Mrs Dalloway

Mrs Dalloway-Time Essay Mrs DallowayIn Virginia Woolfs Mrs Dalloway, the representation of time and attitudes towards history, are one of the central experiences within her novel. Originally called The Hours, Woolf explores the existence of different time frameworks. The four main frameworks explored in the novel are clocktime, subjective time, historical and evolutionary time. Woolf deals with the transience of time in human existence. Life is portrayed in a state of constant creation, changing endlessly from moment to moment. The characters are pre-occupied with the essence of time. They are acutely aware of the moment as it passes, compounding their thoughts, feelings and apprehensions of the physical world in which the character moves. Others who live simultaneously yet individually also correlate the intimate connection of the moment to their own existence. At the same time, these experiences capitulate moments of similar experiences of the past through links of association. Through analysing the conne ction between the time frameworks, Woolf attempt to make a statement of human existence, and their ability to value the acts of war and patriotism, rather than acknowledge their true identity. The first and perhaps most noticeable, is the existence of an objective or clocktime framework. As we follow the lives of the characters, particularly the world of Clarissa Dalloway, we are constantly reminded of the regular passage of time, signaled by the striking of the clocks. Apart from the obvious usefulness it has in the daily lives of the characters, namely in the planning of Clarissas party, there is a second more prominent reason for its inclusion in the novel. The narrators function by announcing the chiming of the bells acts as a reminder of the ungoverned nature of time, and its inability to be restrained regardless of human desires. ..First a warning, musical; then the hour, irrevocable. The leaden circles dissolved in the air(pg6)The clear distinctions in time are highlighted by the momentary lapses back into reality bought about by the symbolic striking of the clock, emphasizing the hour in real terms. The constant chiming serves as an impersonal reminder of the present. In contrast to clocktime, is the framework of subjective time. Subjective moments are those in memory that can be recalled, but never relived. Such a timeframe is unlike clocktime, as it does not flow evenly yet at the same time is not momentary, and can be orchestrated by the individuals conscious recall. Its ability to not die away rapidly allows for it to exist in the individual’s mind, and by such existence, is generally memorable or of some importance to the person. In Mrs Dalloway, we see the characters recall the summer at Bourton, and their belief of how it has been crucial in determining their lives. This time in their lives, w hether in the past or future, is of significance, and therefore they have vivid memories of it. For Septimus, it is the death of his friend Evans that invades his subjective mind. His inability to control his memories results in his subjective time becoming frozen at that moment so that he lives it over and over again in various guises. For Peter Walsh, it is when ..He had found life like an unknown garden, full of turns and corners, surprisingly, yes; really it took ones breath away, these momentslike this moment, in which things came together;this ambulance; and life and death.. (pg136). Clarissa encounters also Only for a moment, she had a illumination; a match burning in a crocus; an inner meaning almost expressed (pg30). These fleeting experiences of revelation, their submerging into the subjective world, is short lived as they are brought back to the present by the switching to clock time, and again resumes their practical, social life. Although their individual revelations differ from one another, they are brought into a relationship by shared experiences, of watching the motor-car in which the Queen may be sitting, of gazing at the aeroplane sky-writing, or even the vague awareness of the chimes of Big Ben striking throughout the day. As Woolf illustrates in Mrs Dalloway, there is a close relationship betwee n the two frameworks of clocktime- the practical time to engage with the world, and the subjective time where a deeper, more enduring meaning to existence holds prominence. Virginia Woolf does not attempt to explain these meaning of these timeframes, but merely illustrate their existence. These moments can be unclear and interchangeable, but upon their reflection there is a essence that there is more to existence that patriotic pride of warfare. It is this point that Woolf establishes. A third framework of time in the novel is that of historical time. This specifically lies in the grouping of time periods in history based in significant historical events. Although the event of the Great War is of such historical magnitude, the novels ruling classes are portrayed to be living in a state of disguised decadence, and are clearly not aware on the importance of the War. Lady Bruton is a striking representation of this class. Although from a military family, she displays an incredible igno rance in failing to respond to what is happening in the world. Her traditions, mainly of archaic military and imperial origin, are in themselves representatives of historical views shared by the classes of the time. It is through the commemorative monuments scattered throughout London, and their reminders of the past, that we see Virginia Woolfs most obvious representation of history in the novel. By such military ties, Woolf illustrates the ability that traditional culture has to deny the reality of war by covering it with images of glamour and heroism. It also links the sentimental patriotic pride and attachment society has with warfare and its associations with royalty. By mention of the poor woman, nice children, orphans, widows, waiting to see the Queen go past in her car (pg18), the reader is given an insight into English culture, and their love of royalty, despite their solemn existence. In the character of Mr Bowley, we are given perhaps the most noticeable example of this. Described as sealed with wax over deeper sources of life (pg18), we see an individual who has suppressed the real world to the extent that he is unable to feel authentic emotions, yet is brought to tears over the visual presence of the royal car is seen passing through the streets of London. Personal Strengths And Weaknesses EssayYork Notes. Mrs Dalloway Virginia Woolf : York Notes. Harlow England: York Press 1986. Reprint 1997. Lee, Hermione. The Novels of Virginia Woolf. Methuen London. 1977Rose, Phyllis. Woman of Letters: A life of Virginia Woolf. Routledge and Kegan Paul London: 1978 (Ch7)Guiguet, Jean. Virginia Woolf and her Works. Hogarth Press London: 1965. Allen, Walter. The English Novel. Harmondsworth: England. 1954. Pg 348-351