Mrs. Dalloway

Sentence Summary: On the day of Clarissa Dalloway's party, Clarissa, along with her friends and neighbors, go about their lives, constantly thinking about their pasts, and contemplating human existence.
Paragraph Summary: Clarissa Dalloway sets out to buy flowers for her party that evening. On the way to the shop, she reflects on her past, and how she loves life. She runs into Hugh Whitbread, prompting her to think of Peter Walsh; an old friend who disliked Hugh and had asked Clarissa to marry him. Once in the shop, a loud car is heard. It is a luxurious car, and everyone around ponders who is inside. Septimus Smith, a mentally ill war veteran, also hears the car. His wife Rezia reflects on how her husband's strangeness concerns her, although she still loves him deeply. Once at home, Clarissa reflects on her zeal for life. This leads her to think of Sally Seton, a woman whom Clarissa admires. Clarissa begins to mend a dress for her party that night. Peter Walsh arrives unexpectedly. Peter critisizes Clarissa in his mind for wasting her life with social activities. Clarissa wonders if she would have been happier marrying Peter. On his walk from Clarissa's, Peter's thoughts repeatedly return to Clarissa, although he claims he no longer has feelings for her. He reaches a park where he falls asleep and has a dream of himself as a solitary traveler. This dream makes him think of a time when Clarissa was heartless to another woman. During this same memory, Clarissa tells Peter she will not marry him. Peter crosses paths with the Smiths in the park. He views them as an ordinary young couple having a fight. Peter tells himself he is not in love with Clarissa anymore. An old woman is heard singing a love song, and Peter pities her, but Rezia is comforted by the song. Details of Septimus's past are revealed. Prior to the war, he fell in love with an older woman and wrote poetry. After the war, Septimus could seldom feel emotion. Septimus is taken by Rezia to see Sir William Bradshaw, a psychiatrist. Sir William is not sympathetic to Septimus's case, and feels he can be easily cured. Hugh Whitbread and Richard Dalloway have lunch at Lady Bruton's. Lady Bruton has Hugh write a letter to the newspaper about emigration to Canada for her. On his way home, Richard picks up flowers for Clarissa. Miss Kilman, a religious yet hateful woman, takes Elizabeth shoping. Miss Kilman talks to her about the freedom women have in her generation. Elizabeth leaves after Miss Kilman's manner begins to irritate her. At the Smith's, Septimus begins to act like himself again. He helps Rezia design a hat, and she is overcome with joy. Minutes later, Dr. Holmes arrives at their home. Septimus kills himself before the docter can speak to him, his final act of defiance. On his way to his hotel, Peter recalls more memories of Clarissa. He then thinks about the woman he is to marry, Daisy, and expresses mixed feelings. Clarissa's party starts, and she worries whether or not it will be a success. Clarissa is reunited with Sally, but it doesn't feel like it used to. Clarissa learns of Septimus's death, and feels a certain connection with him. The novel ends with Peter realizing that Clarissa still affects him greatly.
Close Reading: Pg. 86 "He went to France to save an England which consisted almost entirely of Shakespeare's plays and Miss Isabel Pole in a green dress walking in a square."
When I first read this sentence, I was confused as to whether this was Septimus's perspective, or that of the omniscient narrator. Of course, the whole story is told by the omniscient narrator, but nearly exclusively through the perspectives of various characters. Only during a few paragraphs of this novel does the narrator tell the story without adopting the perspective of one of the characters. One instance of this occurs right before this sentence, when Septimus's past is described. Because of the fact that the narrator descibes Septimus's past without adopting the perspective of a character only a few paragraphs before this sentence, I am inclined to think that this sentence is also from the perspective of the narrator. Reading the line this way makes Septimus's feelings before the war much more objective. If these feelings had been expressed from Septimus's perspective, I would be skeptical to accept them. In his state of despair, I would not trust him to recount what aspects of England made him feel strongly enough to go to war. By having the narrator tell us these things instead, a greater sense of authenticity is felt. This authenticity is important in constructing Septimus's past character. Without the neutral perspective of the narrator in this instance, we would not have been given a clear indication that prior to the war, Septimus was capable of feeling passionate emotion. And without knowing this about Septimus's past, the reader would not fully understand the tragedy of his present.