Stereotypes In Mrs Dalloway

Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs Dalloway displays a thought provoking look into the post-war British society and is framed around the character of Clarissa Dalloway during a single day in her life. Throughout the novel, many themes are brought to light and as a result create a parallel between Clarissa and her detachment to the war and its lasting effects to the PTSD stricken Septimus Warren Smith. These two characters share many aspects such as the second-hand effects of the war, possible relationships between the same gender and societies idea of traditional gender roles. Clarissa and Septimus share a lot of commonalities in their stories despite never meeting.

The ending of the first world war is still felt throughout Mrs Dalloway, experienced

Alex Zwerdling writes: "Though the War had transformed the lives of millions of people, only one character in the novel-Septimus Smith seems to have counted its cost, both to the victims of the slaughter and to the survivors. " Zwerdling highlights how it is only Septimus who appears to suffer any lasting consequence of the war despite its effects on the world. Septimus's PTSD is a result of this however, it is something that is frequently dismissed by doctors throughout the novel, “Dr Holmes might say there was nothing the matter” This dismissal of Septimus’s condition allows for him to continue to dwell and be affected by what happened without any solution being offered to him. It is understandable as society would have expected him to return and continue as normal as society expectations would allow. However, that is not the case and Septimus continues to suffer resulting in his eventual

Even as a middle upper-class lady, Clarissa does not enjoy the lifestyle, instead sees it as duties instead of enjoyment. To throw parties is what she is meant to do as a woman of a house but does not find the pleasure in it she should, instead worrying that her parties were going to be disastrous, “Oh dear, it was going to be a failure, a complete failure” . Shannon Forbes states: “Clarissa's decision to define her life in terms of her performance as Mrs. Richard Dalloway, the perfect hostess. Clarissa performs the role to the extent that it consumes her. ”. This statement highlights Clarissa’s depersonalisation and feelings of requirement in her life, focusing on what is expected rather than what makes her happy. Clarissa is discontented in her role as a woman however, she does not have any way to deal with these frustrations and as such, keeps them to herself. Woolf highlights the issue of traditional gender roles by challenging them with Septimus’s femininity and Clarissa’s