows larissa-s later reaction to &eptimus- death and the connection that will be
solidified between them.
Part II, Section .i,e Summary (p.131-143 One o$ t"e triump"s o$
ci,ilisation...6e opene! t"e #ig #la!e o$ "is poc2et-2ni$e.%&
Peter appreciated the ambulance that sped past him as a si"n of civility and communal empathy.
%e was pleased to watch the unselfish cars move over to let the ambulance pass. %e was afraid to
think too lon" on the morbid sub3ect, but liked that it was his ri"ht to entertain such thou"hts
when he was alone. %is tendency to become emotionally attached to people and events had
always been a flaw. %e especially en3oyed the company of women. %e thou"ht back to a time
when he and larissa rode on top of a bus, and she came up with a transcendental theory for how
she knew people simply by livin" in a society. Wherever she had been, a piece of her stayed
behind. &he diminished the finality of death this way. Peter did notice that her theory worked for
their relationship. +he meetin"s they had experienced over the years were often painful while
happenin" but later "ave Peter food for thou"ht when he least expected it. /emories of larissa
would pop up anywhere. %is memories of her were mostly at 'ourton.
$t his hotel, Peter was handed his mail, includin" a letter from larissa. &he must have written it
ri"ht after he left her house. %er note stated only that she had loved seein" him, but it annoyed
him. %e wished she would 3ust leave him alone. %e would always feel bitterly that larissa had
refused him, thou"h he knew that their marria"e would have failed. %e thou"ht of !aisy and his
way of charmin" women. !aisy was only twenty6four and had two youn" children. 5ne woman
warned him that !aisy would be wrecked when he died and her reputation was tarnished. 'ut he
did not want to think about that. %e cared less and less about what others thou"ht. &till, maybe it
was best if !aisy for"ot about him.
$t dinner, thou"h alone, Peter commanded respect. $ nearby family, the /orrises, liked Peter and
after leavin" the dinin" room for the smokin" room, they en"a"ed him in conversation. Peter
liked bein" liked. %e decided that he would attend larissa-s party, in order to ask ,ichard what
the *n"lish "overnment was plannin" to do in India. Peter moved to the porch and watched the
hot day dwindle into ni"ht. +he prolon"ed summer evenin" was new to Peter. %e en3oyed
watchin" the youn" lovers dawdle. Peter looked at the newspaper, as he was 9uite interested in
cricket matches. Finally, he left the hotel and slowly moved toward the !alloway-s home. +he
symmetry of #ondon-s s9uares and streets struck him as beautiful. It seemed as if everyone was
dinin" out. 'ustlin", dressed up #ondoners scattered to and fro. ,eachin" larissa-s home, Peter
breathed deeply to prepare himself for the challen"e. Instinctively, his hand opened the knife
blade in his pocket.
Part II Section .i,e 'nalysis&
Woolf writes, 4It was as if he were sucked up to some very hi"h roof by that rush of emotion and
the rest of him, like a white shellsprinkled beach, left bare. It had been his undoin" in $n"lo6
Indian society this susceptibility.4 *xpandin" on Woolf-s theme of life as the sea, Peter Walsh too
experiences the waves of emotion that rise and fall in larissa-s life. %e notes that his inability to
weep or lau"h at the ri"ht time has left him as empty and lonely as a beach that is washed clean
after the sea pulls back. In this case, the thematic metaphor functions to illustrate Peter-s societal
isolation when he is stripped of the metaphoric sea that connects him to life. Immediately
followin" Peter-s thou"hts in the text, Woolf describes Peter-s memory of larissa-s
transcendentalist6like theory of livin". +he theory follows, 4...since our apparitions, the part of us
which appears, are so momentary compared with the other, the unseen part of us, which spreads
wide, the unseen mi"ht survive, be recovered somehow attached to this person or that, or even
hauntin" certain places after death...4 larissa has served this purpose to Peter as thou"hts of her
fre9uently, or infre9uently, occur to him, causin" him to relive their times to"ether at the most
unexpected times. In this sense, larissa acts as metaphoric sea in Peter-s life. %er absence leaves
him empty and wonderin"8 whereas her presence provides connections to a life that he desires for
years after her presence has ceased.
Peter has trouble facin" these reminders of larissa, these remnants of her unseen survivin", and
thus, becomes embittered when he receives the note from her at his hotel. Cnlike her husband,
larissa has an easier time communicatin" and has successfully expressed herself in the written
form and delivered this expression to Peter before he arrives back at his hotel. Peter feels
bombarded by the memories he suffers of larissa, and her "host makes an even "reater
appearance in the form of the note. +he blue ;symbolic of the sea< envelope, reco"ni1ably
addressed in larissa-s hand, stands as a symbol of Peter-s continuin" attachment to larissa and
his proclaimed susceptibility. %e looked at a picture he had carried with him of !aisy and felt a
different sentiment entirely. With !aisy, 4$ll IisJ plain sailin".4 +his ocean of feelin" does not
haunt Peter8 this relationship he can navi"ate.
*n"land as society and civili1ation passes by and impresses Peter. 0et, he still is incapable of
escapin" the past. %is thou"hts, and Woolf-s prose, mer"e and blur with the past as the two are
expressed interchan"eably. +hey exist as one for Woolf-s characters. +he intersection of time and
timelessness most noticeably occurs directly in front of Peter-s "a1e as he sits on the veranda of
the hotel and as he slowly ambles to the party. #ondon had chan"ed since Peter last visited, and
the chan"es that he can perceive pass by him on his 3ourney back to larissa-s house.
&ince time stands as Woolf-s "reatest marker of life and livin", it is not surprisin" that she si"nals
the chan"es that have occurred since Peter-s last appearance in *n"land with a reference to time.
Peter sits on the porch of the hotel and Woolf writes, 4For the "reat revolution of /r. Willett-s
summer time had taken place since Peter Walsh-s last visit. +he prolon"ed evenin" was new to
him. It was inspirin", rather.4 /r. Willett-s summer time is an allusion to the adoption of dayli"ht
savin"s time. +he len"thened evenin" allows Peter to observe much of #ondon as he slips in and
out of his own memories. In this artificial expansion of day, Peter is transported to a space and
time where a"e and bein" seem less established and immoveable. %e remarks that he is 4as youn"
as ever.4 Past and present intersect in Woolf-s writin", which lacks transitions and purposely
avoids specifyin" pronouns in order to emphasi1e the blurred distinction between the two. +he
immediacy of the moment is blended beautifully and "enerously with the timeless memories of
the past.
Part II, Section Si- Summary (p. 143-1+)%&
#ucy and the other servants ran around in final preparation for the party. +hey had heard that the
Prime /inister was comin". )uests were already arrivin" and the ladies be"an to move upstairs,
with /rs. !alloway last. /rs. Walker, one servant, worried about the salmon. #ucy reported to
the others how lovely *li1abeth looked. $ few servants were hired for larissa-s parties every
year. $s the "uests entered, they were each announced and larissa would say to each, 4%ow
deli"htful to see you=4 Peter felt that larissa was insincere and wished he had "one somewhere
else for the evenin". larissa noticed Peter and felt ashamed. %is presence made her 3ud"e
herself. &he wondered why she threw parties and felt instantly that this party would fail. It
an"ered larissa that Peter came to critici1e. $nd, yet, she thou"ht her parties did matter.
*llie %enderson, larissa-s poor cousin, stood in the corner, not talkin" to anyone but en3oyin" a
chance to observe. &he would tell her friend, *dith, all about it later. &he "uessed that larissa
had not meant to invite her. ,ichard was kind enou"h to say hello. $ moment later, Peter "reeted
,ichard and they walked off. larissa continued "reetin" all who entered. &he felt tired and rote.
&uddenly, #ady ,osseter was announced. %er voice struck a chord. larissa reali1ed the title was
&ally &eton-s married name= &he was passin" throu"h #ondon and came to the party, uninvited.
larissa was over3oyed to see her. &he noticed that &ally looked older8 &ally told her that she had
five boys. +he Prime /inister was announced and larissa had to attend to him. &urprisin" to
most, he was an ordinary lookin" man. %e walked about with larissa, then ,ichard, actin" as a
symbol of *n"lish society.
Peter thou"ht the *n"lish were snobs. &oon, Peter spotted %u"h Whitbread, another reminder of
society. +o Peter, %u"h appeared bloated and self6important. +he student near %u"h seemed
much more worthwhile in Peter-s eyes. #ady 'ruton met privately with the Prime /inister. +hen,
larissa continued to lead the Prime /inister around, makin" him feel at ease. +hou"h
intoxicated with the ener"y of her party, larissa retained a hollow feelin". $s she "rew older,
parties were somewhat less fulfillin". 5n the other hand, hatred, brou"ht about by a picture that
tri""ered thou"hts of /iss 2ilman, mana"ed to fulfill her. larissa cau"ht si"ht of &ir %arry and
"reeted him with love. $s much as he liked larissa thou"h, he still found this social circle stale.
larissa had to move on to another "roup of people. &he came upon Professor 'rierly, an expert
on /ilton, and (im %utton, who shared larissa-s love for 'ach, not "ettin" alon". larissa
wished she could have %utton play on the piano, but the party was too loud. &he, then, "reeted
#ord )ayton and /iss 'low, who were not speakin" much. larissa wished she had dancin" for
the youn" people, but there was no room. &pottin" her aunt, larissa went to old %elena Parry.
&he had "otten alon" so well with Peter, so larissa brou"ht Peter to her. larissa promised Peter
that they would speak later. larissa met with #ady 'ruton briefly. +hey were very different and
did not have much to say. #ady 'ruton 3oined Peter near /iss Parry, and invited him to lunch.
&ally noticed Peter with /iss Parry. &he tried to make larissa 3oin them, but larissa could not
be stopped. larissa hoped they would wait until she had time. &he remembered &ally-s vi"or
from youth, her insatiable vivacity. &ally did not illuminate a room as she once had. &ettlin"
down to a normal marria"e was not expected of her, larissa thou"ht. &ally sat with Peter.
larissa saw them as the link to her past.
+he 'radshaws entered and larissa hurried to "reet them. larissa and ,ichard had never liked
the couple, especially the doctor. +hey were so late because, as #ady 'radshaw intimated to
larissa, &ir William had received a call about a youn" man who had killed himself. larissa was
appalled that #ady 'radshaw was brin"in" death into the party. !istrau"ht, larissa wandered
into a little room but no one was there. +he thou"ht of death overwhelmed her. &he could feel the
man, who had been &eptimus, fall and his body hit the metal spikes as if it were she. &he thou"ht
of her past, Peter, and &ally, and she wondered if the man had been happy. larissa reali1ed why
she despised &ir 'radshaw8 he made the life of his patients intolerable. +he death seemed her
dis"race, a fate into which she mi"ht have slipped if it had not been for ,ichard. %e made her life
happy, she thou"ht. larissa looked out the window and noticed that the old woman across was
lookin" back toward her. &he thou"ht it bi1arre to watch the old woman prepare for bed while her
party roared in the next room. larissa felt revived by the knowled"e that &eptimus had thrown
his life away. &he returned to the party, to find Peter and &ally.
Peter was still sittin" with &ally but he wondered where larissa had "one. &ally fi"ured that the
people at the party were all important politicians, like ,ichard. ,ichard, however, had never
made the abinet. &ally had chan"ed, Peter thou"ht. Peter had not, &ally thou"ht. &ally
remembered the scene at 'ourton the first day ,ichard had come. It had tri""ered the three of
them partin". +hey spoke a little of &ally-s home near /anchester and &ally invited Peter to visit.
larissa had never visited. +hey noticed *li1abeth standin" across the room8 she seemed so
unlike larissa. &ally mentioned that she loved larissa, but larissa lacked somethin". &ally
wondered how larissa could have married ,ichard. $s %u"h passed, Peter asked &ally whether
%u"h had really kissed her at 'ourton. &ally still stuck to the story. $fter %u"h passed, &ally
asked about many people in the room, but Peter only knew about a few. %e kept lookin" for
larissa. &ally felt that they had "rown to the a"e that one must say what they feel. Peter said he
did not know what he felt. %e admitted that his relationship with larissa had spoilt his life. 5ne
could only be in love once, he reasoned. When &ally said larissa must have loved him more
than she loved ,ichard, Peter felt she had "one too far. #ookin" at *li1abeth a"ain, Peter felt that
one knew people better as one "rew older whereas &ally felt that one never knew anythin".
,ichard stood talkin" to the 'radshaws before they left. *li1abeth cau"ht his eye and wandered
over to him. ,ichard was ama1ed how "rown up she looked. &ally could tell that *li1abeth and
,ichard shared a special bond. $lmost everyone had left the party now. &ally rose to speak with
,ichard. Peter waited a minute, soon overcome by "reat elation. %e reali1ed that he was happy
because larissa had finally come.
Part II Section Si- 'nalysis&
larissa-s role of the hostess is fulfilled with the occurrence of the actual party in the last section
of the novel. +he final preparations take place as the servants hurry around with last minute
additions and "ossip. People be"in arrivin" and larissa is put into play. For the rest of the novel,
she rarely has time to stand with any one "uest and speak with him before she must run off to
"reet another. &he is a servant to societal conventions and her offerin" to society forces her to
sacrifice herself to its performance. 5ne can see this best when larissa-s "reat old friend, &ally
&eton ;now #ady ,osseter<, is surprisin"ly introduced. *ven thou"h &ally has lost some of her
old luster, larissa is over3oyed to see her. 0et, a moment later, she is called upon to attend to
another "uest. &he is pulled away before she knows whom the "uest is, and after hearin" that it is
the Prime /inister, she must show him around the party personally.
$s the Prime /inister walks around the party, Woolf describes the "uests tryin" not to lau"h or
notice how common the man looked. &he writes, 4%e tried to look somebody. It was amusin" to
watch. .obody looked at him.4 %ow one is perceived is examined in this section, as the
party"oers clearly notice that the man is tryin" to look important and yet, they are still impressed.
+heir perception of the name, the symbol, the status of the Prime /inister overcomes any
physical evidence in the contrary. +he presti"ious car that slowly made its way throu"h #ondon,
peakin" everyone-s curiosity and wonderment, foreshadowed this moment of the Prime /inister-s
actual appearance. In a similar fashion, the onlookers of the event feel important simply to have
been present. Woolf-s description of the reaction to the Prime /inister parallels the earlier
viewin". &he describes the crowd, 4...they all knew, felt to the marrow of their bones, this ma3esty
passin"8 this symbol of what they all stood for, *n"lish society.4 +he fi"ure of the Prime /inister
symboli1es the hierarchy of *n"lish society and the deeply encoded sense of civility and status
that still ruled the society even after the devastation of World War I. +he society continues to look
down upon youn" men such as &eptimus who have suffered in the War while also continuin" to
"lorify men such as %u"h Whitbread who do little else but write pithy articles and attend
meetin"s.
+his thread of society, symboli1ed by the fi"ure of the Prime /inister, carries the reader throu"h
the novel, from the car that stirs all of #ondon-s citi1ens to ,ichard-s post in Parliament to %u"h
Whitbread-s "atherin"s at 'uckin"ham Palace to #ady 'ruton-s luncheon to the party where the
Prime /inister appears in the flesh. +he Prime /inister is a metonym for *n"lish society itself.
*ven Peter Walsh reco"ni1es that *n"land has not chan"ed much in this sense durin" his absence.
%e comments, 4#ord, lord, the snobbery of the *n"lish=4 Peter had foreshadowed the role that
larissa would play in the furtherance of *n"lish snobbery in his retort to her that she would
someday be the Prime /inister-s wife. &tandin" atop the stairs, "reetin" the "uests of her party,
leadin" around the Prime /inister, she nearly fulfills this prophecy. $nd, as one critic states,
,ichard-s career is not over, and so she may someday be married to the Prime /inister.
+he break in the mood of the party occurs with the arrival of the 'radshaws. $fter hearin" of
&eptimus- death, larissa is no lon"er worried about makin" sure everyone is happy or leadin"
around the presti"ious members of the crowd. &he retires to a small room in order to deal with the
feelin" of death that has invaded her party and her bein". &he, of course, does not know the
stran"er who committed suicide, but the doppel"an"ers of Woolf-s ima"ination become connected
in this moment. +hey become physically connected as larissa reflects the feelin"s of pain and
death experienced by &eptimus throu"h her body. &he identifies with the fall he experienced and
the rusty spikes piercin" his body.
&he, then, reali1es that his death is a sacrifice for her, and for the others at her party and
everywhere, to allow them to continue livin". &eptimus- role as a hrist fi"ure becomes apparent.
Woolf ori"inally planned for larissa to commit suicide, or simply die, at the end of the novel.
Instead, she decided that a part of larissa, constructed in the form of a man destroyed by war
and society, would take his own life in order for the rest of larissa-s bein" to appreciate the life
she had. larissa believes, 4$ thin" there was that mattered...+his he had preserved. !eath was
defiance. !eath was an attempt to communicate.4 +he Kthis- to which Woolf refers is purposely
ambi"uous. #ife could obviously be inserted in its place, but the essence of life, 4the thin" that
mattered,4 is impossible to define. 0et, the essence is possible to preserve and &eptimus- decision
to throw it all away has done so. +he words of &hakespeare come to larissa, linkin" her
undeniably to the youn" &eptimus. +he words tell her, 4Fear no more the heat of the sun.4
&eptimus, who had "one to war so that he could protect &hakespeare, stands in the heat of the sun
immediately before 3umpin" to his death.
Woolf is borrowin" from &hakespeare-s play ymbeline, as she had earlier in the novel when
larissa notices the same words in an open book as she walks throu"h 'ond &treet. +he repetition
of the statement emphasi1es its si"nificance to the thematic pro"ression of the novel. ritic,
$vrom Fleishman, notes that, thou"h the 9uotation has "enerally been understood as an
illustration of larissa-s stren"th in the face of death and disillusionment, 4larissa-s affinity for
the refrain may be taken as a mark of her stron" propensity for death ...4 larissa notes, before
returnin" to her party, 4&he felt somehow very like him the youn" man who had killed himself.
&he felt "lad that he had done it8 thrown it away.4 %is sacrifice, his affirmation of life-s
inconstancy and immediacy, allows larissa to face her own fears and desires. %is death permits
her to 4feel the beauty4 and 4feel the fun.4 $s critic Isabel )amble concludes, 4In comprehendin"
&eptimus- death he has Kplun"ed holdin" his treasure- larissa herself discovers her own
identity and becomes whole.4
+he short time larissa spends in the little room is saturated with si"nificant ima"es and
allusions. +his time is the climax of the novel. +he old lady appears in the nei"hborin" house at
this moment as well. 'ecause of &eptimus- death and the old lady, larissa steps out of the social
circle of her party and connects to the lar"er sense of life and death occurrin" around her. +he
text states, 4It was fascinatin", with people still lau"hin" and shoutin" in the drawin"6room, to
watch that old woman, 9uite 9uietly, "oin" to bed.4 (ust as the woman connected larissa to the
movements of life after /iss 2ilman and *li1abeth depart for the stores, she once a"ain creates in
larissa a wonderment for life and bein".
larissa returns to the party char"ed with a sense of life and with a need to 4assemble4 with the
people important to her. &he has con9uered the sense of isolation and returned to social
connection. +he novel ends with a scene that can be considered a microcosm of the novel. Peter
is suddenly filled with a sense of ecstasy. %e had been lookin" for larissa for a lon" time and
suddenly she was there. Woolf writes in a simple structure, reminiscent of the short sentences that
be"in the novel and permeate its body, 4It is larissa, he said. For there she was.4 +he reader is
filled with an 4extraordinary excitement4 as she becomes increasin"ly involved in the discovery
of larissa-s bein" throu"hout the novel. $s critic #ucio P. ,uotolo analy1es, 4!urin" her parties
it was not what she did or said that one remembered but rather the extraordinary sense of her
bein" there, K+here she was.-4 +he conclusion of the novel is as much an end as a be"innin".