Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Book Review: Mrs. Dalloway
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Book Review: Mrs. Dalloway
I have to admit that reading Virginia Woolf’s novel “Mrs. Dalloway was not easy at first. I think the book has a confusing prose style at first before one grasps the storyline. The unusual thing that struck me about the book after getting a grasp of the prose is the back and forth retrospection of life done by the main protagonist in the book Clarissa Dalloway.
Mrs. Dalloway presents the persisting internal doubts many people face in their lives. These doubts are fundamentally paradoxical considering that we cannot change the past. The paradox of reminiscing is evident by evaluating Mrs. Dalloway’s doubt in the context of her economic class. The reader can easily tell that Clarissa belongs to the class of a typical “society hostess.” This is observed through the narrative showing Dalloway preparing to throw a party for her guests. The reader can easily tell that Clarissa belongs to the upper-class considering the purchases made to make the party perfect. Even in contemporary world societal standards, one would think that belonging to an upper-class would amount to a happy life where one does not have the time or grounds to wonder what would have happened if they approached life differently. This is not the case presented by Clarissa. At the end of the book, we even witness Clarissa admiring the act of defiance represented by Septimus' decision to end his life. It is odd that this m...