In “Mr Bennet and Mrs Brown”, Virginia Woolf (1924) argues that in 1910, human nature – intended as human character – changed. As Bell (1987, p. 122) pointed out, what Woolf really means by this statement is that in the early 20th century, all human relations appeared to have shifted significantly: those between masters and slaves, parents and children, husbands and wives, and so forth. In her essay, Woolf admits that writers should find new ways to adapt to the fast-changing modern world if they are to survive. Despite their attempts to capture reality, Georgian authors failed to develop techniques that may help future writers to represent their characters in a realistic and convincing enough manner. It follows that according to Woolf, one has to be flexible and responsive to external changes in order not to be left behind.
Analyzing the way in which some of her most popular characters respond to the changing times, it appears evident that Woolf used her novels as a tool to express her own perception of the interwar period and the numerous social issues that characterized it. Mrs Dalloway (Woolf, 1925) is a typically modernist novel revolving around Clarissa Dalloway, a fictional high-society woman whose life is profoundly affected by the events that followed World War I. Throughout the novel, Mrs Dalloway spends her entire day preparing for a party that will host in the evening; as she walks around London getting all the things she needs, she reflects on her youth, her choice of husband and life in general. When she returns home, an old suitor who had proposed to her many years before, Peter Walsh, drops by her house and asks her about her marriage. Her daughter arrives before she can answer, thus leaving Peter’s question unanswered. Unexpectedly, the author introduces a completely different character, i.e. war veteran Septimus Warren Smith. Septimus suffers from a mental disorder called posttraumatic stress disorder and ends up committing suicide. Both Clarissa and Septimus are trying to come to the terms with the fact that the world as they once knew it has changed. Clarissa struggles to balance her internal world with her social commitments and obligations.
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As an upper-class housewife, she knows that everybody expects her to act in a certain way. She engages in shallow conversations and strives to keep up appearances despite her powerful memories prompting her to think about death, life, fate as well as other things that women were not really supposed to be concerned with back then. Clarissa performs apparently life-affirming actions – such as buying flowers – while reflecting on the decisions that have shaped her life, wondering whether she would be happier if only she had married Peter Walsh instead of her husband Richard. Her persistent doubt reflects the uncertainty that characterized the interwar period. World War I had a significant impact on various aspects of British society, including values, beliefs and social classes. In the novel, the only characters who refuse to adapt to the changing times are Aunt Helena and Lady Bruton, whose old age prevents them from seeing the world as it really is. At times, Clarissa wishes she could live her life all over again, making different decisions and experiencing different things. In the end, she accepts her own mortality and decides to endure the oppressive forces in her life.
While Clarissa responds to the changing times by questioning her past decisions and trying to carry on with her life without sharing her doubts or deep thoughts with those around her, Septimus finds it very difficult to live a normal life. Unlike Clarissa, he cannot pretend that everything is alright after experiencing the horrors of World War I. His doctor has instructed his Italian-born wife, Lucrezia, to help him notice things outside himself as he appears to be living in an exclusively internal world, where his thoughts, memories and questions are the only things that matter. After fighting to preserve the legitimacy of British society, Septimus judges others more honestly and harshly than Clarissa does. He acknowledges that the world is changing and eventually decides to run away from his problems by taking his own life.
When Clarissa learns about Septimus’ tragic death, she gradually comes to admire his act, which she sees as an excellent way to preserve one’s happiness. Clarissa’s evolution throughout the novel reflects the fall of the old establishment and its values, her social class’ disillusionment with the British Empire as well as her fear of oppression. Analyzing the way in which both Septimus and Clarissa respond to changing circumstances, it is evident that Woolf meant to sensitize the general public to a theme that was very dear to her, i.e. insanity. Returning to her initial statement that writers need to be flexible in order to survive in today’s fast-changing world, Woolf’s argument clearly applies to all human beings whose refusal to embrace new social norms and values is likely to make them miserable, or even drive them insane.
As explained by Larson (2012, p. 194), Clarissa Dalloway represents the upper class’ blockage to change and apparent feeling of immunity; similarly to many others, Clarissa refuses to see the ugliness of the world, which she constantly tries to beautify in her own way. Her attempt to repress her fears and doubts reflect Britain’s attempt to deny the devastation brought about by World War I (DeMeester, 2007). In Mrs Dalloway, people exhibit mixed feelings about innovation and the future: when a motorcar passes down Piccadilly, everybody turns around to look at it with both fear and veneration (Conner, 2015, p. 2). From an analysis of Clarissa and Septimus’ internal monologues, it is evident that Woolf sought to highlight two possible responds to changing circumstances: on the one hand, there is denial and repression, which find their highest expression in Clarissa’s stoicism in her reaction to traumatic events (Levenback, 1999); on the other hand, Septimus’ acceptance and discomfort reflect his inability to lead a normal life in a different world. Throughout the novel, Woolf travels back and forth in time and relies on interior monologues (also known as “stream of consciousness”) to explore her characters’ thoughts, past experiences and qualities in such a way to assess their impact on their everyday lives. Mrs Dalloway is a truly multidimensional novel that allows the reader to get to know each character from multiple perspectives while prompting them to reflect on the many different ways in which people can respond to changing events.
In conclusion, people’s ability – or inability – to cope with changing circumstances is a theme that Virginia Woolf addressed multiple times during her life. Mrs Dalloway is a masterpiece that clearly shows how deep an impact World War I had on British society and how each social class reacted to the devastation and uncertainty it brought. Clarissa Dalloway meditates on her life, past decisions, marriage and death while preparing for a party that will host in the evening. As a member of the British upper class, she finds it easier to live in the past and deny the fact that the old establishment is practically over. Septimus has seen too much to return to a normal life and his inability to find a place in post-war Britain combined with his post-traumatic stress prompt him to suicide.
- Bell, D. (1987). Modernism Mummified. American Quarterly, 39(1), 122-132.
- Conner, L. (2015). Post War Trauma in Mrs. Dalloway. [Online] Available at:
- DeMeester, K. (2007). Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Obstacles to Post-War
Recovery in Mrs. Dalloway. In S. Henke, D. Eberly & J. Lilienfeld, ed. Virginia Woolf and Trauma. New York: Pace University Press, pp. 77-93. - Larson, J. (2012) The Personal is National: Houses of Memory and Postwar Culture in Mrs.
Dalloway. In F. Saggini & A. Soccio, ed. The House of Fiction as the House of Life: Representations of the House from Richardson to Woolf. Newcastle Upon Tyne, England: Cambridge Scholars, pp.193-203. - Levenback, K. L. (1999).Virginia Woolf and the Great War. New York, NY: Syracuse University Press.
- Woolf, V. (1924). Mr Bennett and Mrs Brown. London, UK: Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press.
- Woolf, V. (1925). Mrs Dalloway. London, UK: Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press.
