Virginia Woolf – Mrs. Dalloway - Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself

Analysis

The extract in analysis is the incipit of Woolf's novel “Mrs Dalloway”. Mrs. Dalloway is about to go out and buy some flowers.

The novel begins in medias res which is a typical feature of modernist novels. There is no omniscient narrator who introduces the setting and the characters. As a consequence the reader takes part of the narration actively deconstructing the poem. He must understand by himself who the characters are and what role they play in the plot.

The first line underlines Woolf's point of view on female emancipation: Mrs. Dalloway is an independent woman. The sentence shows the novelist's evaluation of feminist work.

The sentence “The doors would be taken off their hinges” refers to the preparation of Clarissa's party. It is a foreshadowing metaphor for all the changes that will take place in the characters' minds. Such interpretation of the sentence proves Virginia's interest for the deepest thoughts that flow trough one's mind.

Woolf uses bright images to convey Clarissa's recollection of memories. She shows a puerile excitement for the “fresh as if issued to children” morning. It is the wold “children” that connotes what follows as a memory.

The expression “What a lark” What a plunge!” refers to her impression of the other world as a young girl. She was a dynamic teenager as the intense use of action verbs (“burst” and “plunged”) suggests. Nature “kissed” her while she was “looking” at the world surrounding her. Woolf focuses on Clarissa's visual sensations and connotes the complexity of the view using accumulation of nouns and verbs (“flowers”, “tree”, smoke” and “rising”, “falling”, “standing”). Such accumulation conveys the natural view as rich and full of life. On the other hand Clarissa's thoughts seem to be in contrast with the energy of nature: looking at the world she felt “that something awful was about to happen”. Such contrast brings to surface Clarissa's deep displeasure of being happy: in happyness everything can turn things to bad.

Mrs. Dalloway remembers Peter Walsh and the feelings she felt towards him. Once more there is a conflict: Clarissa wants things to be as they were but, at the same time, she regrets her relationship with Peter who was only capable of “awfully dull letters”. The conflict is conveyed by the contrast between Walsh's characterization and Clarissa's memories. Walsh is told to be a “dull” and “grumpy” man who uttered strange things like “Musing among the vegetables?”. However Clarissa cannot push him out of his thoughts and immediately recalls that “he would be back from India one of these days” in spite of not remembering the exact month.