Mrs_Dalloway_-_Modernism

Mrs Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf, is a novel that encapsulates the Modernist paradigm, with its complex structure and thematic concerns about individuality and society. As in reality, each character has different perceptions of the world around them, evident in the contrasting manner in which Clarissa and Septimus observe a motorcar. Clarissa acknowledges the car as the carriage of an important person, while Septimus feels it is invasive and threatening in its mechanical monstrosity. Symbolically, to him, it represents that the world has, “raised its whip”, and promotes fears that this “whip” will soon descend on him. His fear is conveyed in a fragmented passage, with the aural imagery making the threat seem imminent, “the throb of the motor engines sounded like a pulse irregularly drumming through an entire body”. Woolf is demonstrating that the personal context of an individual determines the perceptions of the individual. In fact, with Septimus, Woolf attempts to create a character that symbolises Modernism as a whole. His personal experiences include the suffering he has done for society in his attempt to protect England in war. Yet ironically, society does not cater for the impact of that war on the individual. Woolf characterises Septimus through the imagery of him acting, “inappropriately,” according to societal expectations. His incongruous behaviour has him living in his own imaginary world, where, metaphorically, he sees, “legions of men prostrate behind him… the giant mourner”. Post-traumatic stress is preventing him from being unable to move beyond the suffering of war, and he continues to mourn those lost. In particular he regularly hallucinates about his friend, Evans, who died at war. Through Septimus and society’s neglect of him, Woolf is challenging the treatment of the mentally ill and those who suffer from depression. Her personal context impacts the novel in this respect. Hence, through several literary techniques, Woolf expresses the individualist ideas of the modernist paradigm. Similarly, the film, The Hours, by Stephen Daldry, illustrates the struggle of the individual in the face of societal expectations, reflecting its modernist ideas, through the use of filmic techniques. Ironically, the individuality of the characters is emphasised by the similarity of their problems. Though separated by time and space, as emphasised by the title, The Hours, the share similar feelings of regret and suppression. These emotions highlight that none of the three lead females, Virginia, Laura or Clarissa, are comfortable in their society. Music portrays the emotions of the characters, ensuring we recognise that despite our first impression of each character being an individual, Clarissa and Laura are actually emotional reflections of Virginia. Casting and makeup give the characters authenticity, illustrating the efforts at realism, to the extent that Nicole Kidman, as Virginia Woolf, is given a prosthetic nose. Richard, who does not entirely fit into society and yet cannot seem to reject society either because of Clarissa, embodies individualism. He declares, “I seem to be falling out of time”, and this statement presents him as the paradoxical stereotype of individualism, as he does not know where he belongs or what he should do other than conform to social expectations. Virginia’s situation is quite similar to that of Richard and yet she is contrasted to him through her attitude when she says that people should, “look life in the face and… know it for what it is.” This implies she knows what to expect from her life. Like Septimus in Mrs Dalloway, she is not mentally stable and society does nothing to help her. Her choice to suicide stems from her recognition that society will not accept her as an individual whose needs differ from most. Through the presenting of characters with needs, in his film, Daldry is imparting the modernist paradigm concerning individualism. Mrs Dalloway comprises an intricate weaving of the views prevalent in early twentieth century England, particularly the rigidity of social hierarchy. Using multiple narrative perspectives, Woolf shows us that Clarissa Dalloway, the privileged protagonist of the novel, has quite a superficial outlook on life. Her acceptance of class values contrasts with the perspective of Septimus, whose post-traumatic stress and war experiences have caused him to question his world and its values. The fragmented structure of the characters’ thoughts, as they consider the world around them, seems to be a rejection of all the social expectations, pulling them down. Clarissa is presented at the beginning as joyous and optimistic, evident in the natural imagery that imparts her enthusiasm, “What a lark! What a plunge… How fresh, how calm, stiller than this of course, the air was in the early morning.” On the other hand, Septimus is depicted as unsettled and disconnected, apparent in the rhetorical questions he thinks of, “was he not being looked at and pointed at; was he not weighted there, rooted to the pavement, for a purpose'” Septimus’ illness is evident in the way he is stimulated by the letters T-O-F-F-E-E being written in the sky and bizarrely connects it to the war, becoming convinced that he is being secretly contacted by his dead friend Evans, “they are signalling to me.” This situational irony sees Septimus interpret the letters as entirely different to others. Clarissa’s dutiful attitude and belief that all she can do is, “throw parties…bring people together”, is seemingly demonstrating her acceptance of shallow social mores, through the superficial image her words create. Ironically, however, she questions these values continually, without revealing herself as doing so to those around her. Juxtaposition of her thoughts and those of Septimus therefore exposes their similarities. Clarissa is unable to articulate her thoughts because she is conditioned not to seem non-conformist, and she does not want to openly challenge values, and so presents herself as an unacceptable individual. However, once she hears of Septimus’ death, “she felt somehow very like him—the young man who had killed himself. She felt glad that he had done it.” Woolf has a “clock striking” Clarissa thinks about Septimus, and this is a symbol for the continuity of time. Clarissa feels constantly as if the minutes ticking away are meaningless, and her admiration for Septimus, even though she does not know him, is founded on her own recognition that life might be meaningless if an individual must be at all times constrained by society. Unlike Septimus however, she will not suicide, or assert her individuality. Hence, the novel Mrs Dalloway, through the use of literary techniques and modernist conventions, challenges and reflects particularly modernist paradigms: the rigidity of social class and the role of the individual within a class. However, The Hours by Stephen Daldry, unlike Mrs Dalloway, does not concentrate on social classes and instead reveals the breakdown of communication in an urban society. Daldry uses alternating scenes throughout the film, to create a fragmented effect while intertwining the three storylines, all based on the breakdown of communication faced by all three lead women. Laura, a housewife in the 1950s is living the American dream but cannot reveal her frustration with her life, to her husband. This is symbolised by the image of her feeling as though the room in which she sleeps is being inundated by water. It is a motif that connects her to Virginia’s drowning. Clarissa’s obsessive love for Richard cannot be revealed because she is in a relationship with Sally. Her importance in Richard’s life is symbolised through her letting the light into his room when she enters, implying that she is the only good thing in his life. Virginia’s frustration with her life, leading her to commit suicide, is expressed through the music, that plays not only when Virginia considers suicide but also when the other two women feel neglected and lonely. Lighting, bright and saturated in the 1950’s, contrasts with the feelings of Laura, as even though she has what everyone else wishes for, she is not satisfied. The phrase, “falling out of time”, is used by Richard to describe his AIDS-ridden life, and is a metaphor for the lives of all three women and Richard, as they all do not fit into their time. For example, Laura, though she is a 1950s American housewife, has a contemporary way of thought and her idea that she could have a separate life away from her family, suggests she does not fit into her time-period. Richard pays little regard to real time, living in psychological time, where the true order of events escapes him. His AIDS and his inability to think as coherently as others makes him an individual who cannot find acceptance. His choice to suicide ends his suffering, just as Septimus’ death ends his. Although Richard and Clarissa talk, they fail to express their true feelings or concens and so cannot comfort one another. This is a sad irony that highlights Daldry’s message concerning the breakdown of communication in an urban society, a message that is part of the Modernist paradigm.