“. . . this type of the English public school man.” (168)

In England, what Americans would traditionally think of as a private school is called a public school. Therefore, the attendance of such a school would indubitably put off an image of privilege – something Woolf would have known and used to her advantage when describing Hugh’s appearance and demeanor. Hugh is, as Woolf depicts him, a stereotypical product of elite institutions.

Source:

"Public school (privately funded)." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 30 Sept. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school_(privately_funded).

“. . .an omnibus. . .” (131)

An omnibus is like any other type of mass-transit vehicle: a cheap, easy way to get around. In Elizabeth’s waiting for this mode of transportation, she immediately becomes a member of the common class. Without a personal mode of transport, it is implied that her family lacks the financial position to make this possible. This impression leaves Woolf’s reader assuming things about her characters that cannot be fully known – fitting, given that so much of the novel focuses on outward appearances, while keeping innermost feelings, thoughts, and situations hidden.

Source:

"Omnibus - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 30 Sept. 2009. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omnibus.

Picture Credits:

Omnibus. Digital image. Transit Museum. Web. 30 Sept. 2009. http://www.transitmuseumeducation.org/images/vocab/photo_omnibus.jpg.

Outward Appearances

All characters throughout Woolf’s novel are, in at least some way, concerned with their outward appearance. From Clarissa’s blatant obsession with and concern about how those around her perceive her to Septimus’s apparent rejection of all social norms, each character is at all times aware of how their peers view them and work to make sure this view is molded in a certain way. From Clarissa’s party to Septimus’s suicide, all of Woolf’s characters craft their actions deliberately, with the intent to send a message to society.

Regret

From the very start of the novel, nostalgia sets in for Clarissa as she looks back on the moments she has already lived as sweeter than the present. She wonders about how her life could have been different had she made different choices: she wonders if she would have been happier had she followed her heart and not simply done what society expected from her. With this, Woolf is making a statement about the fleetingness of life, with the subtle push to urge all readers to buck convention if they so desire, so that when they are older, they don’t look back and wonder what could have been. Clarissa serves as a cautionary warning for all readers – make the most of your time now, so you won’t regret it later in life.

“Heaven was divinely merciful, infinitely benignant. It spared him, pardoned his weakness. But what was the scientific explanation (for one must be sc

Throughout Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf portrays society as illogical at times. With all its seemingly trivial concerns and obsessions, it is easy for readers to interpret England in the early 1920s as a ridiculous environment. With the infusion of a desire for a scientific explanation – the most logical of all arguments – suddenly Clarissa’s world becomes one more based in reality, moving out of the black hole of the sole worry of keeping up appearances.

“He had escaped! was utterly free – as happens in the downfall of habit when the mind, like an unguarded flame, bows and bends and seems about to blow

Throughout the novel, Woolf portrays many characters as living in a free nation and yet not truly free. Instead, they live in a restrictive society in which stringent rules exist governing all interactions. For Peter to feel such ebullience at the prospect of freedom for simply a short while speaks to this oppression and its presence in all strata of life. Without this instance of a well-to-do man feeling so free from societies bonds, it would be possible to interpret Woolf’s work as speaking solely to the condition of women, veterans, the lower-class, or any number of other minorities. With this depiction of Peter’s experience, however, it becomes clear that everyone in England is a potential victim of society – whether they appear to be at risk of meeting this fate or not.

Clarissa and Septimus as Opposites

Throughout the novel, Clarissa and Septimus lead parallel lives without coming in contact. In many ways, they are exact opposites of each other. While Clarissa is of a high social class who many see as never having faced any real adversity, Septimus is a shell-shocked war veteran of more meager means. And yet, the two of them have eerily similar perceptions of society as a whole, especially the social pressures that are placed upon them and the delicate balance they are expected to strike between their desire to lead private lives and the expectations placed upon them to interact with others. However, they are entirely different in the way they handle the stress this causes them. While Clarissa molds into what the masses expect her to be, losing herself in the process, Septimus chooses to take matters into his own hands and end his life rather than conform and being yet another unhappy clone. This is exactly the point Woolf was making with the two characters – while society make place undue pressures on every citizen, it is up to these citizens to decide their fates for themselves.