An Account of Clarissa’s Instabilities in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway

Abstract

This study investigates Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and the reasons behind the character Clarissa’s instabilities by applying the narrative technique of stream of consciousness. On the surface, the novel narrates one day in the life of the popular yet introspective Clarissa. Yet it seems as though the novel takes place over a lifetime, as there are several flashbacks and memories of Clarissa’s past. She is certainly a busy individual and an “in demand” member of upper-class society. Clarissa appears collected and in control, as she hurries around her house and the city of London on a lovely day in June. However, she reveals herself as an extremely self-criticizing woman, questioning the choices she has made throughout her life. This study examines the stream-of-consciousness method to explore the hidden reasons for Clarissa’s instabilities. The reasons identified in this analysis were World War I, Clarissa’s troubled marriage life, and her inability to make up her mind. Clarissa proves to be the most complex character in the novel. Virginia Woolf compares Clarissa with all the other major characters, and she analyzes Clarissa’s appearance versus her reality. Throughout the novel, Clarissa questions the choices she has made throughout her life that have landed her in her current troubled situation.